Supervisor training hub

The three-part PsyBA supervisor training program required to achieve Board-approved supervisor status (BAS) allows for the supervision of all supervised practice programs except for registrar programs as a principal supervisor and within their scope of competence:

• 4+2 or 5+1 internship – principal and/or a secondary supervisor 
• Higher degree placement supervisor 
• Supervisor of higher degree students working in addition to placements 
• Registrar program – secondary supervisor 
• Re-entry program supervisor (for psychologists returning to practice) 
• Transitional program supervisor (for overseas qualified psychologists)

Once approved, supervisors must undertake refresher training every five years (Part 4) to maintain their BAS. Both the BAS training and the maintaining-BAS training, are offered by APS Professional Development.

Psychologists wishing to undertake the training must meet the eligibility criteria for PsyBA approval.

You can commence the training once you have held general registration (or equivalent overseas registration) for at least 2.5 years. There is a a requirement for participants to hold registration for three years before becoming a Board-approved supervisor. Once approved, tour approval as a supervisor will be for five years from the date you complete the Part 3 training component. Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this training, MUST be completed sequentially.

For more information on the training requirements, refer to the PsyBA website.

1. Part 1: Knowledge assessment: The first component of the supervisor training program is delivered online as self-paced eLearning. It aims to deliver competencies required of a Board-approved supervisor, best-practice supervision, and relevant Board codes, guidelines, and policies.
2. Part 2: Skills training: The second component is a two-day workshop, delivered via webinar. This comprehensive workshop covers modules of supervisor skills development, and builds on the knowledge presented in Part 1 to develop supervision skills relevant to all supervisee pathways of training. It includes practical skills training for evaluating supervisee competencies and developing reflective supervision practice, adult-learning approaches such as in-vivo and video demonstrations, and participant activities to develop and reinforce skills across the two-day training.
3. Part 3: Competency-based assessment and evaluation: The final component of the supervisor training program is delivered online. It assesses the skills required of a supervisor through both audio-visual and written submissions. This component requires an electronic recording of a supervision session, and​ a written reflection of your demonstration of supervisor competencies (as relevant) in that session.

Supporting professional standards through supervision

The Psychology Board of Australia is committed to protecting the public by ensuring that only practitioners who are appropriately trained, qualified, and competent are registered to practise psychology safely and ethically. Supervisors are instrumental in developing and assessing the Board’s core competencies for registrants pursuing general registration or area of practice endorsement. By signing off on a supervisee’s competence, you confirm to the Board that the individual is ready for independent, ethical practice.The Board’s supervision guidelines recognise the significance of this responsibility and are designed to support you in maintaining the high standards of our profession. Learn more about supervisor requirements, training, and your role in shaping future practitioners.

Psychology Board of Australia – Supervisor Guidelines

Supervising, teaching, and mentoring a new generation of clinicians into the profession acts as a buffer between emotional demands and exhaustion and also offers many rewards, including the opportunity to:

• develop new skills,
• learn about the professional and ethical dimensions of clinical practice,
• stay current with developments in the field and therapeutic approaches,
• improved job satisfaction,
• improved client outcomes, and so much more.

Delivery: Online, self-paced eLearning activity      CPD hours: 10.0

This first training component aims to deliver competencies required of a Board-approved supervisor, best-practice supervision, and relevant Board codes, guidelines, and policies.

Learning materials

Participants will be provided with instructional text and explanatory materials on each topic, along with reading materials, links to open access registration guidelines and standards and, where applicable, multimedia instructional material to support textual content. 

Assessment 

Participants must successfully complete an online assessment to pass this component and obtain a Certificate of Completion. 

Successful completion of this PsyBA-approved Supervisor Training Part 1: Knowledge assessment, is a prerequisite for the next stage of supervisor training, PsyBA-approved Part 2: Skills Training. 

Results reporting

As a condition of its status as a Provider of Supervisor training, the APS is required to provide the Psychology Board of Australia the annual summary data including the number of persons who pass or fail, percentage of persons passing or failing as a function of the number of test attempts taken, and summary enrolee evaluations of the training.

