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Becoming a Registered Counsellor

What the Register of Counsellors asks of applicants, and how to work towards it.

March 2003

At the first point of application for Clinical membership, you are also considered for Registered Counsellor status. You must maintain an active Clinical membership for your Registered Counsellor status to remain valid and to be renewed. You cannot be a Registered Counsellor without being a Clinical Member.

1. Check Against the Criteria

Clinical membership is required to sign up for the Registered Counsellor status.

Check if your programme is SAC-recognised, then map your postgraduate clinical hours (600) and supervision hours (60) against the thresholds before you pay.

Note: There will be a one-time $50 administrative fee for application, and an additional $20 administrative charge which applies to refunds for member-initiated changes, including withdrawals, cancellations, modifications, corrections, overpayments, or accidental fee transfers

2. Documents to Submit

Please prepare all the necessary supporting documents in PDF:

Passport size photo
Letter of current employment and corresponding job description (counselling related)
Official certificate and transcript from an SAC recognised programme
600 hrs face-to-face counselling hours log sheets acknowledged by the Head of Agency or equivalent.
60 hrs of Clinical Supervision supported by an SAC Registered Counsellor (RC) or Registered Clinical Supervisor (RCS)

For non-SAC recognised programmes, please submit the following additional documents:

SAC Counselling Log sheet documenting 100 hrs face-to-face and 10 hrs of Clinical Supervision (hours to be broken down into individual sessions) achieved in the midst of programme
Detailed description of programme, including but not restricted to module descriptions, duration per modules, etc. available on official website or entry documents.
Evidence that the programme is recognised by the local counselling body

Regarding the clocking of counselling hours:

The intended registrant must complete six hundred (600) hours of counselling within a minimum period of two (2) years, subject to a maximum of three (3) years. This time period need not start immediately after graduation but must consist of one (1) block period of time that is completed within seven (7) years upon graduation, beyond which, the Register of Counsellors Board shall have discretion to make recommendations to the Executive Committee on a case-by-case basis. The six hundred (600) hours may be provided via face-to-face or video means. The proportion of hours provided via video means should not exceed three hundred (300). The recording of hours will begin only when coursework has been completed, and that only hours clocked within the most recent three (3) years from the date of intended membership application will be accepted. The supervision must be provided by a SAC Registered Counsellor or SAC Registered Clinical Supervisor or its equivalent. The supervision will consist of at least one (1) hour of supervision for each ten (10) hours of counselling practice.
Text, phone, and email counselling hours cannot and will not be accepted.

Regarding the clocking of clinical supervision hours:

Supervision must be provided by a SAC Registered Counsellor or SAС Registered Clinical Supervisor or its equivalent. The supervision will consist of at least one (1) hour of supervision for each ten (10) hours of counselling practicе.
Please note that w.e.f 1 January 2015, the ratio for Group Clinical Supervision versus Individual Clinical Supervision is 70:30, i.e., equivalent to a maximum of 42 hours of Group Supervision and a minimum of 18 hours of Individual Supervision.
For supervision hours clocked with a non-SAC Registered Counsellor (RC) /Registered Clinical Supervisor (RCS), please submit a copy of the CV together with the log sheets and online application form for evaluation. Approval or rejection is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Application must be submitted with all documents intact. We regret that we are unable to pre-approve CVs submitted via email prior to receiving the membership application.
It is important to note that approval for external supervisors does not set a precedent for all future applicants, as we continually adapt to changes in the professional landscape in Singapore.

3. Application Review and Outcome

Your application is processed only after both character referees have completed their endorsement. Provide their email addresses accurately, and ask them to check their spam or junk folder for the system email from support@sacsingapore.org.

The secretariat first checks that all documents are in place. The application is then tabled for review by the Register of Counsellors Board (RCB). If there are no further issues, it is tabled for approval before the SAC EXCO, and an official invoice follows. The process generally takes one to two months.

4. Professional Indemnity (PI) Compliance for Registered Counsellors

In accordance with Clause 5.5 of the SAC Constitution, w.e.f. March 2015 all Registered Counsellors (RC) must maintain valid Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance as a condition of registration and renewal.
Registrants not participating in SAC’s Group PI Policy must submit a PI Exemption Form with supporting documentation by the stated deadline.
Failure to comply by the deadline will result in removal from the Register of Counsellors, in accordance with SAC’s registration requirements.

5. Maintain Your Status – 2-Yearly Renewal of Registered Counsellor Status

According to Article 5.3 of the SAC Constitution, for each two-year period registered as a SAC Registered Counsellor, the registrant shall renew by fulfilling the following requirements via online:

Complete fifty (50) hours of Continuing Professional Development
a. For each course/workshop/seminar, please upload a certificate OR letter of attendance (on official letterhead) in PDF format
Complete four hundred (400) clinical hours (please ensure that your log sheets are properly kept and
made available upon request for audit purposes).
Have a valid Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance

Registration is renewed with a CPD declaration and confirmation of Professional Indemnity Insurance. Lapsed registration means the title may no longer be used.

Ready to apply for registration?

Applications are assessed by the Register of Counsellors Board. Start with the application guide and the log sheet templates.