2018 News

2018-19 Government budget information

2014 News

• Archived messages from the chair

2011 News

• Message from the Chair, 24 December 2011
• Message from the Chair, 28 November 2011
• Message from the Chair, 7 November 2011
• Message from the Chair, 7 October 2011
• Message from the Chair, 27 September 2011
• Message from the Chair, 30 August 2011
• Message from the Chair, 27 July 2011
• Message from the Chair, 25 July 2011
• Message from the Chair, 21 June 2011
• Message from the Chair, 25 May 2011
• Federal Budget 2011 - Mental Health
• Message from the Chair, 9 May 2011

1 September 2014, Message from the Chair

August has continued to see the committee very active, and we look forward to upcoming APS events including the APS Annual Conference in Hobart from 30 September - 3 October 2014. I will be attending and would welcome any conversation with other members attending. Issues of the month:

1. 2014 APS Board of Directors Election

2. Clinical Psychology Forum

3. Early Career Representative

4. CCLIN Conference 2015

1. 2014 APS Board of Directors Election: 

I would strongly encourage members to vote in the upcoming election. Why? Well, to quote the APS " The Board of Directors governs the APS and has overall responsibility for pursuing the APS’s mission, determining the strategic plan and priorities, monitoring implementation and developing a resource base to support APS activities. The Board is the ultimate decision making and policysetting body. It is also responsible for the financial viability of the APS and ensuring compliance with statutory requirements applicable to a company." In other words, they set the direction for all of us and this is your chance to influence that direction. 

There are two elected positions being contested by six nominees:

• Mr Anthony Cichello MAPS
• Assoc Prof Roger Cook FAPS
• Prof Pat Dudgeon FAPS
• Ms Mary Magalotti MAPS
• Prof John Reece MAPS
• Prof Debra Rickwood FAPS

• 2014 Clinical College AGM agenda
• 2013 Clinical College AGM minutes

16 June 2014, Message from the Chair

1. CRITICAL - FINAL CHANCE TO VOTE ONLINE:

2014 ELECTION FOR NATIONAL CHAIR AND TWO COMMITTEE MEMBERS -

Electronic Voting CLOSES this Friday morning 20 June at 9.30am AEST: please

select your next National Chair and Office Bearers!

Have you taken a moment to caste your electronic vote for the next National Chair and Office Bearer positions yet? Every vote counts; please vote now!

It takes ten minutes to read all the information you need to know and then select your preferred candidates. Four members of your National Committee and another college member are nominees up for election.

Which of the two standing candidates would you prefer to be your next National Chair?

Ros Knight has completed the two year term of the Clinical College National Committee Deputy Chair Role and is a nominee for National Chair. Bill Campos, college member, is the other nominee for National Chair.

Is there an election for the new Deputy Chair?

As there was only one nomination for the Deputy Chair position, no election will need to be held for this role. This college member will become the new Deputy Chair at the upcoming AGM.

Which two of the three candidates would you prefer to vote in as Office Bearers?

Mary Katsikitis has completed the two year term of the Course Approvals Chair and is standing again as a candidate. Tamara Cavenett has completed the two year term of the Membership Secretary and is also standing again as a candidate. Karen Weiss has been the Victorian Section Chair and Representative and is also standing as a candidate as an Office Bearer.

Summary and How to Vote

Following the Call for Nominations (conducted in accordance with section 16 of the Generic Rules for College) for the positions of Chair and Office Bearers on the College of Clinical Psychologists National Committee, the following five (5) nominations were received:

ØChair

·Mr William Campos

·Ms Roslyn Knight

ØOffice Bearer – two (2) positions

·Ms Tamara Cavenett

·Professor Mary Katsikitis

·Dr Karen Weiss

Online voting for the 2014 APS College of Clinical Psychologists National Committee election is now open.

Those members of the Society holding the grade of Member or Academic Member of the College of Clinical Psychologists at the time the voting roll closed at 9:30 am AEST on Thursday 29 May 2014, are eligible to vote.

Nominee background information and the guidelines on campaigning and communications, are available on the 2014 College of Clinical Psychologists National Committee election page. Online voting can also be undertaken via this link.

The results of the election will be announced at the College of Clinical Psychologists (National) AGM, held at the conclusion of the Clinical College National Conference on this coming Sunday 22 June 2014 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm AEST at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Level 8, 123 Collins Street, Melbourne in the Mayfair Ballroom. All Clinical College members are welcome to attend the AGM.

If you have any trouble with the online voting system, please contact [email protected]

2. HURRY: REGISTRATION CLOSES TOMORROW NIGHT SUNDAY, 15th JUNE -

Conference of the College of Clinical Psychologists: 20-22 June 2014, Melbourne

The National Conference of the College of Clinical Psychologists is now just over FOUR DAYS away.

Registrations are now at full capacity for both Friday and Saturday but there are limited places available for the Sunday only. Full Registration and Friday and Saturday Registration have now CLOSED. Be sure to secure one of the final 23 remaining places for Sunday in one of the six available workshops offered from leading expert Clinical Psychologists. Registration closes tomorrow evening Sunday, 15 June.

Our Clinical College Conference will be held from Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd June 2014 at the exquisite Grand Hyatt Hotel (Cnr Collins and Russell Streets), Melbourne. The conference will showcase the role of Clinical Psychology in its unique contribution to the health and wellbeing of the Australian Community; it will reflect the specific and comprehensive breadth and depth of specialist competencies of the Clinical Psychologist in the assessment, diagnosis, case formulation, treatment and evaluation of mental illness across the full spectrum. Whether your Clinical CPD needs focus on Child and Adolescent or Adult Clinical Psychology, there are still limited available places into which you may register.

Please consider utilising the opportunity to benefit professionally from attending a carefully considered conference program specialising in the needs of the Clinical Psychologist. This 2014 Clinical College Conference will be the third and final organised by the current Conference Organising Committee (Fay Oberklaid, Bruce Stevens and myself). Moreover, the Clinical College will need to consider if it convenes a college conference in 2016, due to Melbourne hosting both the World Conference of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (http://www.wcbct2016.com.au/) as well as the 50th Anniversary APS National Conference.

Please note the remaining available workshop titles and speakers below, and the link to the Conference Program here -

https://events.psychology.org.au/ei/speakers/ClinicalConferenceProgram_web.pdf

For further information and registration, please follow the following link –

http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/cclin/conference2014/

Keynote speakers

FULLY BOOKED

Workshops

Friday 20th June 2014

FULLY BOOKED

Saturday 21st June 2014

FULLY BOOKED

Sunday 22nd June 2014

Half day workshops / master classes, 9:00am – 12:30pm

Workshop 25:Imagery Rescripting-An Important Addition to the Treatment of Personality Disorder and Complex Trauma- Presented by Dr Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw

Workshop 26:Improving Outcomes for Work-Related and Motor Vehicle Accident Injury- Present by Dr Peter Cotton

Workshop 27:CBT focused intervention with children and adolescents with complex presentations of anxiety and depression- Presented by Marg Jones

Workshop 29:21st Century Clinical Practice – future proofing your practice with affordable, easy to use technologies you and your patients will appreciate- Presented by Les Posen

Workshop 32:All therapies are equal, but some therapists are more equal than others- Presented by Aaron Frost

Workshop 34:How revealing!: An exploration of the strengths and shadow –side of the therapists’ self disclosure- Presented by Lisa Oxman

3. Tweetheart or Twitterati? Clinical Conference Twitter hashtag #CCLIN2014

As an important strategy to promote Clinical Psychology within the community, the Clinical College is utilising a Twitter hashtag for our Conference. The #hashtag for the Conference is #CCLIN2014

Please find attached a Twitter guide that may assist members attending the Conference and hoping to tweet. Members are encouraged to utilise Twitter as a good vehicle to reach a far ranging audience and to try to create some specific community focus about the Conference.

All tweets about the conference should include #CCLIN2014

4. Trainee Representative from NSW sought for the APS College of Clinical Psychologists National Committee -

Are you a postgraduate Clinical Psychology Student or a Clinical Psychology Registrar within New South Wales? A fantastic opportunity is available now for you to join the National Committee of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists as a Trainee (Student or Registrar) Representative.

This position is for a two year term and is one of two Trainee Representative positions on the National Committee; yours is the position that is based within the home state of the National Chair. Presently, there is an election being conducted to select the new National Chair who will assume office at the AGM of the college on Sunday 22 June 2014. As both candidates are from NSW, you must also be from NSW.

