Consultation Papers

The Psychology Board of Australia published a set of consultation papers on 27 October 2009, which can be viewed in full on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency website (AHPRA).  Members may in particular want to read the paper that deals with specialist title. To download the full consolutation papers, click here . Here are important excerpts:

Introduction on p.1
 
The proposal for specialist registration and the specialties proposed are consistent with current regulation arrangements for specialists (in Western Australia), college membership of the Australian Psychological Society, and specialist recognition from Medicare and the courts. It therefore includes registrants who have completed doctorate or equivalent qualifications, such as specialist master’s degrees plus further supervised specialist practice and training.
 
Proposed list of specialties on p. 19

Table 4.1 List of specialities and specialist titles 

Proposed speciality	Proposed specialist titles
Clinical neuropsychology	Specialist clinical neuropsychologist
Clinical geropsychology	Specialist clinical geropsychologist
Clinical psychology	Specialist clinical psychologist
Community psychology	Specialist community psychologist
Counselling psychology	Specialist counselling psychologist
Educational and developmental psychology	Specialist educational and developmental psychologist
Forensic psychology	Specialist forensic psychologist
Health psychology	Specialist health psychologist
Industrial and organisational psychology	Specialist industrial and organisational psychologist
Sport psychology	Specialist sport psychologist

 

Model and transition proposed on p.43-44
 
The Board is proposing option 3; that is, eligibility for specialist registration requires possession of an APAC-accredited doctorate degree and one year of supervised practice, or equivalent. There are well-established APAC accreditation standards applying to postgraduate training leading to specialist qualifications. The professional doctorate is recognised internationally as the required standard, and provides the highest standard of professional training available in specialist areas. For example, North America requires a doctorate plus one year as the standard (www.asppb.net). Doctorate programs require advanced coursework and practical experience in the specialty, as well as extensive research in the applied area. It is a qualification recognised as being substantially greater in depth, scope and application than that required for general registration. It is distinguished in that the education and training must be provided by academics recognised by the accreditation agency as possessing qualifications in the specialist area, supervised practice is conducted by practitioners who possess the specialist qualifications and experience, and areas of study are focused on the competencies of the specialty.
 
In recognition of the current criteria for specialisation in psychology, equivalence will be grandparented for accredited professional master’s programs plus a two-year program of approved supervised practice and professional development in the specialist area. A six-year period of recognition of equivalence is proposed by the Board. The two-year supervision requirement reflects the precedent set by the Western Australian legislation. It also acknowledges the critical role of supervision in the acquisition, development and maintenance of the specialist competencies. Although professional development also has an important role, it is not sufficient to guarantee the acquisition of a competency. Allowing equivalence with the master’s programs will minimise potential workforce supply concerns as master’s programs are more prevalent across Australian universities at present.
 
It is acknowledged that many of the colleges of the Australian Psychological Society are well established and therefore this proposal is largely consistent with their requirements. Professional colleges are not legislative bodies and are not subject to the stringent governance and public interest requirements of public bodies. As such, eligibility for college membership is not considered suitable as an ongoing standard for specialist recognition under the new scheme.
 
Please note that submissions close 24 November 2009.