Master of Clinical Psychology

Core requirement

Students must be able to manage their own responses and behaviour to work effectively in a range of learning environments with diverse people and tasks. This includes the capacity to be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback. Students should also be able to work with others in a team or group environment and make and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals in order to complete tasks or for professional practice.

See also Student behaviours policy for more information.

Course-specific requirement

Psychology is a profession governed by specific regulatory and ethical standards and requirements set out by the Psychology Board of Australia in order to ensure healthcare is delivered in an accountable, professional, and safe manner. Provisional psychologists are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and must be both accountable and responsible for ensuring ethical and professional behaviour in all contexts.

Under these regulations and standards provisional psychologists must:

• be able to manage personal responses, beliefs or preferences such that they can work with diverse groups, for example they must be able to work with clients of any gender, different sexual orientations, different religious and cultural backgrounds, and all psychological disorders.
  
  
• engage in ethical behaviour in professional practice, in compliance with these codes, guidelines and policies, in order to facilitate safe, competent interactions and relationships for the people they engage with. This ensures the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the individual is not placed at risk.
  
  
• display behavioural stability and manage their personal responses while working with emotionally and physically distressed individuals from diverse groups and backgrounds, and in diverse and changing environments. For example, provisional psychologists will be exposed to situations which are challenging and unpredictable and will be required to have the behavioural stability to manage these objectively and professionally. This includes being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback, managing their own emotional state in order to be able to develop and maintain an appropriate relationship with a diverse range of clients.
  
  
• accurately reflect on their professional performance, in order to accept feedback on their professional practice and respond constructively, identifying when an issue is outside one's scope or expertise, or when one's practice may be affected by an impairment.
  
  
• must also consistently possess and demonstrate relational skills in order to make and maintain strong therapeutic relationships with a wide range of clients in order to provide effective assessment and intervention. For example, provisional psychologists must sufficiently demonstrate an ability to make and maintain rapport with clients, engage in effective counselling skills, provide accurate empathy, and effectively manage difficulties arising in the therapeutic relationship.
  
  

Adjustments must not compromise the codes, guidelines and policies of the Psychology Board of Australia, result in unethical or unprofessional behaviour in both academic and healthcare settings, or compromise client care.

https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Registration-Standards.aspx
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Codes-Guidelines-Policies.aspx

Core requirement

Students must be able to locate, acquire, retain and apply knowledge as part of their learning and for assessment. They must have the ability to sustain their attention over a designated period, maintain their focus in a variety of learning environments and remember information long enough to complete tasks in a reasonable and safe timeframe.

Course-specific requirement

Provisional psychologists must demonstrate consistent and effective knowledge and cognitive skills to undertake safe and competent psychology practice. They must be able to acquire, remember and locate appropriate and relevant information, process information relevant to practice in a timely manner, and then integrate and implement this knowledge in practice, for example:

• to develop and test hypotheses, develop treatment plans and then conduct individual sessions for clients based upon retained and newly acquired knowledge
  
  
• to retain, apply and comply with legal and regulatory requirements regarding all aspects of practice and the requirement for provisional psychologist registration with the Australian Health Professional Registration Authority (AHPRA) that facilitate safe, competent interactions and relationships for the clients they engage with. This ensures the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the individual is not placed at risk.
  
  
• Provisional psychologists must also consistently and effectively demonstrate and apply sufficient cognitive skills to undertake safe and competent psychology practice. For example, provisional psychologists must be able to:
  
  • Attend and focus their attention for sustained periods of time and process information in order to respond effectively to critical changes in instructions, measurements or observable behavior.
    
    
  • Maintain consistent and sustained level of attention and mental performance as needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective care.
    
    
  • Elicit, understand and respond to sensitive and challenging information (both verbal and written) accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner; and provide timely clear feedback and reporting to clients and other professionals.
    
    
  • Interpret and correctly apply numerical data, measurement and numerical criteria in the execution of psychology practice, such as accurately scoring and interpreting psychological test data in order to ensure safe client care.
    
    
  • Read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of empirical and client information in a timely manner in order to ensure safe client care.

Adjustments for knowledge or cognitive impairments must not compromise or impede student's ability to demonstrate the minimum acceptable level of knowledge and cognitive skill required to practice safely and sufficiently, and must not compromise the codes, guidelines and policies of the Psychology Board of Australia, or client care.

https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Registration-Standards.aspx
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Codes-Guidelines-Policies.aspx

Core requirement

Students should possess the ability to interact with visual, auditory or tactile inputs sufficiently to manage their learning environment and to meet professional performance needs.

Course-specific requirement

Provisional psychologists must demonstrate the capacity to recognise and interpret auditory and visual information, including, verbal, non-verbal and behavioural cues, in order to respond appropriately and timely to the dynamic needs of the clients they work with. They must be able to observe and understand auditory and visual cues for safe and effective observation of clients' symptoms and reactions as part of their assessment and treatment, including recognising and responding to non-verbal and auditory cues indicating a change in the emotional and mental state of a client. This capacity to interact with visual and auditory inputs is essential for provisional psychologists to be able to effectively and sensitively communicate with clients, build rapport, and demonstrate respect and empathy, thus permitting the development of trusting relationships required to work with clients during placements. Provisional psychologists must also be able to process auditory and visual information in classroom situations.

Adjustments for visual impairments must enable the recognition, interpretation and appropriate response to non-verbal cues as well as initiation of effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner.

Adjustments for auditory impairments must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy of verbal communication issues to ensure safety.

Adjustments must not compromise the codes, guidelines and policies of the Psychology Board of Australia, or compromise client care.

https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Registration-Standards.aspx
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Codes-Guidelines-Policies.aspx

Core requirement

Gross motor skills: Students should possess the strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to manage their learning environment and ultimately, professional performance needs.

Fine motor skills: Students should possess the manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to manage their learning environment and ultimately, professional performance needs.

Course-specific requirement

Provisional Psychologists must demonstrate sufficient physical capacity and endurance at a consistent and sustained level to undertake and complete common and repetitive tasks, such writing case notes and reports, engaging in client sessions for the duration, in a timely manner and over time in order to provide safe and effective care.

Adjustments must ensure that physical performance is consistent and sustained over a given period, and must not compromise the codes, guidelines and policies of the Psychology Board of Australia, or compromise client care.

https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Registration-Standards.aspx
https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Codes-Guidelines-Policies.aspx