Professional practice

June 2016

Psychologists in private practice occasionally receive referrals from general practitioners (GP)s for clients who do not present for services, or make an initial appointment but do not keep it. There are no specific Medicare stipulations about how to manage the referral letter. Consequently, it...

June 2016

The Australian primary health care system continues to undergo reform with Medicare Locals being replaced by 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs). These PHNs are required to identify the needs of their local communities, develop appropriate plans to address these needs, and commission services...

June 2016

When delivering a service under Medicare, it is a requirement that the identified client be present. Since the commencement of Better Access, this requirement has presented a challenge for treating psychologists working with children and young people as best-practice often requires working with...

April 2016

Psychology education and training provides a strong base from which to enter the job market once general registration has been gained. Although many newly registered psychologists intend to provide face-to-face client services others will seek work in various fields of psychology. With a range of...

April 2016

Clinicians and patients have become familiar with GP Mental Health Treatment Plans (MHTP) as the gateway to psychological services but their role in the referral process is less well understood.A formal referral from a GP is typically made in one of two ways. In some cases, the referral for the...

April 2016

The validity of electronic signatures for psychology purposesAn electronic signature is a signature that is used on an electronic document such as a report, a referral letter, or a message, for example an email. Electronic communication is increasingly becoming the mode of communication for...

April 2016

Effective psychological care frequently requires collaboration with a range of health professionals with psychologists often expected to provide services alongside other professionals as part of a multidisciplinary approach. This multidisciplinary work can be particularly helpful for clients with...

February 2016 | Jane Nursey, Dr Winnie Lau, Professor David Forbes

Most Australians will be exposed directly or indirectly to at least one potentially traumatic event (PTE) in their lifetime. PTE’s can be one-off events, such as a home or workplace accident, physical or sexual assault, a natural disaster, act of terrorism; or repeated or persisting events...

February 2016

Alcohol and other drug use is widespread in our community. As such, harmful levels of use and dependence are amongst the most prevalent mental health presentations, and comorbidity of alcohol and drug use with other mental health disorders is common. The presence of alcohol or drug use issues can...