People together. varied ages. ethnicity people standing in a line. in a park. arm in arm. sunset behind
a winning philosophy

The ACAP
Story

a winning philosophy

The ACAP
Story

Keeping Lionel Davis' vision alive to graduate students that make the world a better place

Ideas that make the world a better place

ACAP was established in Sydney in 1983 with the aim of making the study of applied psychology accessible to the wider public, beyond the narrow confines of traditional university teachings. Extending into Human Resources, Sports & Performance Psychology, Management and Leadership in the early 2000s, the vision was always to leverage expertise in applied psychology to create learning environments that embed the humanistic skills to positively enhance and advance growth and development in interpersonal relationships.

Across almost forty years, change has been a constant theme in finding ways to keep this vision front and centre. We have once again expanded the offer beyond Applied Psychology, to use our experiential adult education model in other industries and operate with an ethic of contributing back to the community.

Bachelor of Criminology and Justice

“ACAP is a different type of learning experience where the focus is on applying ideas in ways that make the world a better place.”

Lionel Davis

Left right text and image: Helping you succeed

“An important part of the journey of education is to unlock what you already know. At ACAP we respect our students and give them the keys to this rich reservoir.”

Dhurva Davis

A close-up of two people standing together and smiling.

The ACAP Story

This is the story of how a privately owned college which literally started its life in a shoe-box, grew to be one of Australia’s largest education providers in the discipline of applied psychology.

For the first six years of life, Canadian Cliff Moore operated ACAP quietly out of a small upstairs office on Broadway in Sydney, offering ten week diplomas in counselling and psychotherapy.

By 1989, the college was not prospering and Cliff decided to hand over the business to Lionel Davis,  who was in the process of establishing a consultancy after a successful start to his professional life in the field of community development. The prospect of having office space if he took over the business was appealing.

From his old notes, Lionel revised the curriculum for ACAP’s first two courses under his leadership and offered them over 10 weeks, on campus or by distance education. He ran some advertisements, students enrolled, and ACAP was back in business.

Lionel had a vision to improve the way psychology was being taught in Australia. His own experience studying Psychology at university didn’t offer him personal insights, self development or practical applied skills. He graduated with some helpful knowledge and good report writing skills, but no practical experience whatsoever. He wanted to provide practical skills for students, that they could immediately apply in their workplaces, use an experiential adult education model, make personal development integral to the training, provide practical hands-on experience through field work placements and above all, operate with an ethic of contributing back to the community.

Despite much opposition from the psychology establishments, Lionel was inspired to apply for accreditation once again, with four courses. In September 1993 ACAP offered Australia’s first accredited training courses in counselling. In 2005 ACAP’s approval as one of the first private organisations to be awarded higher education provider status came through.

One of the secrets to ACAP’s success is that Lionel combined community development principles with the best of the corporate world to build and sustain a very healthy organisation. In the late 1980s ACAP started offering courses in the intensely competitive area of applied psychology and within a short time began producing graduates who were snapped up by employers. The college committed itself to the principles of experiential adult learning in spite of the fact that those principles seemed inherently unprofitable.

The real secret ingredient nevertheless was people.

The ingredients to grow into the college that ACAP is today, fittingly, could only come from people. A vision for what the school could become. A philosophy that could inspire others to share in the journey. The courage to persist in the face of strong opposition. Enough resources to fund the growth step by step and the determination to see it through when often it would have been easier to pack up and go home.
At the start those qualities came from Lionel. But ACAP swiftly developed its own life and culture, and now literally thousands of other people have played vital roles in bringing the organisation to life.  A constant focus to expand from the early days of Counselling to Psychology and then Social Work, Criminology and Coaching has paved the way for the most recent chapter in ACAP history, launching an MBA for 2022.

ACAP truly has been the mouse that roared. The tiny organisation that survived against all odds, and grew to not only thrive, but to play an important and ongoing role in transforming how applied psychology is taught, practised and regulated in Australia.

 

Extracts and adaptations from ‘Out of the (Shoe) Box’ 2006

ACAP's timeline

  • 1983 - 1989: ACAP established by Cliff Moore

    Canadian Cliff Moore opens ACAP in a small upstairs office on Broadway in Sydney, offering ten-week diplomas in counselling and psychotherapy.

  • 1989 - Lionel Davis injects life back into ACAP

    Lionel takes over the college with a crystal clear vision to provide practical skills for students that they can immediately apply in their workplaces.

  • 1993 - 1997: Accredited Counselling & VETAB

    First private education institution in Australia to deliver accredited counselling courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. 1993 - 1997 delivers rapid growth and university partnerships.

  • 2003: ACAP becomes a HEP

    2003 ACAP becomes an approved HEP under the NSW Higher Education Act. Postgrad courses accredited in NSW and QLD. In 2004 ACAP is approved to deliver bachelor of applied social science in NSW and QLD.

  • 2005: FEE-HELP introduced

    ACAP is approved by the Commonwealth government to offer higher education students FEE-HELP for their tuition.

  • 2006: Navitas acquires ACAP

    In 2006, Navitas buys ACAP and in 2013 Psychology & Social Work disciplines are added, later followed by Criminology.

  • 2017: ACAP appointed self-accrediting authority

    In 2017, ACAP was authorised to self accredit courses at AQF levels 5-9 (Diploma to Masters level) in a range of fields covering courses in Psychological Science, Counselling and Criminology.

  • 2018: ACAP becomes bold and blue

    A strategic brand realignment creates polarised opinions but achieves cut through and paves the way to another period of fast growth for the college.

  • 2021: ACAP takes on a new name

    To enable the college to use our experiential adult education model in other industries, ACAP rebranded to the Australian College of Applied Professions.

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