During your term as Trainee Representative, you will work alongside the current Trainee (Student) Representative, Jessica Armitage, in partnership with the National Chair and Committee of the ClinicalCollege to represent the perspective of postgraduate clinical psychologystudents and clinical psychologist registrars at the national level. This is a unique opportunity to be involved in advocating for, and promoting, our discipline. You will be privy to the latest information about what’s happening within Australian clinical psychology, and will attend National Committee meetings.

There are 3-4 face-to-face meetings per year, usually held in Melbourne, and the Clinical College will cover your travel and accommodation costs. If held during your term in the role, you will also attend the national Clinical College Conference, where you will assist in coordinating student volunteers as well as have access to clinical psychology specific advanced workshops and keynote presentations. Additionally, you will get to network and become personally acquainted with many highly experienced and influential clinical psychologists from across the country.

This is also a wonderful way to set yourself apart in the increasingly competitive graduate/early-career clinical psychology job market.

Further information & Applications

For further info, or if you have any questions please contact Jessica Armitage by emailing [email protected]

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to [email protected] . Please include details of your APS membership and clinical college affiliation, details of your postgraduate clinical psychology degree, as well as the reasons for your interest in the role.

Applications close soon on COB Monday 30 June 2014.

5. Farewell and thank you!

To those members who are not attending the Clinical College Conference and AGM this coming Sunday 22 June at 1.00pm at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, I would like to sincerely thank you for your massive support, resources and very wise counsel over the previous four years whilst I have been National Chair of the College of Clinical Psychologists.

It has been the greatest honour to represent the College of Clinical Psychologists and to promote Clinical Psychology and our unique point of difference in contributing to the mental health of the community via our single and comprehensive training and competencies in the assessment, case formulation, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of mental illness, particularly within the moderate to highest levels of complexity and severity across the lifespan. We are one of the nine great internationally recognised specialised areas within psychology and this diversity is to be honoured and nurtured for the express benefit of the community.

I was particularly inspired by our great Clinical College membership back in 2011 when over one half of our then 4,000 membership took time out of their busy lives to send a submission into the Senate Inquiry into the Administration and Funding of Commonwealth Mental Health Services in support of the maintenance of affordable Clinical Psychology services to the most vulnerable in our community. Your hard work ensured that Clinical Psychology did not fall out of reach of all but the wealthiest through the maintenance of the Medicare Specialist Clinical Psychology item. Similarly, just this year, there appears to have been a groundswell of activity in submissions from members into the National Mental Health Commission review of Mental Health Services. I am proud that members have found their voice, despite the most unfortunate intimidation and bullying from other terribly misguided colleagues that seemed so endemic, particularly back in 2011. I hope that these experiences have fortified the resolve of Clinical Psychologists to always speak our truth and demonstrates a way to illustrate public benefit into the future.

In saying farewell, and in reflecting on my now 30 year history of involvement in the leadership of our discipline - commencing from my first role as President of the University of Melbourne Psychology Students Society - I am fairly certain that I will feel compelled to seek another leadership role in the future so, until then, farewell my good friends and stay well.

Warm wishes to all, and looking forward to seeing many of you later this week,

Anthony

Anthony M Cichello

Clinical Psychologist

National Chair

College of Clinical Psychologists

14.06.14

12 April 2014, Message from the Chair

1. URGENT REMINDER - Last opportunity for Clinical College member input into Government review of mental health services (closes 11.59pm Monday 13 April 2014)

Clinical College members are encouraged to provide a brief submission to the critically important Government review of mental health services. All submissions have the option of being confidential and non-identifiable. Submissions are due by 11.59pm AEST Monday 14 April and may be as brief or extensive as per your preference. Perhaps you may prefer submitting with a small group of colleagues to share the workload. Please consider prioritising at least 30 minutes on this critical task.

Many members will recall that, in 2011 when the Senate Inquiry into the Commonwealth Administration and Funding of Mental Health Services was announced, Clinical College members mobilised in force to the point where most of us provided modestly sized individual submissions. Our collective efforts ultimately provided protection to the maintenance of the Specialist Clinical Psychology Medicare Rebate and therefore to ongoing affordable and equitable community access to expert Clinical Psychology Medicare rebated services in Australia. The Clinical College believes that the current Government review, designed to cut the costs associated with the provision of effective treatment for mental illness and therefore to "realign" the funding of commonwealth funded mental health services, is as critically important regarding access to services as was the 2011 Senate Inquiry.

Although the review concerns all funded mental health programs, members may be quite interested to consider the origins of the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners (Medicare) program. Of the non-medical workforce, originally it was intended that Clinical Psychology be funded. However, back in 2005/06, there was only a small known Clinical Psychology workforce of just over 1,000 with relatively few in private practice. In order to more appropriately satisfy the levels of community demand for treatment, the workforce was broadened to include generalist psychologists and allied health (over 30,000 professionals). By contrast, in 2014, there is a healthy Clinical Psychology workforce numbering almost 7,000 with most listing private practice as their primary sector of employment, and PsyBA data indicates good access to this workforce throughout Australia including rural areas.

The college recommends a consideration of the needs of our presenting client population and the evidence base guiding required dosage of treatment. Clinical Psychology is the only discipline apart from Psychiatry whose entire postgraduate eight year training is a single and comprehensive focus on training in mental illness. Clinical Psychologists have received the ideal training for working with mental illness: a single and comprehensive focus within an eight year training in the evidence-based prevention, early identification, assessment, case formulation, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of mental illness and cognitive problems across the entire lifespan and range of complexity and severity, particularly in the moderate to high range. As government seems committed to cost savings, or at least a cost-neutral practical solution for improving community mental health outcomes, members are advised to consider presenting practical solutions for the cost-neutral realigning of mental health services.

It would be a great opportunity lost if the government's financial model utilised for realigning mental health programs meant that Clinical Psychologists were no longer able to provide adequate and accessible expert treatments for mental illness in the community, particularly for the most vulnerable presenting with mental illness within the range of moderate to high levels of complexity and severity. However, the government will make the decisions that it believes are the most responsible and defensible, but has committed to actively considering individual submissions.

Please follow the link to complete the survey with your practical, cost-neutral or cost-savings solutions; it's a rare opportunity to shape a better funded mental health funding model that matches community need with workforce competencies.

2. Conference of the College of Clinical Psychologists: 20-22 June 2014, Melbourne

Members are reminded that our next National Conference of the College of Clinical Psychologists is now just two months away. Early bird registration closes in just over two weeks, on 30 April. We are pleased to advise that conference registration numbers are growing healthily and are now at 94 percent of the Sydney 2012 conference and growing, so be sure to register early to secure your preferred workshops and masterclasses.

Our Clinical College Conference will be held from Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd June 2014 at the exquisite Grand Hyatt Hotel (Cnr Collins and Russell Streets), Melbourne. Our Keynote Speakers are Clinical Psychologists and international experts Dr Michael Yapko, Dr Joan Farrell and Ms Ida Shaw. We will also offer a superb range of advanced Clinical Psychology workshops and masterclasses run by leading Australian Clinical Psychologists reflecting the breadth and depth of the unique specialist competencies of the Clinical Psychologist in the assessment, diagnosis, case formulation, treatment and evaluation of mental illness across the full spectrum.

Our social program commences with the Welcome Drinks evening on Friday 20th June with Welcome to Country from Aunty Carolyn Briggs and music performed by the sublime 'Amati Strings Quartet' In addition, we are heavily subsidising a three course dinner with drinks at the Grand Hyatt with famous dance band 'The Baker Boys'. Our previous Clinical College Conference, held in Sydney's Sheraton on the Park, attracted over 550 registrations (a growth of around 35 percent from the previous event in 2011) and outstanding reviews. Our 2014 Clinical College Conference will be the third and final organised by the current Conference Organising Committee (Fay Oberklaid, Bruce Stevens and myself). Our Clinical College AGM will close the Conference on 22nd June.