Learn more & register

Delivery: 2-day webinar      CPD hours: 13.0

This two-day workshop is the second stage of the PsyBA-approved Supervisor training. It builds on the knowledge presented in the Part 1 (Knowledge assessment) training,  to develop supervision skills relevant to all supervisee pathways of training, and includes:

• practical skills training for evaluating supervisee competencies and developing reflective supervision practice,
• adult-learning approaches will be used, such as in-vivo and video demonstrations, and
• participant activities, to develop and reinforce skills across the two days of training.

Training information

• This training is delivered over two days, with each day scheduled from 9am to 4.30pm (Australian Eastern Time as relevant).
• Participants must log in live at the scheduled date and time and keep their cameras on during the day. 
• The class is not recorded.
• Participants will be able to access reading materials and assessments via their APS Online learning dashboard prior to the live workshop. 

Learn more & register

Delivery: Online      CPD hours: 10.0

This is the final component of the supervisor training program and is delivered online. It assesses the skills required of a supervisor through both audio-visual and written submissions. This component requires an electronic recording of a supervision session, and​ a written reflection of your demonstration of supervisor competencies (as relevant) in that session.

IMPORTANT

• As trainee supervisors who have not completed all three parts of the supervisor training are ineligible to supervise, the person fulfilling the role of supervisee may be another psychologist or colleague who agrees to act out the supervisee role.
• Prospective participants are advised to register in this component PRIOR to completing the required audio-visual recordings. Detailed instructions on the requirements for submitting audio-visual recordings are available upon registration.

Prerequisites

Participants undertaking this final component of supervisor training, will be required to provide documented evidence of successful completion of Part 2: Skills training (or equivalent), with a Board-approved Provider within, but not exceeding, a period of 6 months since their completion of Part 2 of Supervisor training.

• For participants who have completed the equivalent of Part 2 Supervisor training component with another Board-approved Provider, an electronic certificate of completion must be submitted upon enrolment.
• General registration status and other details will be checked independently against data available on the Register of Practitioners.
• A selective audit of certificates of completion issued by other Providers will be undertaken.
• The APS will notify the PsBA of any discrepancy between information regarding eligibility that has been provided by the enrolee and information contained on the Register of Practitioners.

Assessment tasks

This module (Part 3) consists of two assessment tasks:

1. Supervisory performance will be demonstrated in a role-play supervision session submitted online in the form of an audio-visual recording of a supervision session. Maximum recording length must not exceed 45 minutes.
2. Self-awareness of the development of supervisor competencies will be assessed through the submission of a written reflection piece (including a self-evaluation) of your supervisor competencies in the recorded and submitted session in task 1, and development of all Board-required competencies throughout your supervisor training. Word limit for the written component is 800-1,000 words.

Assessment outcomes, and any assessor feedback for these two tasks, will be delivered to participants securely online.

Time constraint/duration of access

Participants MUST submit the tasks within six (6) months of completion of the Part 2 Skills training component. 

Assessment requirements (audio-visual recordings and written reflection piece) not submitted within that time-frame, will be deemed a fail and that participant will be required to re-enrol and repeat Part 2 Skills training.

Technical requirements

Participants will require an audio-visual recording device in the form of either a smartphone with a camera, webcam, A/V camera with sound recording capability, or equivalent.

Assessment

Participants must successfully complete the online assessment of the audio-visual recording and written reflection piece in order to obtain a pass and receive a Certificate of Completion. 

Participants will be systematically assessed on the demonstration of supervisor competencies. A pass or fail grade with feedback will be provided. 

Unsuccessful attempt

If a full pass is not achieved in the first attempt, participants are afforded the opportunity to submit supplementary or replacement tasks.

A maximum of three (3) attempts is permitted. 

After the third unsuccessful attempt, the participant will be required to re-enrol and repeat Parts 1 and 2 of the program before re-attempting Part 3. The original submission is counted as Attempt 1.

Decision review policy

A participant may apply to request a review of an assessment outcome for this component of the Supervisor Training Program.

Contact [email protected] for details.

Results reporting

As a condition of its status as a Provider of Supervisor training, the APS is required to provide the Psychology Board of Australia the annual summary data including the number of persons who pass or fail, percentage of persons passing or failing as a function of the number of test attempts taken, and summary enrolee evaluations of the program.

Learn more & register

Register for the Supervisor training program package (Parts 1, 2, 3) and save!

Take advantage of the discounts on offer with the supervisor training program package. 

