IAPP is an association of professionals who are qualified as Philophonetics and Psychophonetics counselling/ psychotherapy practitioners or who have qualified with a Diploma in Applied Philophonetics/Psychophonetics in a specialized field. It also maintains the register of authorized Psychophonetics training Institutes/ colleges and authorized/ registered Psychophonetics practitioners, supervisors and trainers.

IAPP was initially first formed as an informal association in Melbourne in 1997 after the first group of practitioners had graduated. The process to establish a professional association proceeded with the first draft of the founding constitution distributed in March 2000, and with the final constitution officially formalised in February 2008.

Philophonetics and Psychophonetics practitioners have completed their three years of professional training and qualification at either Persephone College or Persephone Institute – branches are in Melbourne (Australia), Cape Town (South Africa), and Stroud (UK).

The motivation to formalise the association arose from the increase in the number of practitioners by 2005; new developments in the field of counselling and psychotherapy; registration requirements (to uphold professional standards, codes of practice); and a desire to create a forum for colleagues to meet and communicate, between centres and practitioners across Australia, South Africa and the UK.

Executive Committee 2009

President/Chairperson – Yehuda Tagar
Vice Chairperson/Treasurer – Dr. Raoul Goldberg
Secretary/Registration – Katherine Train
Continuing Education – Keriesa Botha
International Liaison – Dr Elina Komarova Tagar
Australian Branch Representative – Dr. Robin Steele
Newsletter Editor (South Africa) - Keriesa Botha

Australian sub-committee
Newsletter Editor (Australia) – Kate Casey

Australian Branch

Since 1991, all Philophonetics/Psychophonetics practitioners in Australia have completed three years of professional training at Persephone College/ Institute, which had its main centre based in Melbourne. The award title has been revised a number of times: Graduates who began their training in the 1990’s qualified with either a 'Diploma in Philophonetics-Counselling Practitioner', or an 'Advanced Diploma in Holistic Counselling (Philophonetics)'. Since 2002, graduates receive an 'Advanced Diploma in Psychophonetics counselling & psychotherapy'.

The Australian branch of IAPP includes Philophonetics and Psychophonetics practitioners, and its members are under the auspices of IAPP based in Cape Town, South Africa. Local activities are organized by the Australian Psychophonetics Group, based in Melbourne, whose specific aims include:
  • formalizing the existing network of Philophonetics and Psychophonetics counsellors/ psychotherapists plus those members who have special category status in applied Philophonetics/ Psychophonetics, and providing a meeting ground for professional exchange by arranging regular professional, peer group meetings receiving and managing membership fees in order to run local group activities.
  •  supporting the professional and personal development of practitioners by enhancing the person of the psychotherapist, challenging the experienced practitioner to professional excellence, and exploring the relationship of person and process to psychotherapy – contributing to the ongoing education, supervision, and professional/personal development of Psychophonetics practitioners.
  • facilitating cross-disciplinary thinking, planning and research in psychotherapy, and promoting knowledge, practice, and research in Psychophonetics – attending conferences, writing case reports to distribute, publishing papers and articles on Psychophonetics psychotherapy.
  • encouraging high standards of ongoing professional development, experience, and ethical practice – ongoing supervision group meetings.
  • offering public workshops, short courses and other activities about Psychophonetics psychotherapy in the community.
  • maintaining a local website that promotes various public activities and information about practitioners and Psychophonetics: www.psychophonetics.com.au
  • encouraging networking with other local counselling/psychotherapy and allied health associations, for example, with other associations in which IAPP members are already members.
  • encouraging networking with colleagues in South Africa and the UK, mostly through email lists, newsletters and visits when possible.
  • encouraging and supporting projects and initiatives in areas of specific need in Australia, South Africa and the UK - by increasing public awareness, fund-raising for special projects, applying for grants etc.