The college believes that there are at least 14 reasons why you might prioritise registering for the Clinical College 2014 Conference -

Øconvenience of a local Australian conference to gain all your specialist CPD for the year for only A$795-;

Ølearn from international experts (Dr Michael Yapko, Dr Joan Farrell and Ms Ida Shaw) and leading Australian Clinical Psychologists;

Øonly one standard practice day required to attend;

Ønetworking and rekindling relationships with local Clinical Psychologists;

Ølearning alongside like-minded friendly colleagues;

Ødesigned by leading Clinical Psychologists and targeted for our specialised field of practice;

Øexcellent value for money;

Øan exquisite location in the heart of old Melbourne town in the Grand Hyatt;

Øa dynamic and fun-filled social program with Welcome Drinks evening music supplied by 'Amati Strings Quartet' and three course dinner with drinks and renowned Australian Music Award Winner dance band 'The Baker Boys';

Øexcellent discounts for Clinical Psychology Registrars and postgraduate Interns;

Øparticipate in the end of conference AGM of the Clinical College to welcome the new National Chair and Committee;

Øenjoy Melbourne attractions including Winter Stocktake Sales, Sports and Arts Events;

Øaccessible one day trips including Yarra Valley, Peninsula, Spa Country and North Central Victoria;

Øyou might choose to invite friends and colleagues to also register so as to enable your own small group specialist peer supervision into your conference experience.

For your convenience, I have listed the workshop titles and speakers below, and listed the link to the Conference Program here -

https://events.psychology.org.au/ei/speakers/ClinicalConferenceProgram_web.pdf

For further information and registration, please follow the following link –

http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/cclin/conference2014/

Keynote speakers

Friday 20 June 2014
8.40 - 9.40am

Re-discovering hypnosis again for the first time: The utilization of attentional processes in short term-psychotherapies

Presented by Dr Michael Yapko

As advances are made in better understanding the power of focus in shaping one’s subjective perceptions and even physiology, the field of hypnosis has played an especially important role in this ongoing process of discovery. Despite too many clinicians’ terribly misinformed dismissal of hypnosis as little more than a gimmick, in fact hypnosis has evolved a strong scientific basis for its insights into neuroscience, cognition, suggestive language and information processing, placebo and nocebo responses, the therapeutic alliance, and more. In this multi-part address, I will highlight the merits of modern hypnosis and the many contributions it can make to enhancing therapeutic efficacy.

Saturday 21 June 2014
8.40 - 9.40am

Group Schema Therapy: Catalyzing the treatment of personality disorder and other challenging populations

Presented by Dr Joan Farrell & Ms Ida Shaw

This presentation describes the catalyzing effects achieved when Schema Therapy (ST) interventions interact with the therapeutic factors of groups. In our 25 years of developing and leading ST groups we have observed that the synergistic effects of ST from combining cognitive, experiential and behavioural pattern-breaking work are amplified when implemented in the group modality. We think that this is due in part to the large number of opportunities for corrective emotional experiences that groups provide. Group ST is unique as a model in that it integrates aspects of interpersonal, protagonist focused and psychoeducational groups, with the active direction of the limited reparenting therapist style. Young has described the Farrell & Shaw model of Group ST (Farrell & Shaw,1994, 2012, 2014) as the “third phase in the development of ST”. The large effect sizes demonstrated with borderline personality disorder patients with both short outpatient and intensive inpatient programs support these observations (Farrell & Shaw, 2009; Reiss, Lieb, Arntz, Shaw & Farrell, 2013) and have led to great enthusiasm in developing and designing studies to evaluate GST programs internationally for a variety of disorders. The experiential component of Schema Therapy has a prominent position in this group model. In general, a group is a larger stage for experiential work, leading to a greater range of possibilities for emotion focused work. Our presentation highlights the experiential interventions developed for Group Schema Therapy and adaptations of Young’s experiential interventions for group use. These include the expansion of mode dialogues to whole group mode role-plays, group imagery rescripting, the corrective emotional experiences that can be facilitated in a group and the augmentation of limited reparenting by the addition of re-family effects.

Workshops

Friday 20th June 2014

Full day workshops/ master classes, 10am – 5:30pm

Workshop 1:Hypnosis, Mindfulness, and the Treatment of Depression: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Experiential Approaches- Presented by Dr Michael Yapko

Workshop 2:Exposure Treatment for PTSD- Presented by Professor Mark Creamer

Workshop 3:“Help me, my house is full to the brim with stuff!” How to understand, access and manage Hoarding Disorder- Presented by Professor Michael Kyrios

Workshop 4:The nature and treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents- Presented by Professor Ron Rapee

Workshop 5:An update on new approaches to the treatment of eating disorders in children, adolescents and adults- Presented by Associate Professor Susan Byrne

Workshop 6:Why and How Mindfulness Meditation Produces Profound Change: A New Understanding of Reinforcement Mechanisms- Presented by Dr Bruno Cayoun

Morning half day workshops / master classes, 10am – 2pm

Workshop 7:Meta-emotions: Ignore them at your peril- Presented by Dr Monica O’Kelly

Workshop 8:How to understand sex offenders and to conceptualise their risk- Presented by Dr Katie Seidler

Workshop 9:Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) - Introductory Workshop- Presented by Dr Phil Watts

Workshop 10:Children of Substance Using Parents: Consulting the Ancestors- Dr Oriella Cattapan

Afternoon half day workshops / master classes, 2:10pm – 5:30pm

Workshop 11:Anger: The neglected emotion- Presented by Dr Monica O’Kelly

Workshop 12:How to work clinically with sex offenders in order to reduce their risk- Master Class- Presented by Dr Katie Seidler

Workshop 13:Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) – Advanced Workshop- Presented by Dr Phil Watts

Workshop 14:Schema therapy master class in “Challenges in working with clients with chronic depression and self – loathing”- Presented by Dr Christopher Lee

Saturday 21st June 2014

Full day workshops / master classes, 10:00am – 5:30pm

Workshop 15:Integrating Imagery Work into CBT Clinical Practice- Presented by Associate Professor James Bennett-Levy

Workshop 16:A different gaze and a different aesthetic: A workshop to explore the observational stance in psychodynamic psychotherapy- Presented by Dr Allan Shafer

Workshop 17:Introduction to Group Schema Therapy- Presented by Dr Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw

Workshop 18:Weathering the Storm—working with difficult emotions using mindfulness- Presented by Ivan Milton

Workshop 19:Eating Disorders treatment: Don’t be afraid!- Presented by Dr Anthea Fursland

Workshop 20:Navigating the challenges of chronic pain management- Presented by Michael Nicholas

Workshop 21:Emotion Focused Therapy with Couples- Presented by Dr Michelle Webster

Workshop 22:Schema therapy beyond the basics- Presented by Dr Christopher Lee

Workshop 23:Cognitive behaviour therapy and stroke- Presented by Professor Ian Kneebone

Workshop 24:The Reluctant Psychotherapist! A beginners guide to applying psychodynamic approaches to everyday practice- Presented by Karen Weiss

Sunday 22nd June 2014

Half day workshops / master classes, 9:00am – 12:30pm

Workshop 25:Imagery Rescripting-An Important Addition to the Treatment of Personality Disorder and Complex Trauma- Presented by Dr Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw

Workshop 26:Improving Outcomes for Work-Related and Motor Vehicle Accident Injury- Present by Dr Peter Cotton

Workshop 27:CBT focused intervention with children and adolescents with complex presentations of anxiety and depression- Presented by Marg Jones

Workshop 28:Understanding and working with people who have persisting voices with John Farhall- Presented by John Farhall

Workshop 29:21st Century Clinical Practice – future proofing your practice with affordable, easy to use technologies you and your patients will appreciate- Presented by Les Posen

Workshop 30:Expanding Understanding and Implementation of Mindfulness-integrated CBT– Master class- Presented by Bruno Cayoun

Workshop 31:Clinical Psychology online: using e-mental health tools and electronic communications in your practice- Presented by Julia Reynolds

Workshop 32:All therapies are equal, but some therapists are more equal than others- Presented by Aaron Frost

Workshop 33:Finishing school for alcoholics – changes to treatment for better outcomes- Presented by Erika Leonard

Workshop 34:How revealing!: An exploration of the strengths and shadow –side of the therapists’ self disclosure- Presented by Lisa Oxman

3. A message from eMHPrac - What are your thoughts on e-mental health?

eMHPrac (e-Mental Health in Practice) will promote the use of e-mental health resources among primary care workers across Australia. The project will work with general practitioners, allied health workers and indigenous health workers across Australia. It is a collaboration between Queensland University of Technology, The Australian National University, The Black Dog Institute, Menzies School of Health Research and University Centre for Rural Health at The University of Sydney.

