Professional practice

October 2019

There is no question that life as a psychologist can be deeply rewarding. Seeing your clients progress over time, improving the quality of their life and doing meaningful work is almost as good as it gets. But could it be even better if you were working for yourself? If you have been working for...

October 2019

Relationship breakups can be messy. Not just romantic ones, but business ones too. The APS Professional Advisory Service (PAS) has fielded a number of enquiries from members concerned about how a termination of a contracting arrangement is being managed between a practice owner and an employed or...

October 2019

Psychologists frequently face dilemmas around multiple relationships when providing individual counselling to clients known to each other.Standard C.3 of the APS Code of Ethics advises psychologists to “refrain from engaging in multiple relationships that may:impair their...

August 2019 | Dr Lyn O’Grady MAPS

“We need to be open to the changes that are happening in our profession and it would be easy to, perhaps, feel despondent or negative about what’s being required but the reality is that there are some positives in us being open to new requirements and new ways of working&rdquo...

August 2019

When police seek information about a deceased clientPsychologists may receive a request for information from others, including the police, after a client has died and may be unsure whether they are obliged to speak to the police, i.e., release information to them about the client. In general...

August 2019

Referred clients who do not attendPsychologists may receive a referral for a client, and perhaps even have the client make an initial appointment but not attend. Is the psychologist required to store the referral and should they communicate back to the referrer?The psychologist should advise the...

June 2019

The APS recently sought to clarify whether a chronic mental health condition alone is an eligible diagnosis for access to the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Medicare items. According to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) a patient is eligible for access to the CDM items if they have at least...

June 2019

The APS Code of Ethics espouses the principle of integrity and requires that psychologists be honest in their financial dealings. When invoicing a client who has received a service under Medicare, the invoice must also meet the requirements of the Health Insurance Regulations (1975) It is the...

April 2019

The capacity for psychologists to deliver Better Access psychological services via videoconference to people in rural and remote Australia (Modified Monash Model geographical regions 4-7) has been in place since 1 November 2017. In September 2018, the Federal Government removed the requirement...