How is the Board made up?
- 6 x Psychologists
- 1 x Legal practitioner
- 1 x Consumer representative
The Presiding Member is elected by the Board.
The Psychologist Act 2005 covers anyone who wants to practice as a psychologist in Western Australia. Each State or Territory has their own registration legislation.
Click here for more information on the Board
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What do I do if I want to lodge a complaint?
All complaints must be in writing before the Board will investigate.
Any letters of complaint are referred to the Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC) (comprising Registrar and 4 Board Members (including the Legal Member)). The CAC investigates the complaint. Once they are satisfied that they have all the background/information they need, the complaint is passed to the full Board for consideration with the CAC ’s recommendations.
The outcome of investigations of complaints is notified to both the complainant and the psychologist concerned.
The Board has produced a Complaints Procedure guideline document which can be downloaded from this website and contains a pro forma for you to use if you wish (or you can put the complaint in letter form).
Click here for more information on Complaints
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Who are the APS?
The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is the professional body for psychologists. Although it is a legal requirement to be registered with the Board in order to practice psychology, it is not a requirement to be a member of the APS. Quite a lot of psychologists are members, but not all.
The APS has a more substantial database than the Board and are able to provide more detailed information, ie which psychologists specialise in which areas and who live in a specific suburb, whereas here at the Board we can only search on the Register by surname of the psychologist.
The Board is completely separate from the APS.
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What information is public information/on the website?
As required under the Psychologists Act 2005, the following information is public information:
- Name
- Address (as nominated by the psychologist to be held on the Register)
- Registration number
- Registration date
- Qualifications
- Specialist title details
The above information is also the information which will be displayed on the Board’s website under the search facility.
Click here to go to the "Search the Register" page
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Why is my personal address on the website?
Registrant’s are obliged to provide an address for the Register; if you don’t want this to be your home address, you must provide an alternative (most psychologists have their work address as the public information and the Board uses their home address for mailing purposes only).
Click here to go to the "Search the Register" page
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I’m just about to finish my fourth year – what do I need to do to register?
You must be resident in WA and hold an APS accredited 4 year degree from an Australian University. You will need to provide academic transcripts and degree
certificate(s) as part of your application for registration. If you do not have the degree certificate, you will need to provide a letter from the Head of the Psychology Department confirming that your degree has been awarded.
You will need to be employed in a psychological capacity and under Board approved supervision for the first 2 years (or part time equivalent).
(The Board is not able to recommend supervisors, nor does it hold a list of persons willing to supervise.)
Supervision must be approved by the Board prior to its commencement. (Some applicants think they should get a job, do 2 years supervision and then register.)
Your supervisor must have been fully registered for 2 years and not be supervising more than 2 people (either for conditional registration or specialist title).
Once the complete application for registration has been received in the Board’s office, supervision will be deemed to have commenced.
At the end of the two year (full time equivalent) supervision period you will apply to transfer to full registration. Once you have transferred to full registration, you can drop the title “Conditionally Registered” and use the title “Psychologist”.
You can download all the guidelines/documentation you need and submit these either in person at the Board’s offices or by mail.
Click here for more information on Conditionall Supervision registration
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What do I need for conditional registration?
You must be resident in WA and hold an APS accredited 4 year degree from an Australian University. You will need to provide academic transcripts and degree
certificate(s) as part of your application for registration. If you do not have the degree certificate, you will need to provide a letter from the Head of the Psychology Department confirming that your degree has been awarded.
You will need to be employed in a psychological capacity and under Board approved supervision for the first 2 years (or part time equivalent).
(The Board is not able to recommend supervisors, nor does it hold a list of persons willing to supervise.)
Supervision must be approved by the Board prior to its commencement. (Some applicants think they should get a job, do 2 years supervision and then register.)
Your supervisor must have been fully registered for 2 years and not be supervising more than 2 people (either for conditional registration or specialist title).
Once the complete application for registration has been received in the Board’s office, supervision will be deemed to have commenced.
At the end of the two year (full time equivalent) supervision period you will apply to transfer to full registration. Once you have transferred to full registration, you can drop the title “Conditionally Registered” and use the title “Psychologist”.
You can download all the guidelines/documentation you need and submit these either in person at the Board’s offices or by mail.
Click here for more information on Conditional Supervision registration
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I am conditionally registered and want/need to change my supervisor and/or employer. What do I do?
As approval of conditional registration is based on the employment and supervision details you provided originally, any change to either of these affects your right to remain conditionally registered. The following new forms must be provided to the Board:
Change of employer only:
- Form 4 - Certificate of Intention to Employ
- Form 18 (if supervisor not employed by same employer)
- New job description
Change of Supervisor only:
- Form 17 - Six Monthly Supervision Plan
- Form 18 (if supervisor not employed by same employer)
A final report (on Form 19) must be obtained from your previous supervisor in order that you can receive credit for this period.
