The Australian Psychological Society (APS) has been named as a finalist in the 2020 Association of the Year awards by the Association’s Forum.
Dr Zena Burgess, CEO of the APS said this was a testament to the resilience, innovation and tenacity of the organisation in the face of a challenging year for the nation’s mental health.
“I couldn’t be more proud of APS members and staff. It’s been a tough year, but we met the challenges head on,” said Burgess.
“We’ve had a suite of significant advocacy wins, including additional Medicare sessions for bushfire-affected communities, COVID-19 telehealth items introduced for all Australians, and the doubling of Medicare funded psychology sessions – an issue we’ve advocated on since June 2019.”
“Further, we’ve seen some fantastic work in our public awareness campaigns including new bushfire and COVID-19 related resources, a Loneliness in the time of COVID-19 webinar attended by over 2,000 Australians, and partnering with the AFL Players’ and Coaches’ Association through their Tackle Your Feelings program.”
Dr Burgess said these advocacy and campaign initiatives were delivered amidst a period of incredible change for the organisation.
“In March this year, the APS national office also seamlessly transitioned to a virtual operating environment. With this, we transitioned over 150 member events online, including our virtual three-day annual conference attended by high profile speakers including Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, Chair of the National Mental Health Commission Lucinda Brogden AM, and Professor Michael Kidd AM.”
“The year 2020 presented an enormous challenge for us as an organisation, which was collectively felt across the nation. As CEO, I’m proud of our members and staff for their focus and drive to advocate on behalf of mental health and the psychology profession.”