Professional practice

August 2012 | Professor Jan Copeland

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug of dependence in the Western world according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2012). The effects of cannabis dependence on health and psychosocial functioning are often under-recognised, and under-treated, in primary healthcare...

August 2012

The recent sudden death of two APS members who were both in independent private practice and, under separate circumstances, died without a ‘Practice Contingency Plan’1 in place, has brought this issue into sharp focus. As an important legacy of the loss of these colleagues, the APS is...

June 2012 | Dr Peter Cotton and Dr Rebecca Mathews

There is now strong evidence that early return to work and minimising ‘discretionary’ absenteeism is associated with greatly improved long-term health and wellbeing outcomes for people injured at work (AFOEM, 2011; Cotton, 2011). Generally, individuals participating in work have much...

June 2012

The increased use and accessibility of the internet as a medium for the provision of psychological interventions and a range of psychological services requires psychologists to have an awareness of how developments may assist their clients.. Web-based technologies offer enormous potential for...

June 2012

As part of the Australian Government’s national health reforms, eHealth records will be introduced from 1 July this year. The personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) will bring together parts of an individual’s medical history from a number of sources into a unified...

April 2012 | Anthony Love, Mick Symons

Psychologists often give and receive second opinions about clients which is an accepted and acceptable part of standard professional practice. However, there are various ethical concerns and sensitivities associated with providing second opinions, and members frequently contact the National...

April 2012 | Dr Rebecca Mathews, Caroline Giles

Three new public safety requirements for registered health professionals (including psychologists) were introduced under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) in 2010. These requirements are designed to protect the public from being placed at harm and involve: criminal record...

April 2012

Updated self-assessment tool now availableThe APS believes that documenting standards of psychological practice is of considerable benefit to psychologists in private practice. Such standards not only provide a basis for public and government confidence in the professionalism of psychologists...

April 2012

March 11th marked the one year anniversary of the strongest earthquake to ever hit Japan, which spawned a catastrophic tsunami and nuclear disaster. Most of Japan’s northeast coastline was wiped out and 19,000 people died, and tens of thousands are still displaced from their homes and...