Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi)

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the AAPi Marketplace - a dedicated space where both members and non-members can promote their goods and services. Whether you're looking to advertise rooms for rent, offer professional resources or technology for sale, or share education programs, supervision opportunities, and more, the marketplace is your go-to platform. Take advantage of affordable rates with 30-day Marketplace listings, and research listings are FREE for members! Explore the marketplace today: https://ow.ly/JnYy50TT00p

This webinar aims to equip psychologists with the knowledge and tools to support clients in their journey to reclaiming their sexuality after experiencing sexual trauma. This introductory session will cover the psychological impacts of sexual trauma, therapeutic approaches, and practical strategies for helping clients rebuild a healthy sexual identity and relationships. Learning objectives: • Understand the various forms and impacts of sexual trauma • Recognise the psychological effects of sexual trauma on sexuality in individuals from diverse groups • Apply trauma-informed care and culturally responsive principles in therapeutic settings • Utilise specific therapeutic techniques to support clients with consideration to accommodation needs for diverse groups • Implement practical steps to help clients reclaim their sexuality. Learn more or register here: https://ow.ly/FoYl50TSZY0

This webinar will introduce clinicians to Parenting as a Team™, a workshop that helps prepare therapists to work with couples whose conflict arises from child-provoked stress and parenting. Participants of the webinar will: • Be able to identify what constitutes couples working together in parenting and what happens when they become divided in parenting • Learn how to identify cooperative and collaborative parenting alliances, from collusive, competitive and excluding alliances • Be introduced to six interventions designed to strengthen relationships between partners and their children Learn more or register here: https://ow.ly/X8m150TT20j

What if we’re looking for solutions to mental health problems in some of the wrong places? What if instead we focused on prevention and considered the impact the food environment is having on our resilience and ability to cope? What if we changed what we eat and how we feed our brains? This talk will review the research over the past decade uncovering an alarming picture of declining food quality as risk factors for all kinds of mental health challenges. Professor Julia Rucklidge will then discuss the ethics of discussing nutrition as a psychologist, as well as describing practical ways to use nutrition in clinical practice to better feed the brain. Learn more or register here: https://ow.ly/80u750TsLCL

In this webinar Dr Catherine McCarthy and Sue Jakes will provide an overview of the Medicare group therapy model and discuss general considerations when setting up and running Medicare groups. Catherine and Sue will introduce Yalom’s group therapy factors and principles and provide examples from their own experiences to demonstrate how to move group therapies beyond the delivery of individual therapy in a group to improve client outcomes. They will provide clinical examples from schema therapy, ACT, nature-based programs, and EMDR groups, to show how regardless of therapeutic modality, group therapies provide a unique relational experience for clients when process factors and group dynamics are at the heart of treatment planning and delivery. Outcomes: • Learn about the unique benefits of group psychological therapies • Understand key practical considerations when delivering group psychological therapies within the Medicare model • Learn how to improve client outcomes by incorporating Yalom's group therapy principles and factors Learn more or register here: https://ow.ly/axhj50TFhsN

We are one step closer to psychology students being included in the Commonwealth-funded paid student placement scheme. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of individuals, groups, and the support of key MPs, including Dr. Helen Haines MP (Member for Indi, Victoria), an amendment to the Bill was passed requesting that the government consider expanding the payments to students undertaking courses that require university placements, including allied health courses. This month, we have more successful substantial equivalence outcomes for endorsement, including psychologists with endorsements in other areas such as counselling, educational and developmental, and forensic psychology, as well as psychologists without a previous endorsement whose qualifications, training, and experience have been deemed equivalent to the traditional clinical psychology pathway and granted clinical endorsement. We have not yet had any applications rejected and we expect more positive outcomes before the end of the year. Members can access the extensive resources available on our website on this topic. Allied health staffing has been added to the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program in residential aged care. Given our ageing population, this inclusion provides further opportunities for psychologists to expand their services for older people and for residents to be able to access allied health professionals. The evaluation of the Eating Disorder Medicare items has been published, with many favourable recommendations, such as retaining the 40 psychological treatment sessions. The evaluation found that having a higher number of treatment sessions was associated with significantly greater eating disorder symptom improvement, satisfaction with treatment, and perceived helpfulness of treatment for recovery. AAPi is uniting with other psychology and consumer groups to form a psychology coalition to end the Better Access 10-session cap. Please sign the petition today. We will share printable resources with members shortly. AAPi believes that a united and collaborative approach will result in positive outcomes. Click here to read the full update: https://ow.ly/OnsN50TO0cp

This week AAPi has worked with psychology and consumer agencies to form a coalition of nine peak agencies and launched a petition calling for more care for those who need it. Clients with complex mental health conditions and people who have survived trauma are among those most likely to need more than 10 sessions to improve. You will remember that in 2022 the Federal Government halved Medicare-rebated psychology sessions from 20 to 10 and since then has failed to provide a care plan for vulnerable people who need more sessions. Psychologists agree there is a cohort of clients, often with complex mental health issues or a history of trauma, who simply cannot improve their mental health with a 10-session cap. As your professional association, we have been in constant contact with politicians since 2022 in an effort to negotiate more care for patients with complex needs. We urge you to consider signing the petition, and to share it on your social media and in your reception areas with people who may also be concerned about this ongoing restriction on their care. It is our ultimate hope as a coalition that the public, and all psychologists, will support the petition and send a clear message that more care is required for clients with complex needs. A COALITION OF EXPERTS AND PATIENTS Mental health clients and psychology organisations have formed a united coalition of nine peak agencies and begun a petition to address the ongoing shortfall in Medicare-rebated psychology care available to Australians. The agencies, who hope other professionals will join them, say the 10-session Medicare rebate cap on psychology care robs people of essential care. The coalition is calling for more Medicare-rebated psychology sessions for those who need it. Psychology Coalition Members: • Consumer advocacy organisation Lived Experience Australia • Australian Clinical Psychology Association - ACPA • Australian Psychological Society (APS) • Institute of Clinical Psychologists • Australian Association of Psychologists Inc • Institute of Private Practicing Psychologists • Association of Counselling Psychologists • Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology Association • The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychology Association The petition can be found here: https://ow.ly/jyFo50TNgbv

Workplace policies and procedures are important tools for managing the people, culture and employment aspects of your psychology practice. Join Anna Pannuzzo from WorkPlacePLUS for this webinar which will cover: • why workplace policies are important • essential workplace policies for your practice • the implementation, monitoring and review process • employer/sole trader/employee/contractor obligations Learn more or register here: https://ow.ly/tb5y50SqAe5

Today we celebrate allied health professionals, our colleagues, and recognise that we are #strongertogether. Allied health professionals play a key role in providing services across the health, disability, and aged care sectors, with allied health the second-largest healthcare workforce in Australia. Psychologists have a pivotal role in contributing to multidisciplinary, wrap-around care, and we support the call from AHPA urging the government to fund and implement multidisciplinary team-based care, ensuring all Australians have equitable access to quality healthcare.

AAPi recently reached out to the NDIA regarding concerns from members who were told (or their clients were told) by Support Coordinators, LACs, and Planners that “psychology is no longer funded as it is the responsibility of the health system.” The NDIA has confirmed that psychology services remain eligible for funding under the NDIS, and no official information suggests otherwise. Please read our update which includes direct quotes from written communication with the NDIA: https://ow.ly/PAtp50TJnbP