The Cairnmillar Institute

Founded by Professor Emeritus, Dr Francis Macnab in 1961, the Cairnmillar Institute pioneered counselling and psychotherapy in Australia. When the institute first opened its doors, clinical psychology was a little-known field in Australia, used only in hospital and institutional settings. The area of psychotherapy was even more niche – feared by some – and training was almost non-existent. The institute played a pioneering role in the development of psychotherapy as a profession in Australia and New Zealand and its first training programs made this field widely accessible. Today, the Cairnmillar Institute’s professional training and higher education programs build on a long history of clinical experience.