As part of this collaboration the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research will be working with clinical psychologists and other allied health workers.

Over the next three years we’ll develop and deliver training and promotional materials specific to the use of e-mental health resources. Training will include face-to-face workshops, online training modules, an online discussion group and webinars. We are designing these training components so that they are suitable for ongoing professional development points.

We are currently conducting the first of three annual surveys to explore existing awareness and use of the resources. To read about or participate in the survey, please follow this link: https://mentalhealth.anu.edu.au/emhprac-2014-survey

eMHPrac is funded by the Australian Government.

For further information about eMHPrac, please see http://cmhr.anu.edu.au/research/projects/emhprac or contact Andrew Staniforth, eMHPrac Clinical Project Officer, ANU Centre for Mental Health Research, e:[email protected]u.

Hoping to see many of you at the upcoming Clinical College Conference!

With warmest wishes,

Anthony

Anthony M Cichello

Clinical Psychologist

National Chair

College of Clinical Psychologists

2010/09 News:

• 2010 National Clinical College AGM
• 2009 Psychology Board of Australia Consultation Paper

24 December 2011, Message from the Chair

As 2011 draws to its end, the National Committee of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists wishes to thank all members and other supporters for the opportunity to advocate for the further development of appropriate standards of training and practice of Clinical Psychology in Australia. It has been our absolute pleasure to work hard for you during 2011 and you have our firm undertaking we will continue all our efforts during 2012.

We wish to bring your attention to the following matters -

• APS College of Clinical Psychologists National Conference, 01 - 03 June 2012 at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney;
• Campaigns against Better Access Funding Cuts;
• FYI - DSM 5 debate involvement by APA Divsision 12 and BPS DCP.

1. APS College of Clinical Psychologists National Conference, 01 - 03 June 2012 at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney -

Clinical College members should have received an email blast from APS National Office with a ‘Save the Date' notice for our 2012 National College of Clinical Psychologists Conference. The programme is currently being finalised and so far emulates the strengths of the 2011 Conference.

Please take this opportunity to have all your Specialist Clinical Psychology CPD points accrued over the three days of advanced level workshops and masterclasses with likeminded colleagues in a five star quality venue. Don't miss our social programme which includes an entertaining Welcome Drinks evening and a College Dinner evening - be sure to be there and do your thing on the dance floor! Further details will be provided through January as they are currently being finalised.

2. Further developments in response to the government's Better Access Funding cuts -

There are several ongoing campaigns underway to have the Better Access funding cuts reversed. Please take ten or so minutes to familiarise yourself with the following two updates.

Members have advised the Clinical College National Committee that their local MPs have explained that there is a likely deeper impact from both of the following campaigns if Clinical Psychologists not only write to their local MP regarding the implications of the cuts (i.e. the most disadvantaged members of our community losing access to a complete dosage of evidence based clinical psychological treatments) but organise an appointment directly with the MP so that her/his personal attention is brought to the matter.

As Senator Wright's motion is to be discussed in the first sitting of Parliament (early February), action throughout January and early February seems critical.

Please remain cognisant that if it had not been for the actions of well over a thousand APS Clinical College members sending in their submission to the Senate Inquiry, the Specialist Clinical Psychology rebate might not have been as strongly supported in the Chair's Report recommendations. This time, members might wish to utilise their original submission to the Inquiry with some minor modifications. For your convenience - if you wish to utilise your original submission, or that of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists' submission - your attention is drawn to the fact that all submissions still appear on the Senate website - http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/comm_fund_men_hlth/submissions.htm

1.1 APS Campaign against Better Access Funding Cuts - December update -

http://www.psychology.org.au/Content.aspx?ID=3734&utm_source=psychology%2Bwebsite&utm_medium=homepage%2Brotating%2Btile&utm_campaign=Better%2BAccess

1.2 Motion tabled by Senator Wright (Greens Spokesperson on Mental Health) -

24 November 2011 -

The wording of the motion tabled by Senator Wright in the Senate on 24 November is:

Senator Wright: To move on the next day of sitting-That the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Amendment Determination 2011 (No. 2), made under subsection 3C(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973, be disallowed.

This can be found on the parliament's website here:

http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;orderBy=customrank;page=0;query=wright%20Date%3A23%2F11%2F2011%20SearchCategory_Phrase%3A%22senate%22;rec=2;resCount=Default

Please see below also information from Senator Wright about this motion and our position on the issues concerned. The Senator is very appreciated of the large amount of correspondence that she and fellow Greens have received from mental health professionals, consumers and advocates on this issue. If mental health programs and initiatives are to be effective and responsive, it is crucial that the voices of consumers, carers and the wider community are included and heard at every stage.

"As the Greens Spokesperson for Mental Health, I participated in the recent Senate Inquiry into Mental Health Funding. Upon consideration of the evidence (and over 1500 submissions were received) the Australian Greens recommended that the Federal Government postpone changes to the Better Access program to ensure the ongoing delivery of services to patients.

Our concern is that the current Government policy to rationalise the number of allied mental health sessions under the Better Access initiative will probably, in the immediate term, exacerbate existing service gaps for people with severe and persistent mental illness. Unfortunately, the current system is just not ready for the Government's proposed changes.

I brought our concerns to the attention of the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, but unfortunately negotiations for a resolution to ensure continuity of care have not been successful so far. So, on 24^th November in the Senate I tabled a motion to disallow the November 1 cuts to Better Access.

There will not be an opportunity to debate my motion to disallow the Better Access regulations until February when parliament resumes. In the meantime I will be continuing to talk to Minister Butler and the government in a bid to find a solution to the current situation. Whilst we understand the Government's reasons for changing the current programs, we feel they need to better manage the transition to the other programs and demonstrate that other programs are adequately equipped to provide services to people with severe or persistent mental illness.

As such, we believe that the government should revise the scheduling of these cuts for the 2011-12 Federal budget to ensure continuity of care. Additionally, it is important that any tightening of eligibility for Better Access be delayed until youth mental health initiatives funded in the 2011/12 Federal Budget are fully expanded and operational."

(End of email from Senator Wright's office).

Please consult the Parliament website for contact details of your local MP.

1.3 Complaint to the Federal Ombudsman's Office -

Below is an email from a colleague received last week from the mother of one of his clients, who has decided to take action herself on the Better Access cuts. Our colleague's client and her mother have given permission to send this de-identified extract out to colleagues. As the government listens intently to our carers and consumers, this is good news for the campaigns being mounted against the cuts.

(Start of email extract) -

"I had a rather long telephone discussion today with a Senior Investigation
Officer from the Federal Ombudsman's Office.

She said they were investigating the changes to Mental Health Plans as a
class action rather than any individual complaint. Whilst there is no role
for the Ombudsman in matters of policy and budget decisions they can
investigate matters of administration and communication strategy. At no
stage did Medicare or the Dept of Health and Aging advise people who were on
Plans of the changes. Instead they left it up to Psych's to inform their
clients. The Ombudsman's office has received countless complaints about
Medicare. Many clients found out about the changes by having their claim
for a Medicare rebate rejected. Surprisingly I am the only person to have
lodged a complaint against the Dept of Health and Aging. They now have my
reply from Mr [X]. We can expect the Ombudsman to make a comment
around mid January".

(End of email extract)

Thank you to our colleague for sharing this; we will keep you posted of further developments.

3. FYI - DSM 5 - related debate -

An APS Clinical College member who is also a member of the BPS Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) has sent a summarised extract from a DCP newsletter about the forthcoming edition of DSM 5, due in 2012 in case it is of interest to APS Clinical College members. The DSM 5 has been the subject of considerable debate on a number of points, including the expansion of diagnostic categories (e.g. 'Attenuated psychosis syndrome'); the proposal for new diagnoses (e.g. 'Apathy syndrome'; 'Parental Alienation Disorder'); and it has been argued that there is increased emphasis on biological theory and reduced acknowledgement of sociocultural contexts and causal factors. One of the divisions of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Humanistic Psychology, has written an open letter to the DSM committee summarising their concerns and requesting a scientific review of the document and its revisions. The Society for Humanistic Psychology has set up a coalition of organisations who endorse this request, and about 40 have now signed up, including APA Division 12 (the Division of Clinical Psychology). In addition, nearly 8,000 individuals have also signed the petition. If you wish to further explore this individually, please refer to the open letter and the petition.

