Australian Psychological Society

Australian Psychological Society

APS logo
Formation	1966
Headquarters	Level 11, 257 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia
Membership	28,000
CEO	Zena Burgess
President	Catriona Davis-McCabe
Website	psychology.org.au

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is a professional association for psychologists in Australia, which claimed to have more than 27,000 members in 2023.^[1] The APS provides members with information, resources and advice, as well as access to professional development, networking opportunities and recommendations of appropriate fees to charge for professional services.^[2][3][4]

Eligibility for full membership of the APS is not unduly complicated (see the website for details). In most cases, full, general registration as a psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) will ensure eligibility.^[5]

Other levels of membership are available, such as associate membership of MAPS, for psychologists with provisional registration with AHPRA. Undergraduate students studying any APAC accredited psychology units are eligible to become APS student subscribers. This subscription is dependent on continuing study in psychology. It is believed that a significant proportion of the 27,000 members the APS claims are university students, as the APS provides free membership to psychology students^[6]

In Australia, the term psychologist is legally protected and only those registered as a Psychologist with AHPRA may call themselves a psychologist. Registration with any other professional body, such as the APS, is optional.^[7]

The Australian Psychological Society Code of Ethics was adopted by the organisation in 2007, and by the Psychology Board of Australia in 2010. The Psychology Board of Australia announced in 2022 that the APS Code of Ethics document will be retired in mid-2024 after it develops its own Code of Conduct. The Psychology Board of Australia released its own draft Code of Conduct for public consultation in June 2023.^[8]

The following have been Presidents of the Australian Psychological Society.^[9]

The APS publishes three journals with Wiley:^[10] Australian Journal of Psychology,^{[Note 1]} Australian Psychologist^{[Note 2]} and Clinical Psychologist.^{[Note 3]} The APS promotes and facilitates psychology-related events. The APS also regularly attends a number of national conferences as a participant.

The APS has nine colleges representing different areas of practice: neuropsychology, forensic, community, health, clinical, counselling, educational and developmental, organisational, and sport and exercise psychology.

In 2009, APAC (Australian Psychology Accreditation Council) developed a new 5th year postgraduate diploma in professional practice. This training model has been introduced via the "5+1" pathway as a transitional alternative to the retiring "4+2" system that has been in place for many years as a basic standard for registration as a psychologist in Australia. This is reflective of the ultimate goal to set the minimum requirement of registration at the master's degree level. The new 5+1 pathway incorporates a five-year university sequence in psychology training, followed by one year accredited workplace supervision.^[11]

As of 2010, the Psychology Board of Australia became the sole agency responsible for the registration of psychologists across Australia.^[12]

The Australian Psychological Society has been subject to criticism and controversy since it was founded. The most significant criticism has been the APS recommendation to the federal government that a 'two-tier' system be introduced into the psychology profession in Australia. The context for this decision was the federal government determining to include mental health treatment services a Medicare rebateable health service. The APS has been accused by critics of being the architects behind the 'two-tier' system, a system where clinical psychologists (those holding an endorsement in the area of practive of clinical psychology) were awarded a higher Medicare rebate, which came to be seen by the government and the general public as meaning that clinical psychologists must be more qualified, skilled, or experienced than registered psychologists who do not have clinical endorsement^{[13][14][15][16]} While the APS in August 2011 acknowledged that the federal government had initially intended to have one Medicare rebate for all psychologists, APS President Lyn Littlefield denied that the APS was the organisation responsible for recommending a two-tier system, instead claiming that the federal government was "informed by its own mental health advisors" to limit Medicare rebates to psychologists who were members of the APS clinical college^[17] The APS response to this public criticism has been to accuse psychologists who object to the two-tier system as creating "division and unrest" amongst psychologists, and in their August 2011 magazine counseled objectors to be "mindful of the costs of disunity and the dangers of the appearance of self-interest".^[17]

Another significant controversy in the APS timeline was when former APS President Bob Montgomery was sentenced to four years imprisonment for historic child sex offences.^[18] Following his sentencing, APS President Ros Knight emailed the APS membership to express sympathy for the offender and his family. The email said, "Whilst the APS does not condone in any way Mr Montgomery's behaviours, we wish to acknowledge the impact of current proceedings on him and his family's mental health and hope they are seeking support from these friends through this process." The ABC reported that many APS members considered the email "disturbing" and "disgusting" due to it focussing on the offender's welfare without any mention of the mental health of the victims of his sex offences.^[19] The following day, and after receiving extensive negative feedback from members, APS President Ros Knight emailed members again, this time expressing sympathy for all victims of child sexual offences.^[19] This repair attempt was deemed unsuccessful by many APS members, who considered this communication a "horrendous reaction" to the criticism the APS had received. The ABC reported a psychologist saying that the APS' statements ignored Bob Montgomery's victims, who were lumped into general victims of sexual abuse, whereas the mental health of the offender and his family were specifically mentioned and considered, seemingly, above the interests of his victims.^[19]

• American Psychological Association
• Australian Counselling Association
• Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
• Psychologists Board of Queensland

• Official website of the Australian Psychological Society
• Psychology Board of Australia website