Ethics and professionalism CPD for health practitioners in Australia [email protected]
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Online course · Australia

Ethics and Professionalism for Psychologists in Australia

Applying the Psychology Board Code of Conduct to Everyday Practice

  • About 3 hours
  • 20 scenario questions
  • Reflective account
  • Certificate of completion
  • Online, self-paced

About this course

The Psychology Board's Code of conduct applies to every setting a psychologist works in, from Better Access sessions to court reports and workplace assessments. This three-hour course applies it to the decisions that most often lead to complaints.

The course opens with who regulates psychologists, the Code of conduct, how the Code, competencies and guidelines fit together and what notifications show. Ethical reasoning follows, from principles to standards, a decision model, recurring dilemmas and organisational pressure.

Competence and endorsement are covered in detail, including Medicare and funded services and extending practice into new methods, digital tools and telehealth. A supervision section covers the regulatory system, supervisors' responsibilities and what to do when supervision goes wrong. Assessment and reports lessons cover test selection, test security and raw data, report writing, court and family law work, and NDIS, insurance and workplace assessments.

Later sections address consent and confidentiality across settings, Better Access and referrers, requests from third parties, records, CPD and peer consultation, advertising, complaints, notifications and building an ethical practice system.

What you will learn

  • Explain how the Code, Professional competencies and Board guidelines work together as the standard
  • Use a structured decision model and document your reasoning
  • Judge the limits of your competence and describe endorsement accurately, including for Medicare
  • Supervise and be supervised well, with accurate logs and clients who know a supervisor is involved
  • Select and use tests properly and write defensible clinical, court and third-party reports
  • Manage consent and the limits of confidentiality with adults, children, referrers and funders
  • Keep psychology records and plan CPD and peer consultation the Board would recognise
  • Describe your services accurately, handle complaints calmly and put ethical systems in place

Who this course is for

  • Psychologists in private practice and Medicare-funded services
  • Psychologists doing assessments for courts, insurers, workplaces or the NDIS
  • Supervisors, provisional psychologists and registrars
  • Clinical, counselling, forensic and other psychologists holding an endorsement, and registrars
  • Practice owners setting up ethical systems

How the course works

  1. Enrol online and the course appears under My Courses in your Probity Courses account, ready to open on a computer, tablet or phone.

  2. Work through 8 sections and 34 short lessons in order, at your own pace. Your place is saved in the browser you use, so you can stop and come back.

  3. Use the key points, scenarios and reflection prompts in each section, and write your own notes as you go; they stay with your course pack.

  4. Finish with a 20-question final assessment. You need 16 correct answers (80%) to pass, and you can retake it after a short pause if needed.

  5. Write your reflective account, submit the short feedback form and your completion is recorded. Download a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.

Course content

9 sections · About 3 hours · 20-question final assessment

1The Regulatory Framework for Psychology in Australia4 lessons
  • Who Regulates Psychologists and How
  • The Code of Conduct for Psychologists
  • How the Code, Competencies and Guidelines Fit Together
  • What Notifications About Psychologists Tell Us
2Ethical Reasoning in Psychological Practice4 lessons
  • From Principles to Standards
  • A Decision-Making Model for Psychologists
  • Recurring Dilemmas in Psychological Practice
  • Values, Culture, Bias and Organisational Pressure
3Competence, Scope and Area of Practice Endorsement4 lessons
  • Working Within Your Competence
  • Area of Practice Endorsement
  • Endorsement, Medicare and Funded Services
  • Extending Your Practice Safely: New Methods, Digital Tools and Telehealth
4Supervision, Provisional Psychologists and Registrars4 lessons
  • Supervision in the Psychology Regulatory System
  • Responsibilities of Supervisors
  • Being Supervised Well
  • When Supervision Goes Wrong
5Psychological Assessment, Testing and Reports5 lessons
  • Selecting and Using Psychological Tests
  • Test Security, Raw Data and Client Access
  • Writing Reports That Stand Up
  • Court, Family Law and Tribunal Work
  • NDIS, Insurance, Workplace and Other Third-Party Assessments
6Consent and Confidentiality in Psychology Settings5 lessons
  • Informed Consent at the Start of a Service
  • Children, Young People and Families
  • The Limits of Confidentiality
  • Medicare Better Access, Referrers and Funders
  • Requests from Third Parties
7Records, CPD and Peer Consultation4 lessons
  • Psychology Records That Meet the Standard
  • Access, Amendment and Record Integrity
  • CPD for Psychologists
  • Peer Consultation and Psychologist Wellbeing
8Accountability: Advertising, Concerns and an Ethical Practice System4 lessons
  • Advertising and Public Communication
  • When a Client Complains
  • If a Notification Is Made About You
  • Building an Ethical Practice System
9Conclusion, Final Assessment and Reflection4 lessons
  • Conclusion and key points
  • References and quick-reference guide
  • Final assessment (20 questions, 80% pass mark)
  • Your reflective account

Assessment and certificate

  • Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.
  • A written reflective account you can keep with your CPD records.

Questions about this course

Does the course cover test security and client access to raw data?

Yes. A lesson explains the tension between test security and a client's access rights, and how to handle requests for raw data.

Is court and family law reporting included?

Yes. It covers the particular risks of court, family law and tribunal work, including staying within your role and expertise.

Does it cover supervision of provisional psychologists?

Yes. A section covers responsibilities on both sides of supervision, honest logs and client consent.

How does it relate to the two-hour psychology courses?

This three-hour course applies the Code across practice areas. The two-hour courses go deeper on ethical reasoning and on professional standards, and the boundaries course covers multiple relationships in detail.

Can I count this course towards my CPD?

That is your call under your Board's CPD standard: you choose activities that match your scope and the learning needs in your plan. If this course fits, file the certificate of completion, record the time you actually spend and note one change you will make in practice.

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