Finally, I would like to particularly thank our wonderful National Committee Members, our eight State Section Committees' Members and our various Sub-Committee and Working Group Members for their dedication and hard work during 2011.

As a college of over four thousand members, our numbers account for well over 50 percent of all APS College members and over 20 percent of APS membership. As such, there is much work to be undertaken which is all voluntary and without stipend. THANK YOU!

Thanks also to our wonderful members who have sent in constructive comments and messages of strong support, particularly through the challenging periods this year. It was a pleasure to meet many of you at the various State Section AGMs and to see the vibrancy of the Clinical College right across Australia!

May you and your most loved ones enjoy a happy and safe holiday season, and may 2012 be a year full of love, health and purposeful development.

Warm regards
Anthony

Anthony Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair
APS College of Clinical Psychologists
24.12.11 

Top

28 November 2011

National College of Clinical Psychologists

Executive Meeting

Audio-Conference

Monday 28 November 2011, 1.00 pm - 1.50 pm AEDT 

Top

7 November 2011, Message from the Chair

In today's Clinical College Members' bulk e-mail -

1. Save the Date - 2012 Conference of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists, 01 - 03 June 2012, Sydney
2. Senate Community Affairs Committee Inquiry, ‘Commonwealth Funding and Administration of Mental Health Services' - Final Report
3. A reminder of the CPD logging deadline - 30 November

  SAVE THE DATE

 2012 CONFERENCE OF THE APS COLLEGE OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS -

Your National Committee is pleased to confirm that the 2012 Conference of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists will be held at the ‘Sheraton on the Park', Sydney from 01 - 03 June 2012.

The 2011 conference was a highly successful event, and the 2012 conference is being designed in a similar manner. It is intended that program details would be available by the end of the year and that registration would open soon thereafter.

Please consider joining your like-minded colleagues for a captivating series of clinically relevant workshops and master classes designed to value-add for all members, from novice to most experienced. Attendance at all events would earn all of the required Clinical CPD points for the year, and there will be ample opportunity for social events and networking.

Here is the venue's website for your convenience.

Senate Community Affairs Inquiry, ‘Commonwealth Funding and Administration of Mental Health Services'

Thank you to all members who sent in an individual or collective submission to this seminal Senate Inquiry. The opportunity to articulate Clinical Psychology and appropriate standards of mental health service provision has been well utilised, leaving an excellent national public information base on same for the first time. For your convenience, please find below the Recommendations articulated in the Final Report (pg 80) released Tuesday 01 November, as follows -

Recommendation 1
1.6 The Chair of the committee recommends that the rationalisation of the number of rebatable allied health sessions under Better Access be delayed until it can be demonstrated that other programs (such as ATAPS) are adequately equipped to provide services to people with a severe or persistent mental illness.

Recommendation 2
1.7 The Chair of the committee recommends that the Government consider putting in place an interim program through the MBS that would allow access to six additional sessions under Better Access for consumers who meet tightened criteria based on the severity of their condition.

Recommendation 3
1.8 The Chair of the committee recommends that the Government continue to evaluate Better Access and keep a watching brief on how the program is being accessed nationwide with a particular focus on the take up of Better Access services by hard to reach groups.

Recommendation 4 
1.15 The Chair of the committee recommends that the Government develop guidance materials as quickly as possible to assist Medicare Locals and GP Divisions in meeting the full potential of the expanded ATAPS program. This material should include examples of nationwide best practice in areas such as financial management and the development of innovative projects targeting hard to reach groups.

Recommendation 5
1.16 The Chair of the committee recommends that a comprehensive performance assessment framework be established as part of the ATAPS expansion. The data gathered should be used to develop benchmarking tools to compare ATAPS service delivery across Medicare Locals and GP Divisions with similar geographic and demographic indicators.

Recommendation 6
1.18 The Chair of the committee urges the Government to revise its scheduling for the 2011-12 Federal Budget changes to ensure continuity of care.

Recommendation 7
1.23 The Chair of the committee recommends that any tightening of eligibility for Better Access be delayed until the youth mental health initiatives funded in the 2011-12 Federal Budget are fully expanded and operational. National Mental

Recommendation 8
1.24 The Chair of the committee considers that consumers must have a central role in any mental health advisory body, and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be represented. The National Mental Health Commission, which will have nine Commissioners and a Chair, should include at least one commissioner who is a consumer, one who is a carer and one who has Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage.

Recommendation 9
1.25 The Chair of the committee recommends that the Government review the operation and structure of the National Mental Health Commission after two years with a view to placing it on a statutory basis.

Two-tier rebate for psychologists
1.26 The evidence does not provide adequately compelling arguments to change the current arrangements. Out of nine areas of practice endorsement that generally require higher levels of study, only one attracts a higher Medicare rebate. The Chair recognises, however, the value of the services provided across the range of practice areas. In these circumstances, the Government should undertake ongoing monitoring of any effects of the two-tier Medicare rebate for psychologists on workforce composition.

Recommendation 10
1.27 The Chair of the committee believes that the new Mental Health Commission should undertake ongoing monitoring of the two-tier Medicare rebate for psychologists to ensure that patients have access to the most appropriate practitioners and that workforce balance across the mental health sector is maintained.

CPD logging deadline 

Members are advised of the 30 November deadline for logging evidence of your CPD activities for the initial 01 July 2010 to 30 November 2011 period. Please refer to the APS Website for further details.

Warm wishes

Anthony M Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair, APS College of Clinical Psychologists
07.11.11

Top

7 October 2011, Annual General Meeting Chair's Report

The College AGM occurred on Thursday 6th October, 1:15-2:00pm at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. Click here for Chair's Report.

Top

27 September 2011, Message from the Chair

Please take a minute or two to view the contents of today’s bulk email.

1. 2011 APS Board of Directors Election:
   Members are urged to utilise this excellent opportunity to help shape the policies and directions of the APS over the following year(s) by voting in this year’s Board of Directors Election. There are several Clinical College members nominating and you may view their details, pose questions to them on the APS website, and cast your vote by clicking on this link
   
   Voting may be undertaken electronically or in hard copy and closes early morning on next Wednesday 05 October.
2. APS AGM Thursday 05 October:
   Please refer to the APS website which has all the information you require in the lead up to the APS’s AGM, including 2011 Annual Report, AGM materials, 2011 Board of Directors election papers and related materials, and Proxy Form for the AGM. Follow this link
   
   Please note that I, and other National Committee members, will be in attendance at the AGM if you intend to complete and send the Proxy Form into the APS National Office by the required date (4.30 pm Tuesday 04 October).
3. College of Clinical Psychologists AGM:
   Members are invited to attend the college’s AGM on Thursday 06 October at 1.00 for 1.15pm – 2.00pm. Please refer to the APS Conference website for further details.
4. Clinical College Dinner at the APS National Conference:
   You are warmly invited to join National Committee members and colleagues at the annual Clinical College dinner to be held on Thursday 06 October at The Boat House on the Lake, Barton, Canberra.  Further details and bookings appear online by clicking the following link
   
   
5. Senate Community Affairs Committee Inquiry into the Administration and Funding of mental Health Services:
   Members are directed to the website of the Senate Inquiry into mental health for further advice regarding an extension of reporting deadline to 20 October 2011. We have been advised that over two thousand submissions were received, and many of these appear to have been sent by members of the clinical college and other Clinical Psychologists. The Clinical College also submitted. Through this process, Clinical Psychology appears to have been well represented, and there is now a public record of resources from which members may wish to draw for any future processes requiring strong lobbying. Please bookmark this site for further reference.
   
   The National Committee wishes to warmly thank all members who submitted, including those who did so confidentially. As there are internal APS Governance rules that oversee colleges submitting and lobbying for their members, it is imperative that individual members continue to advocate for Australian Clinical Psychology. For instance, there is current discussion occurring as to whether bulk emails to college members ought to first be assessed by other college chairs and the APS itself before it may be sent. However, individual members face no such barriers to articulating the discipline.

Again, thank you for all your recent advocacy for Clinical Psychology, and please consider taking part in the abovementioned current processes.
  
Warm wishes
 
Anthony Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair
APS College of Clinical Psychologists
27.09.11 

Top

30 August 2011

Senate Inquiry - Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services.