Prior to registering, ensure you have confirmed you meet the eligibility criteria and know which Part 2 Skills workshop you'd like to attend - view available dates.

Register now

APS members enjoy great savings as part of their membership. Not a member yet?

Join the APS community now

Completed the training program? What's next?

Once you have completed the training program, you must apply to the Psychology Board of Australia to become a Board-approved supervisor.

Complete the ABAS-76 form, and follow the instructions provided to submit to the PsyBA.

For more information on supervisor training and this application process, refer to the General Supervision FAQs on the PsyBA website.

Once accepted and approved by the PsyBA, Board-approved supervisors will appear in the PsyBA Find a supervisor searchable list. This function also includes the date that the supervisor status expires.

All Board-approved supervisors are required to maintain their status every 5 years with refresher training. The APS offers a comprehensive calendar of supervisor masterclasses to fulfil this requirement. With a topic to suit all levels of supervisor, there's a class waiting for you.

Explore APS masterclasses

PsyBA-approved masterclass

Delivered: Online      CPD hours: 6.0

All Board-approved supervisors will appear in the PsyBA Find a supervisor searchable list which includes the expiry date of that supervisor status.

Check your expiry date

Board-approved supervisors are required to undertake refresher training every five (5) years by completing a PsyBA-approved masterclass. As approved provider, the APS has been delivering supervisor masterclass training which are essential to update knowledge, skills, and maintain Board-approved status. Full attendance to the training is required.

Need a reminder? We'd love to send you a reminder to register into one of our masterclasses. 

Opt-in for reminders

Government-funded training positions

As the peak body for psychology in Australia, The Department of Health and Aged Care has recognised the APS as a primary partner in implementing the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy grant. We have allocated 500 training positions for existing supervisors who need to undertake a refresher masterclass to maintain their current PsyBA-approved registered supervisor status (refresher training is required every five years). 

Eligibility

As part of the qualifying criteria of this grant, registered psychologists who work with priority populations, including First Nations, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), and/or regional, rural, and remote (located in MMM3-7), will be prioritised to become Board-approved supervisors or to maintain their current PsyBA-approved registered supervisor status.

Application period

Applications for masterclasses have re-opened with limited placements available. Previous applicants need not re-apply.

Apply now

Explore the range of topics on offer

Masterclasses have limited spots available and fill up fast, so don't delay in pre-booking your attendance and securing your spot.

Compassion-focussed supervision: Integrating compassion-focussed approaches to supervision

Focussed on the use of compassion-focussed approaches in supervision, specifically from the role of a supervisor and adapting a compassionate mindset and stance with supervisory processes.

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

Managing tricky situations and problems in supervisory relationships

Focussed on conflicts and difficulties that can emerge in supervisory relationships such as philosophical clashes, personality issues, inexperience, issues of competency, conduct issues within a workplace, placement underperformance, and mandatory supervision by the AHPRA standards panel. 

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

Building skills in self-evaluation and reflective practice

Addresses the principles, frameworks/models, and skills of reflective practice in supervision and strategies to build supervisee skills of self-evaluation and reflection. 

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

Tools and tips for supervising registrars

Focussed on key PsyBA materials relevant to Area of Practice Endorsement and supervising Registrars. Participants are guided through tools and tips regarding the supervision agreement, competency-based developmental goals, safe and effective supervisory relationship, supervision methods, and addressing cultural differences and diversity.

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

Group process and group supervision skills

Focussed on the group supervision process literature, including primary functions of group supervision and the phases of group supervision. Participants will be guided through a range of experiential exercises that demonstrate implementation of group supervision processes in the group supervision context. Self-reflection exercises will further deepen understanding of group processes and support structures for effective peer group supervision discussed.

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

SHAPEing sensitivity to diversity and culture in supervision: developing reflective and flexible practitioners

Presents the SHAPE supervision framework and explores how to address cultural difference, diversity and otherness within supervisory and therapy relationships.

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

Psychodynamic psychotherapy supervision: Reflective practice and parallel process

Presents the Psychotherapy supervision framework and explores how to address the complex and intricate dynamics of the inter-personal relationship process within the supervisory and therapeutic relationship. 

Register   or   Add your name to a waitlist

Have questions? Contact the Professional Development team

The APS Professional development team are available and here to assist with any questions you may have about your supervision training journey.

Email your enquiry