Psychologists regularly navigate complex professional decisions. Some are significant and high stakes. Others are based on everyday questions that arise in practice and benefit from a trusted sounding board.
The APS Professional Advisory Service (PAS) exists to support members with both.
Whether you're a provisional psychologist, an experienced practitioner, or supervisor, PAS provides access to experienced psychologists who can help you think through professional, ethical and practice-related questions and dilemmas.
How can PAS help me?
PAS is staffed by experienced psychologists with extensive backgrounds and networks across a range of practice settings and areas of expertise. The team draws on years of clinical, ethical, and professional experience to support APS members with the challenges that arise in day-to-day practice.
While PAS provides professional guidance and helps APS members think through issues, the service is not about telling psychologists what to do. Instead, PAS helps members understand relevant ethical, professional, legal, and practice considerations so they can make informed professional decisions.
When should I contact PAS?
While PAS is certainly available when complex or high-stakes issues arise, many enquiries involve questions that occur in day-to-day practice.
Members commonly contact PAS about:
Often, a brief conversation alone can help clarify a situation before it becomes more complicated.
What PAS is not
It's just as important to understand what PAS is not.
PAS is not:
PAS versus supervision: What's the difference?
This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.
A supervisor may help you explore:
PAS takes a different role.
PAS may help you consider:
In other words, supervision can focus on clinical work and practitioner development. PAS can only focus on the professional, ethical, and practice dimensions of a situation.
Both have an important role, but they are not interchangeable.
How can I contact PAS?
While many members prefer to speak directly with an advisor via telephone, PAS can also be contacted through the APS website via the online contact form.
For some members, particularly those with busy schedules or those who prefer to outline their enquiry in writing, the online form can be a useful starting point.
Whether you choose to call or submit an enquiry online, providing clear information helps PAS understand the issue and connect you with the most appropriate support.
How to get the most out of your contact with PAS
Being prepared can help ensure your conversation with PAS is as useful and productive as possible.
Before contacting PAS, you should:
Find a private place to talk
PAS enquiries are confidential. If you're calling, make sure you're somewhere you can speak freely without being overheard.
Have relevant information available
Gather any information that may be relevant to your enquiry, such as:
Having information readily available often allows the discussion to be more focused and productive.
Be available when you say you'll be available
If you're requesting a call back, PAS will use the contact details and availability you provide. Ensuring you're available during those times helps avoid unnecessary delays. Consider updating the team if your availability changes, we understand that appointments or errands pop up unexpectedly.
Also, check that your phone is not on silent.
Have a way to take notes
PAS retains a short, confidential note of the consultation for internal record keeping purposes. Members should consider their own record keeping requirements, and jot down key points, resources, or follow-up actions elicited from the conversation.
Be clear about your question
You don't need to have everything worked out beforehand, but it can help to think about what you're hoping to gain from the contact.
For example:
A clear question can help focus the discussion.
What about urgent matters?
If a matter is time-sensitive, it's important to make this clear when contacting PAS.
However, members should be aware that PAS is not an emergency service and should not be relied upon as the sole response to an urgent situation.
Where immediate action is required to protect client safety, psychologists should follow their professional obligations and organisational procedures without delay.
What makes PAS different?
Many organisations provide professional support services. What makes PAS distinctive is its focus on the practice of psychology and its understanding of the realities psychologists face every day.
The service is grounded in the profession, informed by practical experience, and designed to help psychologists navigate the often complex intersection of ethics, professional practice, regulation, and clinical work.
Perhaps the best way to think about PAS is as a professional resource available throughout your career.
You don't need to wait until a situation becomes a crisis.
Sometimes the most valuable PAS call is the one made early, when a quick conversation can help avoid a problem altogether.