A public hearing was held in Melbourne on August 19th 2011 in which the APS Clinical College was represented by Chair, Anthony Cichello and Board of Assessors Chair Erika Leonard. A copy of the transcript is now available.

 Senate Inquiry - Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services. Please visit the submissions page to view the Clinical College submission to the inquiry.

Top

Message from the Chair, 27 July 2011

Inquiry into Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services.

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee that is conducting the inquiry into Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services has sent an urgent request to the APS College of Clinical Psychologists.

We have been asked to immediately write to all members on our bulk email list who received our email on 25 July 2011, within which we copied my complaint to the senate committee regarding AAPi, a message which states the following:

That the Senate's community affairs committee has reminded all parties participating in its inquiry, including the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc, that all witnesses must be able to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry freely; and

That members are encouraged to make submissions to the inquiry, and the submission deadline has been extended to Friday 5 August.

Submission information

Resources related to Clinical Psychology

Members may wish to file all recently attached documents and links pertaining to clinical psychology within their own ‘Clinical Psychology advocacy' file.

In the lead in time to the review of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (i.e. the Transitional period concludes 1 July 2013), at this stage it would appear likely that all psychologists would be invited to send in submissions sometime in 2012 -13 relating to matters pertaining to our discipline, including areas of endorsement. These resources will also be of utility when contributing to the Health Reform developments.

Thank you to the heartening response to the call for submissions. I apologise for struggling to find adequate time to reply to phone calls and emails.

Best wishes
Anthony M Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair APS College of Clinical Psychologists
26.07.11

Top

Message from the Chair, 25 July 2011

In today's clinical college members' e-mail

Senate Community Affairs  Reference Committee inquiry into Commonwealth Funding and Administration of Mental Health Service

Please note that this submission is due midday Friday 29 July (AEST) and needs to address the TOR items which you determine are most pressing. We recommend including some focus on the two tier system and the cuts to rebated session numbers because it directly speaks to our work as specialised Clinical Psychologists and to the range of moderate to most complex and severe community mental health presentations for which we are uniquely trained to treat.

The NC acknowledges that Clinical Psychology is one of nine equal specialisations within Psychology. These areas of specialisation are internationally recognised, enshrined within Australian legislation, and are the basis for all industrial awards. They have been recognised since Western Australia commenced its Specialist Title Registration in 1965, and it is the West Australian model which formed the basis for the 2010 National Registration and Accreditation Scheme recognition of specialised Areas of Endorsement. All specialisations require a minimum of eight years training including a further ACPAC accredited postgraduate training in the specialisation leading to an advanced body of psychological competency in that field. No specialisation should be referred to in a manner that creates the appearance of the same level of skill and knowledge as the basic APAC accredited four year training of a generalist psychologist. As is the case with Clinical Psychology currently, each area of specialisation deserves a specialist rebate with its own item number relating to that which is the specialist domain of that area of psychology (e.g. for  clinical neuropsychology - neuroanatomy, neuropsychological disorders/assessment/rehabilitation, etc; for health - clinical health psychology, and health promotion; forensic - forensic mental health, etc). Specialist items for the other specialisations of psychology may mean that clinical psychologists might not qualify for any those second tier items pertaining to other specialisations; however, we deeply respect specialisations within psychology and believe that our members would seek to undertake further training in those fields should they wish to seek to demonstrate that they have attained those other advanced specialised competencies that are not part of clinical psychology.

Regarding our specialisation, we wish to re-state that Clinical Psychology requires a minimum of eight years' training and is the only profession, apart from Psychiatry, whose entire accredited and integrated postgraduate training is specifically in the field of lifespan and advanced evidence-based and scientifically-informed psychopathology, assessment, diagnosis, case formulation, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, clinical evaluation and research across the full range of severity and complexity. We are well represented in high proportion amongst the innovators of evidence-based therapies, NH&MRC Panels, other mental health research bodies and within mental health clinical leadership positions.

Members have advised us that DoHA has had to follow a government imperative to demonstrate cost savings and that this is non-negotiable. However, it is abundantly clear that there the obvious significant gap in mental health service provision is for those in the community presenting within the range of the moderate to most complex and severe presentations. Those presenting with only mild presentations are unlikely to be affected by the cuts to session numbers. The treatment of the moderate to severe range is the unique specialised training of the Clinical Psychologist and, to undertake a comprehensive treatment of these individuals, more than thirty sessions per annum are sometimes required. In this way, Clinical Psychologists should be treated as Psychiatrists are under Medicare as both independently diagnose and treat these client cohorts within the core business of their professional practices. However, this is unlikely to be granted presently given the government imperative to cut costs so we believe that the decision to cut session numbers for the specialist clinical psychologist Medicare items should be reversed immediately.

Our members wish to share the feedback that they received from the Senate Affairs Committee officers today that, if they send in an anonymous submission, their submission will be treated just as seriously as a named submission.

Please note that, with only 37 submissions having been recorded onto the senate committee website as at 26 July 2011, it may seem to the government that the loss of the two tier system and cuts to session numbers is a non-issue for clinical psychologists. Remember the social psychological research on the diffusion of social responsibility at times of crisis and please don't fall victim to this! Remember that even a single page letter will suffice for a submission.

If you are planning to send a submission into this inquiry, please note the following

Resources from which you may wish to formulate your thoughts or, for the time poor, simply cut and paste

Better Access evaluation

In response to members' requests for comments regarding the Medicare evaluation, the NC notes that there are many significant research methodological issues that diminish the credibility of the study.  The study did not meet fundamental standards of research design (it did not identify the nature, diagnosis or complexity of the clients seen by psychologists by type of psychologist; it did not identify the nature or type of psychological intervention actually provided; it did not factor in or out medication use by the client; it did not factor in or out therapy adherence indicators; it did not have a valid criterion measure actually related to a range of diagnoses or complexity in order to assess pre and post intervention condition of clients; it did not undertake follow-up assessment of clients, which is often the point at which the relative strength of any competent treatment becomes manifest; it did not determine relapse rates by type of psychologist; it was a self-selected sample of psychologists who self-selected their clients and clinically administered the research questions in session; it was not subjected to peer review); and what is needed is a well-designed prospective study aimed clearly at answering specific questions in accordance with principles of psychological research.

The AAPi claim that because the Medicare evaluation is convincing proof that general psychology is the same as clinical psychology and that there should be no recognition of the specialisation. However, the same people who have emailed me stating that there is no difference between clinical psychologists and generalists (refer to some of the individual submissions on the senate committee website) are also claiming that, because the IAPT study in the U.K demonstrated no difference in therapeutic outcomes between registered psychologists and untrained counsellors, the profession of psychology should also be de-registered and treated the same as untrained counsellors.  The basis for remuneration in non-socialist countries is Work Value. It would certainly be a very slippery slope for psychology if we subscribe to these alternative assertions.....

The APS position

Many of you asked what the APS position is on the two-tier system and its inclusion within the TOR. APS is finalising their public comment on the two tier system. The clinical college is fortunate in having a very good relationship with the APS Executive and, like all APS constituent units, we continue to have forthright, honest and mature discussions. We are 100 percent behind the APS in its earnest advocacy to secure an expansion of commonwealth funding to broaden the numbers of training places in our APAC accredited professional doctorates and masters degrees, particularly for our experienced generalist colleagues wishing to undertake specialisation in one of our nine areas of psychology.

Junk emails sent by AAPi

Members have been concerned for some time that their email addresses were somehow made available to members of the AAPi who overwhelm them with un-named junk email rants. We do respect the democratic right of everyone to advocate for their position regarding best practice in the provision of specialised mental health care. However, it now appears that the almost 7000 endorsed psychologists are amongst the 7000 email addresses to which the AAPi sends their un-authored aggressive and intimidating junk emails. We are especially disturbed by the AAPi claim that they will publically list the names of all psychologists who send in a submission supporting the two tier system and areas of endorsement.

Our members wish to share the feedback that they received from the Senate Affairs Committee officers today that, if they send in an anonymous submission, their submission will be treated just as seriously as a named submission.

The AAPi Board is legally responsible for all materials sent to the public. I would like to add that ALL of the appropriate authorities are following up EVERY instance of recent inappropriate behaviour targeted against clinical college members. Only those few colleagues with the more intimate knowledge of the intimidatory tactics utilised could possibly appreciate the depths to which these investigations are now occurring. We sincerely send those responsible for the recent reprehensible behaviours our deepest compassion and forgiveness, for only a weak mind could engage in such behaviours.

