Cap. 538 Art. 2Interpretation.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

"ability test" means a test, the purpose of which is to assess the person’s ability for him to be able to practise the counselling profession in Malta as required by the Council under the provisions of this Act; "adaptation period'' means a period during which a person may exercise the counselling profession in Malta under the supervision of a counselling supervisor, which period may include the provision of such further training to such person, as may be required by the Council, at the end of which an ability test shall be carried out; "association of counsellors'' means any association of counsellors established in terms of article 12; "the Council" means the Council for the Counselling Profession in Malta established by article 4; "counselling" means the observation, description, evaluation, interpretation, research, or assistance given in accordance with accepted principles of the counselling profession, methods or procedures for the purpose of preventing or eliminating restrictive behaviour and improvement on interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal reflection, personal change at the place of work, in life, personal development and empowerment in learning, physical well being or mental health; ''counselling supervisor'' means a person in possession of a full warrant that has read a training course in counselling supervision of not less than 30 ECTS at level 7 within the Malta Qualifications Framework or the equivalent as recognised by the competent authority in a European Member State or by the Council and the National Commission of Further and Higher Education in the case of a non-Member State, and who is duly registered in the register for supervisors kept by the Council as a counsellor who may provide services of supervision to the Council;

"counselling trainee" means a person who is registered by the Council in a register kept for Counselling Trainees and is undergoing training in counselling which is recognized by the Council, according to article 24; "counselling with specialisation" means that the person is trained in a specific area of not less than 30 ECTS at level 7 within the

*See article 1(2) of this Act, as originally promulgated, and Legal Notice 151 of 2015. Malta Qualifications Framework or the equivalent as recognised by the competent authority in a European Member State, or by the Council and the National Commission of Further and Higher Education in the case of a non-Member State. Counselling with specialisation is awarded only to a person having a full warrant; "counsellor" means a person registered in one of the official registers kept by the Council and who has been granted a warrant under this Act to practise the profession of counselling, in accordance with article 3(4);

''the course'' means the programme of study leading to the degree of Masters in Counselling and is made up of five components which are theory, number of hours of training, personal development, research and expertise in counselling. The five components shall have between 90 and 120 ECTS;

"ECTS" means European Credit Transfer System; "full warrant" means a warrant which entitles the person to be registered in the official register of counsellors with a full warrant kept by the Council;

"Masters degree'' means a Masters degree in Counselling issued by the University of Malta;

"the Minister" means the Minister responsible for the counselling profession;

"practise" in relation to the counselling profession shall include:

(a) the taking up or pursuit of the counselling profession, whether in a self-employed capacity or as an employed person; and

(b) the right to use, in the course of such pursuit, the professional title of ''Registered Counsellor'' or the designatory letters ''RCouns'' by a person in possession of a full warrant, or the professional title ''Counsellor in possession of a temporary warrant'' by a person in possession of a temporary warrant or the professional title of ''Restricted Counsellor'' by whoever is in possession of a restricted warrant, or the professional title of ''Counselling Supervisor'' or the designatory letters “RSCouns” by a person registered by the Council as a supervising counsellor; "prescribed" means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act; "profession" unless otherwise indicated, means the counselling profession; ''public officer'' has the same meaning as is given to it by article 92 of the Criminal Code and includes a counsellor; "recognised degree'' means the formal acknowledgment by the competent authority in a European Member State, or by the Council and the National Commission of Further and Higher Education in the case of a non-Member State of a foreign higher education qualification as being equivalent to the degree issued by the University of Malta to practise the counselling profession in Malta; "restricted warrant'' means a warrant which entitles a person, who from the date of coming into force of this Act is employed as counsellor with an agency or institution and undergone training given or recognised only by the same agency or institution, to be registered in the register for counsellors with a restricted warrant kept by the Council, but who cannot take up or pursue the counselling profession in a self-employed capacity or as an employed person;

''society of counsellors'' means any society of counsellors established in terms of article 12;

''temporary warrant'' means a warrant entitling a person to be registered in the register for counsellors with a temporary warrant kept by the Council who can practice the counselling profession under supervision of a counselling supervisor and according to guidelines issued by the Council;

"warrant" means a warrant issued under article 6.