Since 1992, an informal (non-statutory) professional body service to the pastoral and spiritual counselling fraternity in South Africa was provided by the Southern African Association for Pastoral Work (SAAP). During 2016 SAAP joined forces with AMTP (see below) to form ACRP. The professional services to pastoral and spiritual counsellors are now provided by CPSC as a division of ACRP which fulfils its functions as a council within the wider ACRP framework.

The main reason for establishing CPSC was to take care of the professionalisation needs of the large number of well qualified pastoral care and counselling practitioners who could not be conferred formally recognised, professional designations in the past - because no space existed within the South African regulatory framework for the formal recognition of pastoral carers and counsellors. As a division of ACRP, CPSC applied to SAQA to be the officially recognised accreditation council within the South African regulatory framework for people who are involved with pastoral care and counselling.

Affiliates linked to ACRP via CPSC are drawn from a wide range of persons with a focussed or specialised counselling ministry, varying from lay pastoral workers, counsellors, chaplains, pastors, ministers and specialist counsellors to private practitioners, family and marriage counsellors, trauma counsellors and mediators.

CPSC Administrative Officer: Ilse Grünewald
CPSC Financial Officer: Anita Snyders

To obtain detailed information, to register with, or to access the services of CPSC, go the CPSC website.