Best wishes to all members with your submission as this is critical work for Clinical Psychology. Remember that it is up to each one of you to build the future for our discipline now. 

Thank you to everyone for making last week's Clinical College Conference at Coolum such a rewarding and invigorating experience! The National Committee was heartened by your passion for clinical psychology, and eagerly anticipates our next annual conference in Sydney in June 2012.

Warmest regards,
Anthony M Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair
National College of Clinical Psychologists
25.07.11

Top

Message from the Chair, 21 June 2011

Important updates - Better Access, Medicare Locals, Lead Clinicians Groups, Conference

1. Advocacy for a government re-think of cuts to Better Access

The National Committee (NC) of the Clinical College has been inundated with feedback from members who have written to Ministers, MPs, Senators and members of the Opposition parties to advocate for a re-think of cuts to Better Access. Members report that colleagues and clients are also writing in, and you will be aware that the APS has also been actively lobbying the Minister.

The NC believes that the government has misunderstood evidence-based treatments for high complexity and severity presentations, equated it ‘en masse’ to team-based care involving multiple services (e.g. personal carers), compromised consumer choice of provider and access times, and unintentionally introduced inequality to the provision of standard evidence-based therapy wherein only the most disadvantaged and vulnerable are unable to afford to complete their course of clinical psychological treatment.

Given that clinical psychology is the only mental health discipline, apart from psychiatrists, whose ENTIRE accredited training is specifically focused in the field of evidence-based assessment, case formulation, diagnosis and evaluated treatment of the full spectrum of lifespan mental health disorders across the full spectrum of complexity and severity, the cuts directly minimise the distinct contribution of the clinical psychologist to specialist mental health care in Australia. Please note that it is not too late to write even the briefest of letters to your representatives including those detailed in our most previous bulk email to you.

2. National Health Reform developments & key opportunities for Clinical Psychology

Members are advised to keep themselves informed on National Health Reforms as there are high impact opportunities to influence the development of evidence-based service provision, and a clear knowledge and appreciation of the unique role of clinical psychology, within the Primary Care Sector and broader Health System. Please bookmark this site for your regular weekly reading (NB. paste any links which become broken across two lines) –
http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/Home

I draw your focus today to two recent developments-

2.1   Medicare Locals

2.1.1  Recent announcement of first 19 Medicare Locals commencing 01 July 2011 

The government recently announced the first 19 Medicare Locals (ML) to commence next week. The remainder of the planned 62 MLs will be announced in two subsequent announcements in six and twelve months. Please click on this link to read further –

http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/medilocprofiles

2.1.2  Medicare Local Boards of Management and Clinical Reference Groups

Expressions of Interest will be invited for participation within your ML Board of Management and also it’s Clinical Reference Group. Each of these governance bodies represents a high impact for the discipline and I urge you to consider involvement.

The NC has been advised that these will appear in the newspapers but you may also wish to reference the Health Reform website as follows –

http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/advertisements

2.2  National Lead Clinicians Groups

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has just announced an Expression of Interest process to identify appropriately qualified clinicians to participate in the Lead Clinician Groups. It is envisaged that these groups will become increasingly influential in informing across the Medicare Locals system and Local Hospital Networks in the delivery of clinical services. There are categories for both mental health and allied health for which clinical psychologists could apply. Expressions of Interest close on 9 July.

Please click on this link for further information and application forms

http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/natleadclinicgroup 

3. Clinical College Conference

Please note that Early Bird Registration for the 2011 Clinical College Conference closes next week. The workshops and masterclasses have been designed to satisfy the advanced CPD needs of clinical psychologists, and you will benefit from all of the formal and informal opportunities to discuss your clinical and broader professional ideas and concerns with like-minded colleagues. All your specialist clinical CPD points may be met at this conference if you decide to attend the full program.

Please read further  http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/cclin/conference/

  
Best wishes on this Winter Solstice Day!

Anthony M Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair
National College of Clinical Psychologists
21.06.11

Top

Message from the Chair, 25 May 2011

Update on 2011 Budget changes to Primary Mental Health Care -

The National Clinical College Committee (NC) has been gathering further details of the changes to Primary Mental Health Care announced in the 2011 Budget. Whilst the NC welcomes the investment in new and expanded programs, we are deeply troubled by the cuts to the maximum number of Medicare rebated consultations per annum (from 01 November 2011 - six, with a possible extension to ten although the criteria for extension are not as yet defined). It appears noteworthy that no specific reference to Medicare's 'Specialist Clinical Psychology' items was made within Budget details, although a sweeping reference to all services provided under the MBS Allied Health Services was made with the announcement of the cuts. The APS is seeking further clarification and we will further advise as soon as possible.

As you know, apart from Psychiatry, no other discipline receives as advanced training across the lifespan and the entire spectrum of complexity, severity and range of mental health disorders as the Clinical Psychologist. Our is the only "Allied Health" discipline whose entire postgraduate training is in the field of advanced evidence-based and scientifically-informed mental health assessment, diagnosis, case formulation, consultation, treatment,  evaluation and research. As such, the Clinical Psychologist is frequently referred the most complex and severe mental health presentations. Any cut to the present maximum of 18 permissible annual Medicare subsidised consultations directly undermines the most unique contribution of the Clinical Psychologist to evidence-based and scientifically-informed mental health treatment. The most vulnerable population cohort will be those who cannot afford to fully pay for their remaining mental health treatment, and it is very disappointing that the government is unintentionally introducing inequality into the provision of specialised mental health care in Australia.

The APS has undertaken a magnificent summary of Budget measures and new opportunities for all psychologists, which is listed on the website, and the Clinical College has posted summative financial information and commentaries on the college website for your convenience (see Latest News). APS accessed Medicare data on all sessions provided by psychologists for the period 2007 - 2008 (with the numbers virtually identical for Psychology providers and Specialist Clinical Psychology providers) identified that 21 percent received 7 - 12 sessions and 5 percent received 13 - 18 sessions. In December 2010, PsyBA released workforce data on psychologists in Australia indicating that 13.5 percent had an endorsement and/or specialisation in Clinical Psychology. These data suggest that a possible maximum of 1.6 percent of all Medicare rebated sessions beyond 10 were delivered by Specialist Clinical Psychologists - hardly a massive saving to the government, and yet such a high impact to the most disadvantaged patient cohorts.

The NC has accrued further information which suggests that much of the new mental health program money will not arrive until years four and five, leaving a serious question as to how the gap in service provision will be filled in the initial years. Divisions of General Practice will cease to exist upon creation of the area's Medicare Local (ML), expected in full by the end of 2012, although the Division will continue to deliver mental health services for up to one year under a transitional role. The ML will cover approximately two to three current Division catchment areas. Unlike Divisions, ML's will not deliver services; they will contract local Primary Care sector agencies to provide program specific services such as ATAPS. Some Divisions, who have formed incorporated Company structures, may place a tender for the provision of ATAPS services. It is noteworthy that many Divisions have now adopted the direct employment method, a shift from the initially commonplace contracts with privately practicing clinical psychologists and other providers. Members advise us that Divisions, both metro and rural, now frequently employ general psychologists at uncompetitive salary levels that deter involvement from clinical psychologists. Members have been recently advised by their local Division that they it is no longer accepting any further providers on their books and/or have changed to any employment model. Much of the newly announced ATAPS funding is for the Tier 3 funding ("severe and persistent" mental illness) and we have been advised by members and Divisions that, once programme-related overhead and administrative costs are deducted, this leaves provisions for an approximately 0.8 EFT salaried clinical position dedicated to the Tier 3 program.

The APS is strongly advocating for a review of the cuts to Medicare rebated services, and the college is working to support this strategic advocacy. Members are advised that any individual letter to government carries high impact. Letters may be authored by the Clinical Psychologist, our friends in Psychiatry and General Practice, and other informed consumers. As the Senate Estimate Hearings (http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/estimates/index.htm) are being currently held this and next week, members have an opportune time to advise their current elected MPs, Senators and Ministers. We are reminded of the the effective advocacy by our Psychiatry and Social Work colleagues over recent years when efforts to diminish their Medicare provisions were announced, and it seems noteworthy that no further attempts have since been made by the government of the day.

