Week Two - Registration and APS Flashcards
Why do we have registration?
To protect the public and to support the person who makes the complaint; clients are vulnerable people, psychologists are seen as authority figures, develop trust from a client therefore have the ability to manipulate or harm clients
What qualifications do you need to be a registered psychologist?
4 years undergraduate degree with honours PLUS;
- 2 years Master’s degree
OR
- 2 years of structured supervision by a registered psychologist
Requirement to pass the National Psychology Examination
Who can a person make a complaint to about a psychologist?
PsyBA - less serious issues
Psychology Council of NSW (PCNSW) - less serious issues
NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) - more serious issues
What does AHPRA stand for and do?
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency; responsible for the implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) across Australia. Replaced large number of different state based authorities.
What was the purpose of the establishment of the PsyBA?
The National Board that represents Psychology under the NRAS.
What are the functions of the PsyBA?
Registering provisional / psychologists; developing standards, codes and guidelines for the psychology profession; handling notifications, complaints, investigations and disciplinary hearings; assessing overseas trained practitioners who wish to practise in Australia; approving accreditation standards and accredited courses of study
What are the three levels of registration?
General registration (Full); Provisional registration; Non-practicing registration
What does the APAC do?
Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) is the accreditation authority responsible for accrediting education providers and programs of study for the psychology profession
What needs to be done when continuing professional development?
Fully registered psychologists are required to engage in continuing professional development (CPD) in order to stay registered; 30 hours of CPD activities per year, 10 of these hours must be peer supervision
What are the levels of APS membership?
Member; general registration
Associate member; 4 year study
Student Subscriber; undertaking
What do the AHPRA and PsyBA has in common?
See their primary function as protecting the public.
Felicity completes an accredited honours degree in psychology at the UoN. She gets a job at an NGO as a youth worker. Does she have to apply for registration as a psychologists? What kind of registration can she apply for? What would be the minimum length of an internship program in order for her to be fully registered? What would she need to do if she wanted to be a clinical psychologist?
Yes; provisional registration; 2 years; complete a postgraduate degree.
Franco wants to be a sports psychologist and work with high performance athletes. He is trying to work out what would be his best path to fulfil his dream. What training would you recommend he do to help him reach his goal? Can he call himself a ‘sports psychologist’ once he has fully registered as a psychologist? What would he need to do after finishing his accredited Masters in sports psychology in order to officially be a ‘sports psychologist’?
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), Postgraduate degree in sports psychology; no; complete accredited supervision under a sports psychologist.
You are working in NSW as a registered psychologist in a counselling centre. A new client tells you that she is concerned about the behaviour of her previous psychologist and that she felt he was ‘coming on’ to her. She wants to make a formal complaint. Who should she contact?
PsyBA, NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, Psychology Council of NSW
Who is responsible for the registration of psychologists in Australia?
PsyBA