If you are changing supervisor and employer then all the above forms are required.
If the change is occurring early in the supervision period it may be in order for your new supervisor to continue with the existing plan, however, he/she must confirm in writing.
The documentation must be received by the Board within 14 days.
If you are no longer employed in a psychological capacity or under Board approved supervision you will need to withdraw from the Register. Requests for withdrawal should be in writing to the Board's offices.
Click here for more information on the Supervised Practice Program
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What are the requirements for full registration?
You must be resident in WA and hold an APS accredited 6 year degree from an Australian University (4 years as for conditional + 2 years Masters). You will need to provide academic transcripts and degree certificate(s) as part of your application for registration. If you do not have the degree certificate, you will need to provide a letter from the Head of the Psychology Department confirming that your degree has been awarded.
If you have completed all the coursework and practicums of the M Psych you will be eligible to apply for full registration, however, you will be required to provide a letter from the university which confirms the exact status of your studies. (You are not eligible to commence specialist title supervision at this stage – you can only commence specialist title supervision once your M Psych degree has been awarded.)
If you are undertaking a D Psych or combined Masters/PhD you are eligible to apply for full registration upon confirmation that you have completed all the coursework and practicum requirements.
For eligibility to commence specialist title supervision see the Board's policy on eligibility to commence specialist title supervision.
Click here for more information on Full Registration
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I’m currently undertaking a Masters degree and have completed all the coursework and practicums – can I get full registration?
COMBINED M PSYCH/PhD
Yes - The Board will allow you to apply for full registration provided the university confirms in writing that all coursework and practicums have been completed.
D PSYCH
Yes - The Board will allow you to apply for full registration provided the university confirms in writing that all coursework and practicums have been completed.
M PSYCH
Yes - The Board will allow you to apply for full registration provided the university confirms in writing that all coursework and practicums have been completed.
Click here to go to Policy Statements
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I’m currently undertaking a Masters degree but still have to complete some of the practicums – can I still register?
Only conditionally.
Click here for information on Conditional Registration.
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What are the requirements to undertake specialist title supervision?
The following specialist titles are currently approved by the Board:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Counselling Psychologist
- Educational Psychologist (or Educational & Developmental Psychologist)
- Forensic Psychologist
- Clinical Neuropsychological
- Organisational Psychologist
- Sport Psychologist
Checklists of Specialist Skills and Competencies are available for all specialist titles.
You must hold at least an accredited Masters degree in the stream in which you are undertaking specialist title supervision.
Specialist title supervision is 2 years full time (or part time equivalent) and you must be supervised by someone holding the same specialist title. It is possible to be supervised by someone with a different specialist title, but Board approval must be obtained (and this is usually only granted for a maximum of 6 months).
Your supervisor must have held the specialist title for a period of at least 12 months and not be supervising more than 2 people (either conditional registration or specialist title).
Supervision must be Board approved prior to commencement.
At the end of the 2 year supervision period the Checklist of Specialist Skills and Competencies must be completed and submitted with the supervisors declaration (Form 23) to the Board for approval.
If you are undertaking a second specialist title you must still hold a degree in the relevant specialty, but the supervision period is reduced to one year (full time equivalent).
If you are undertaking a D Psych or combined M Psych/PhD see the Board's policy on eligibility to commence specialist title supervision.
Click here for more information on Specialist Title Supervision
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I’m currently doing a D Psych/combined M Psych/PhD when can I start specialist title supervision?
For those students who were studying for an accredited combined M Psych/PhD or D Psych prior to 1 January 2007 the following will apply:
COMBINED M PSYCH/PhD
The Board will allow commencement of specialist title supervision only at such time as the Board is guaranteed that you are entitled to the award of at least an M Psych degree by the University. A letter from the university stating such must be provided.
D PSYCH
The Board will allow commencement of specialist title supervision only at such time as the Board is guaranteed that you are entitled to the award of at least an M Psych degree by the University. A letter from the university stating such must be provided.
For those students enrolling from the first semester of 2007 or those who have decided to upgrade their studies from the first semester of 2007 the following will apply:
COMBINED M PSYCH/PhD
The Board will allow an applicant who is enrolled in an accredited combined M Psych/PhD to commence specialist title supervision when he/she is able to demonstrate that:
- he/she has completed and passed all the coursework requirements;
- he/she has completed and passed all practicum requirements;
- he/she has completed the final draft of the thesis and can provide evidence that this has been formally submitted to the university.
D PSYCH
The Board will allow an applicant who is enrolled in an accredited D Psych degree to commence specialist title supervision when he/she is able to demonstrate that:
- he/she has completed and passed all the coursework requirements;
- he/she has completed and passed all practicum requirements;
- he/she has completed the final draft of the thesis and can provide evidence that this has been formally submitted to the university.