PsyBA matters

Two further potentially high-impact opportunities for contributing to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) have been recently announced by the PsyBA.

Vacancies now exist on the Regional Boards for a period of up to three years, which spans the remainder of the Transitional phase into NRAS and its review by 01 July 2013.

A PsyBA Consultation Forum has been announced in Melbourne on June 23.  Topics to be covered will include: transition to the new scheme, area of practice endorsements, new mandatory CPD requirements, provisional psychologists and higher degree students, role of the Psychology Board of Australia, and roles of state and national offices. This will clarify many of your NRAS queries, and assist to give voice to the relevant issues for Clinical Psychologist amidst the voices of others who are loudly attacking our discipline.

Due to the high number of psychologists expected at this event and the limited time to answer the numerous questions that are anticipated, RSVPs are due by June 6 and all questions must be submitted in advance to Kate Hateley at [email protected] by COB Friday 17 June 2011. Further details are available on their website - http://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/News/Forum-Invitation-Melbourne.aspx

2011 National Clinical College Conference 

There are now just seven weeks until the National Clinical College Conference. The collegial formal and informal networking will enable you to learn how to best position your post-Budget and post-NRAS clinical and/or academic Clinical Psychology practice. In addition, you will be able to learn from the array of advanced level Master Classes and Workshops from some of our leading Clinical Psychologists, Keynotes that open up reflection on the future of Clinical Psychology in Australia, and satisfy all your CPD requirements - and energise yourselves within a stunning five star resort with similar-minded colleagues. Please refer to our conference website for further details - http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/cclin/conference/

Best wishes

Anthony M Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair, National College of Clinical Psychologists

25.05.11

Top

Federal Budget 2011 - Mental Health

Were the budgetary reforms to the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative appropriate?

Top

Message from the Chair, 9 May 2011

1. National Conference of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists, 15 - 17 July 2011, Coolum (Sunshine Coast)

A reminder to register early to our 2011 National Clinical College Conference in order to secure the workshops and Master Classes of your choice. Participation over the three days ensures you will meet all the 2010 - 2011 CPD requirements as a Clinical College member, as a Medicare Specialist Clinical Psychologist provider, and as a registered Clinical Psychologist with the PsyBA. Associate Clinical College Members - in addition to meeting College CPD requirements, your conference CPD would satisfy requirements as a Medicare Psychologist under the July 2011 - June 2012 cycle (NB.This latter cycle applies only if you are not a Medicare Specialist Clinical Psychologist provider).

Please visit our college website, or click onto the conference tab now appearing on the home page of the APS website for further details and registration.

 2. Representation for members of the APS College of Clinical Psychology 

Please be advised that the National Committee (NC) of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists continues to represent the interests of its members, including the promotion and development of the specialised field of practice of Clinical Psychology in Australia. The current NC has met three times over its first six months of operation, and forwarded several submissions to the APS, Government and PsyBA relating to our discipline.

The NC has been approached by several of its members to comment on Spam e-mails in current circulation. The College respects the rights of our colleagues to advocate in a respectful manner to advance their particular interests. It is regrettable, however, when advocacy breeds acute anxiety and aggressiveness and becomes essentially non-collegial. However, it may also be of interest to our four thousand membership that the Work Value of Clinical Psychology has been formally determined within several Australian jusridictions by full benches of the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) over the recent ten-plus years. It is within the context of the accepted local and international practice of Clinical Psychology, local IRC determinations, and APS strategic support for the colleges that your NC is confident of a long range positive future for our discipline. All members are advised that you are free to exercise your individual rights to directly communicate and advocate to your local MP, Health Ministers, and Governments in order to advance the understanding and promotion of Clinical Psychology, including at times that seem particularly indicated by context. You may wish to copy me into any communication for our records.  

Best wishes - and hoping to see you in July,

Anthony

Anthony M Cichello
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Chair, APS College of Clinical Psychologists
Australian Psychological Society

09.05.11

Top

2010 National Clinical College AGM

1. Save the Date - National Conference of the College of Clinical Psychologists ('Clinical Psychology Shaping the Future') -

Please pencil into your diaries July 15, 16 & 17 for the National Conference of the College of Clinical Psychologists ('Clinical Psychology Shaping the Future'). The Conference Sub-Committee of your National Committee is in late stage negotiations with an impressive venue on the Sunshine Coast. The conference will include a series of Keynote lectures, Workshops and Master Classes delivered by some of our leading Australian Clinical Psychologists. Special thanks are due to Ms Fay Oberklaid and Assoc Professor Bruce Stevens, and also to the Conference Secretariat Mr Jac Smit. Further details will be provided early in the New Year.

2. Reminder - final day for PBA submissions on Exposure Draft - 'Guidelines on area of practice endorsements' and Registration Standard - 'Limited registration for teaching or research' -

Submissions for these two papers close at COB today, as per advice provided on  www.psychologyboard.gov.au/News/Current-Consultations.aspx

The Clinical College has written a submission for each paper and, in accordance to the protocols contained within the APS Governance Rules, has submitted these to the APS Executive Director for approval to send to the PBA.

However, individual submissions to the PBA by college members also make significant impact and I urge you to consider even the briefest of letters to the PBA on these matters if at all possible.

3. Clinical College Course Approval Guidelines -

Following a substantial review process, the National Clinical College Committee approved new Course Approval Guidelines in August 2010, followed by final editing and submission to PDAC for its November meeting and the APS Board in December for its approval. Special thanks are due to Associate Professor Craig Gonsalves, Dr Deborah Wilmoth and Professor Mary katsikitis. I'd also like to thank Dr Nicholas Voudouris and PDAC members.

4. eTherapy Task Force -

The National Committee has appointed Professor Justin Kenardy and Ms Julia Reynold to Co-Chair a Clinical College Task Force to examine the role and appropriateness of asynchronous and synchronous forms of eTherapy in satisfying the college's criteria for the face to face component of supervised placements in our accredited and approved Doctorate and Masters Clinical Psychology degree programmes, and also the face to face component of the PBA's Clinical Psychology Registrar program (post-degree supervised practice) and the aligned Clinical College's Associate Membership supervision programme. In early 2011, Justin and Julia will follow up with members who had previously submitted an EOI for involvement with this college working group.

5. Working Groups - National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) and National Health Reform (NHR) -

The college will be developing further working groups with a focus on NRAS, NHR and Better Access to Mental Health Care (Medicare) to enable the college to effectively and efficiently shape developments in the upcoming reviews of NRAS and Medicare, and any developments with 'Medicare Locals' and NHR more broadly. Further details will be sent in early 2011.

6. Clinical College Website -

Please take a look around our member website and let us know your ongoing suggestions regarding resources and links that would make life easier for your professional practice and/or academic, research and teaching careers. Our new Website Editor, Dr Brendan Meagher can be contacted on [email protected]

Finally - it's been a busy first two months for the new National Clinical College Committee and, following a strong field of applications for the vacant positions, we now have a fully functioning committee. I'd like to thank to all of our present and past committee members for their outstanding commitment to Australian Clinical Psychology. I'd like to extend that thanks to all members who have contacted me with their feedback and suggestions, as well as offers for involvement in our working groups.

My heartiest Yuletide Greetings to all members and loved ones for the holiday season and may you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011.

Warm regards,
Anthony Cichello
Chair
National College of Clinical Psychologists
22.12.10

Top

Psychology Board of Australia Consultation Paper  

Proposal for Specialist Registration

On 27 October 2009 the Psychology Board of Australia released a Consultation Paper on registration and related matters.

The Consultation paper can be downloaded here  

Included in this Consultation paper is the proposal for Specialist Registration see pp 17-20 and  Attachment C: Background paper for development of specialist registration standards pp 39-44.

Submissions closed on 24 November 2009. 
The consulation paper and submissions are posted on the website of the Psychology Board of Australia.

www.psychologyboard.gov.au  

Contents of the Consultation paper
This consultation paper covers proposals from the Psychology Board of Australia on the
following issues:
Section 2 Proposals for mandatory registration standards (required by all boards).
Section 3 Proposed qualification requirements for general registration.
Section 4 Proposal for specialist registration for the psychology profession.
Section 5 Proposals for endorsement of registration for qualified psychology
supervisors.

Relevant legislation and a link to the proposed national law are available at
www.ahpra.gov.au.

Top