Brought to you by the Perth Branch Committee

Australian Psychological Society Information Seminar Speakers: Vice Chair of the APS Perth Branch, Judy Marty Provisional Psychologist, Victoria Boyle APS Perth Branch Committee Member, Dr Mark Bivens

Introductions Vice Chair of the APS Perth Branch, Judy Marty Provisional Psychologist, Victoria Boyle APS Perth Branch Committee Member, Dr Mark Bivens

APS Membership The benefits of APS membership (Student and General/provisional) • •

Comprehensive information and resources - Providing information, advice and professional resources to keep members informed and up to date in the fast-changing world of psychology. Advisory services – telephone advice lines for personal responses to member queries in relation to ethical dilemmas, practice concerns and legal issues

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High quality CPD opportunities and support - Providing high quality training, professional development and conference opportunities at member rates, and facilitating access to psychological literature. Extensive access to networks, supervision, and mentoring - Facilitating access to like-minded colleagues, communities of interest, and supervision and mentoring opportunities throughout Australia. Effective student support and services - Supporting student members on their pathways towards careers in psychology. This includes: – – – – – –

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Access to InPsych APS matters Book and magazine discounts Online access to EBSCO database and APS journals PsychXchange Discounted early career fees

Strategic promotion of APS psychologists - Enhancing recognition of APS psychologists through business opportunities, the media and the APS Awards Program.

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Quality professional indemnity insurance at member rates Skilled advocacy for psychology, and community mental health and wellbeing Discounts and benefits through APS advantage partners

Cost of Student Membership Join for just $85 and receive a 
free copy of the APS Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines, available in weblink or hard copy booklet form (valued at $71.50 for non-members). - Fee is strictly for students and - First year out of Uni stands at the student rate

The APS Facebook page To be notified of upcoming APS events, and receive student discounts, you may locate the APS Perth branch Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/apsperth

A)The future of psychology and B)Pathways into the profession

The powerbrokers: AHPRA and the PsyBA, APAC and HODSPA The context: International Standards; National Pressures; MHReview; Funding – Better Access; ATAPS

Victoria Boyle: Provisional Psychologist – an experience of a 4 + 2 program

Provisional Registration Requirements Provisional registration is granted to enable an individual to complete years five and six of supervised practice as part of a minimum six-year sequence of study approved by the Board, in order to become eligible for general registration. The PsyBA has determined that the qualification that leads to registration as a general psychologist is a six- year accredited sequence of study, comprising a Master’s degree minimum qualification, or equivalent. The PsyBA will recognise the following six-year sequences of study as equivalent: • •

(a) a five-year accredited sequence of study followed by a one-year Board-approved internship (5+1), or (b) a four-year accredited sequence of study followed by a two-year Board-approved internship (4+2).

A provisional psychologist may not undertake dual pathways; that is, mixing components of two different pathways to make up a six-year sequence of study will not be accepted as completing an approved qualification leading to general registration.

The eight requirements of the 4+2 internship program

Requirement One 1. The core capabilities and attributes of the two-year internship program that must be achieved by the provisional psychologist are: a) knowledge of the discipline b) ethical, legal and professional matters c) psychological assessment and measurement d) intervention strategies e) research and evaluation f) communication and interpersonal relationships g) working within a cross-cultural context, and h) practice across the lifespan.

Requirement Two A provisional psychologist undertaking the Board- approved two-year internship must successfully complete the internship in accordance with the Board’s internship guidelines, which include: a) a minimum two-year program based on a 35-hour week and seven-hour day, totaling a minimum of 3,080 hours b) a minimum of 17.5 hours per week internship c) a maximum eight-week provision for annual and personal leave per year d) one-on-one supervision with a Board-approved supervisor at a ratio of one hour of supervision to 17.5 hours of supervised practice. Two-thirds must be individual supervision, with the rest either being individual or group supervision, and e) a minimum of 60 hours of professional development per full-time year designed to meet the eight competencies of the internship program. The pro rata equivalent applies to part- time practice.

Requirement Three

The program must consist of a minimum of 40 per cent client contact and the remainder (up to 60 per cent) client-related activities.

Requirement Four

The program must be completed within a maximum of five years from commencement.

Requirement Five

All work roles/placements (internship program only) must be approved by the Board prior to commencement.

Requirement Six

Six-monthly progress reports must be submitted by the supervisor and the provisional psychologist.

Requirement Seven At the completion of the internship program, a final assessment of competence form signed by the supervisor and case studies completed by the provisional psychologist must be submitted with an application for general registration.

Requirement Eight The National Psychology Examination The examination marks an important contribution to ensuring a consistent professional standard of psychologists nationally. The examination assesses applied psychological knowledge which forms a significant basis of competence in the profession. Importantly, the examination will assist to demonstrate that internship training has produced a practitioner with an appropriate level of applied professional knowledge and competence, which will better protect the public.

Requirement Eight continued… The exam is 3.5 hours duration (210 minutes) - although candidates are required to be available for a total of 4 hours to complete registration procedures, a pre-testing phase, and post-examination administration activities. There are 150 multiple choice questions in the exam which will examine skills in: • assessment approaches • intervention selection and implementation • communication and reporting skills, and • applied ethical and professional reasoning. Exam question are mostly in the format of: • a vignette or scenario • a lead in question, and • a set of five options, of which one is the correct answer and four are distracters.

Requirement Eight continued…

Requirement Eight continued… Pass Score - The scaled passing score is 70%. The scaled passing score is the Board's view of the minimum level of applied knowledge required for independent psychology practice. As there are 5 options per question (a, b, c, d, or e), a person responding randomly is likely to achieve a score of 20% based on chance alone. Therefore, a passing score of 50% has been adjusted to 70% (50+20) to take this into consideration. 70% is the standard passing score for many tests of this type. Raw scores (the total number of answers that were correct) will be arithmetically converted to a scale that ranges from 0 to 100 that takes into consideration differences in difficulty among different versions of the tests. Adjusting scores will ensure that the passing score will remain the same, even if different versions of the test vary in difficulty. Therefore candidates will not be penalised if a test is harder, or given an unfair advantage if a test is easier. The examination and pass rates are moderated by the National Psychology Examination Committee of the Psychology Board of Australia. The pass rate only applies to the total score; candidates are not also required to pass all four curriculum components in addition to achieving a passing score on the overall examination.

Appling for Provisional registration if you are continuing on to a postgraduate degree 1.

An applicant for provisional registration must provide evidence of current enrolment in an accredited professional degree leading to general registration.

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A provisional psychologist undertaking an accredited professional degree leading to general registration must be registered from the commencement of enrolment and for the duration of enrolment. Psychological practice must not be undertaken until the application for provisional registration is approved. An application for general registration may not be approved where these requirements have not been met.

What is a supervisor? Supervisor means a registered general psychologist approved by the Board acting as principal supervisor to a provisional psychologist undertaking an internship program. A supervisor must have a minimum of three years’ experience as a registered general psychologist and have completed a Board-approved training program in psychology supervision prior to applying to act as a Board- approved supervisor.

Supervision • • • •

How do you find a supervisor? What does supervision entail? Costs of supervision Tips for finding a supervisor

Further Questions