Campaign for psychologists close to launch

In March, the APS will launch the first publicity campaign to promote the expertise of APS psychologists. The campaign will span an 18-month period and include television, radio, social media and print collateral. With the theme ‘Believe in Change’, it is a concept that is central to the work of all psychologists.

The aim of the campaign is to raise the profile of psychology, and in particular, APS psychologists, to broaden the appreciation of psychological expertise and raise the profile of the profession in general.

The public demonstrates a strong interest in psychological insights but is unclear about what psychologists do, who they are and the true depth and breadth of the profession. There also remains a stigma about seeing a psychologist, so it is clear more needs to be done to promote understanding of how psychologists can contribute to the health and wellbeing of Australians, as well as more broadly, such as in schools, workplace wellbeing and the performance of athletes.

In addition, the public does not understand or recognise the value of APS membership. We hope that the campaign will establish APS members as representing high professional and ethical standards and that APS membership influences consumer choice when seeking a psychologist, much as the CPA campaign has done for accountants.

How APS members can be involved in the campaign

Following the launch of the campaign, the APS will be inviting members to provide stories that bring to life the ‘Believe in Change’ concept. The stories will be placed on the Believe in Change campaign website and ultimately, it is our intention to publish a book at the end of the year featuring some of these stories.

The stories can be from any perspective but should show how a psychologist's intervention has precipitated change to enrich an individual, group or organisation. Ideally, the stories should be no longer than 300 words and be realistic, but should not contain the details of real or existing clients, client discussions or consultations. They should be realistic but not based on any specific client. The stories members provide should demonstrate psychologists’ broad area of expertise and relate to the ‘Believe in Change’ concept. Look out for the various aspects of the campaign and the APS invitation seeking your stories in the coming weeks.

I look forward to reading your stories that demonstrate the brilliance of psychology, but most of all, I can’t wait for the campaign to get under way. I believe it will be transformative for our profession.