Click here to go to Policy Statements
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I’ve completed a D Psych/combined M Psych/PhD and have heard that I can get a reduction in the specialist title supervision period – what do I need to do?
D Psych
Once the D Psych has been awarded and the Board has approved commencement of specialist title supervision, you may apply to the Board for a reduction in the 2 year supervision period to 18 months in recognition of the additional practicum hours and coursework units and the more intense research thesis, provided the Board considers it to be primarily of an applied nature.
You will need to provide an abstract of your thesis for the Board’s consideration.
Combined M Psych/PhD
Once the PhD has been awarded and the Board has approved commencement of specialist title supervision, you may apply to the Board for a reduction in the 2 year supervision period to 21 months in recognition of the university undertaking to ensure the research thesis is directed by the Scientist Practitioner Model and is therefore of an applied nature.
You will need to provide an abstract of your thesis for the Board’s consideration.
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I’ve completed my Masters degree can I get registration and start specialist title supervision?
Once all the coursework and practicums have been completed you can apply for full registration. However, you will need to provide a letter from the Head of the Psychology Department at the University confirming the status of your studies.
Once you have confirmation that your degree has been awarded you can apply to commence specialist title supervision. Again, you will need to provide a letter from the Head of the Psychology Department at the University confirming this.
Click here for information on registration for Specialist Title Supervision
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I’m currently undertaking supervision for specialist title and need to change my employer/supervisor – what do I need to do?
As approval of specialist title supervision is based on the employment and supervision details supplied, any change to either of these affects your right to continue specialist title supervision. Therefore, when advising of a change of supervisor the following new forms must be provided:
A final report ( Form 23I ) must be obtained from your previous supervisor and he/she must complete the Checklist of Specialist Skills and Competencies. The completed Form 23I comes to the Board and the Checklist should be passed to your new supervisor. (The Board only requires the completed Checklist at the end of the 2 year supervision period.)
If a change of employer only, obtain:
If changing both supervisor and employer then all the above documentation is required.
Once the above documentation is received the matter will be referred to the Board for approval.
The documentation must be received by the Board within 14 days.
Click here for more information on Specialist Title Supervision |
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I got my qualifications overseas – what do I need to do to register in WA?
If you have overseas qualifications you must submit an application for registration enclosing details of your overseas qualifications before the Board will review the details of your overseas qualifications. You must also submit the application fee of $250.00 (which is non-refundable in the event that your qualifications are determined not to be equivalent), together with the registration fee of $225.00.
The Board has an independent status adviser.
A Certificate of Good Standing must be provided from the overseas registering body.
Click here for information on applying for registration
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What changes need Board approval?
Any changes to your supervision arrangements/name and any additional qualifications must be submitted to the Board for approval.
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I’m registered in another State/Territory in Australia. Can I register in WA?
Under the provisions of the Mutual Recognition (WA) Act 2001 a person who has a current authority to practice as a psychologist in any other State or Territory in Australia is entitled to be registered to practice psychology in Western Australia.
Click here for information on Mutual Recognition
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I want to use a business name – do I have to notify the Board?
Under the Psychologists Act 2005 there is no longer a requirement to register a business name.
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What title am I able to use?
If you are conditionally registered you must make reference to the fact that you are conditionally registered.
If you are fully registered you can use the title Psychologist.
If you have been granted use of a specialist title by the WA Board, you can use that specialist title.
No other specialist title(s) can be used.
Click here to go to Policy Statements
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Am I allowed to advertise?
The advertising rules are contained within the Psychologists Regulations 2007.
Click here to go to the State Law Publisher Website
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Do I need a referral from my GP to see a psychologist?
In order to receive a Medicare rebate, you must be referred to a psychologist by an appropriate medical practitioner (GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician).
Otherwise, no, a referral is not required to see a psychologist.
Click here to search for a psychologist on the register
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Can the Board recommend/refer me to an appropriate psychologist?
No. The Board is the statutory regulatory body and as such is not allowed to recommend. Indeed, the Board may not hold the information you require.
If you wish to search for a psychologist in your area, there is a search facility on the Board’s website.
An alternative method of finding a psychologist could be the Australian Psychological Society (APS) or the Yellow Pages under Psychologists.
Click here for the APS website
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Do Psychologists have to abide by a Code of Ethics?
There is a Code of Ethics which is produced by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). The Board is guided by the Code, but is not bound by it.
Click here for the APS website
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How much does a Psychologist charge?
The Board has no jurisdiction over the fees charged by psychologist. However, there is a schedule of recommended fees produced by the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
Click here for the APS website
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