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Online course · Australia

Professional Boundaries and Multiple Relationships for Psychologists

Applying the Psychology Board's Code to Dual Relationships, Gifts, Online Contact and Small Communities

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

About this course

Boundary concerns are among the most common reasons psychologists come to the attention of the Psychology Board, and many begin with small, well-meant crossings. This three-hour course works through the Board's Code of conduct on boundaries and multiple relationships and gives you a documented way to decide when a relationship can be managed and when it must be avoided.

The course explains how boundary standards moved from the APS Code of Ethics to the Board's own Code of conduct, why boundaries carry particular weight in psychological practice and what notification patterns show. It sets out the difference between crossings and violations and the slippery slope that links them.

Multiple relationships get detailed treatment: what counts, the Code's avoid, discontinue or justify approach, a decision framework, associates of clients, couples and families, simultaneous services and supervision or management relationships. Sexual boundaries and physical contact are covered next, including former clients after the old two-year rule, early warning signs, written consent for physical contact and the consequences of sexual misconduct, including mandatory notifications and the public register.

Later sections cover gifts, money and self-disclosure; searching for clients online, friend requests and messages, your own online presence and telehealth; rural and remote practice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and identity-based communities; schools, workplaces and court roles; and protecting boundaries through documentation, supervision, wellbeing and responding to concerns.

What you will learn

  • Describe what the Code of conduct for psychologists, in force since 1 December 2025, requires on boundaries and multiple relationships
  • Notice drift early and tell a harmless crossing from a violation
  • Decide whether to avoid, end or manage a multiple relationship, and write down why
  • Apply the Code to associates of clients, couples, families and services delivered at the same time
  • State plainly why a sexual relationship with a current client is never acceptable and how the Code treats former clients
  • Get written consent before physical contact or sharing information, and keep the record
  • Make sound calls on gifts, fees, bartering, referral arrangements and self-disclosure
  • Set safe rules for searching, following, messaging and telehealth contact with clients

Who this course is for

  • Psychologists in private practice, especially in rural or close-knit communities
  • Provisional psychologists, registrars and their supervisors
  • Psychologists offering telehealth or with a public social media presence
  • School, workplace, forensic and organisational psychologists
  • Psychologists asked to reflect on a boundary concern

How the course works

  1. After checkout the course is added to My Courses in your account, so you can start straight away on any device with a modern browser.

  2. Move through 7 sections (31 lessons in total) in your own time; lessons open in sequence and the player remembers where you stopped on that device.

  3. Each section ends with key points and prompts for reflection. Your notes can be downloaded as a Word course pack or printed for your portfolio.

  4. Sit the 20-question assessment at the end. Score 80% or more (16 of 20) to pass; answer options are reshuffled if you retake.

  5. Complete the reflective account and feedback to finish. Your certificate of completion shows the estimated learning time (about 3 hours), and you record the time you actually spend in your CPD log.

Course content

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

1The Regulatory Frame for Boundaries in Psychology4 lessons
  • From the APS Code of Ethics to the Board's Code of Conduct
  • Why Boundaries Carry Particular Weight in Psychological Practice
  • What the Regulator Sees: Notification Patterns
  • Boundary Crossings, Boundary Violations and the Slippery Slope
2Multiple Relationships: Recognising, Avoiding and Managing5 lessons
  • What Counts as a Multiple Relationship
  • Avoid, Discontinue or Justify: The Code's Approach
  • A Decision-Making Framework for Multiple Relationships
  • Associates of Clients, Couples, Families and Simultaneous Services
  • Supervision, Management and Training Relationships
3Sexual Boundaries and Physical Contact5 lessons
  • Sexual Misconduct and Current Clients
  • Former Clients: After the “Two-Year Rule”
  • Early Warning Signs and Self-Monitoring
  • Physical Contact and Written Consent
  • Consequences: Mandatory Notifications, the Register and Notifier Protections
4Gifts, Money, Self-Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest4 lessons
  • Gifts from Clients
  • Fees, Bartering, Debt and Financial Entanglement
  • Commercial Conflicts and Referral Arrangements
  • Self-Disclosure, Time and Setting
5Online Contact, Social Media and Telehealth4 lessons
  • Searching for Clients Online
  • Friend Requests, Followers and Messages
  • Your Own Online Presence and Advertising
  • Telehealth and Between-Session Contact
6Small Communities and Specialised Settings4 lessons
  • Rural and Remote Practice
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Clients and Communities
  • Identity, Faith, Professional and Other Close-Knit Communities
  • Schools, Workplaces and Court-Related Roles
7Protecting Boundaries: Records, Supervision, Wellbeing and Notifications5 lessons
  • Documenting Boundary Decisions
  • Using Supervision and Peer Consultation Well
  • Psychologist Wellbeing, Impairment and Vulnerability
  • When a Colleague Crosses the Line
  • Responding If a Concern Is Raised About You
8Conclusion, 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 old two-year rule for former clients still apply?

The Board's Code of conduct takes a different approach from the old APS rule. The course explains what the Code now says about relationships with former clients and why the risks persist long after therapy ends.

I practise in a small town. Is it realistic to avoid all dual relationships?

No, and the Code recognises that. The course gives a structured way to decide which overlaps can be managed safely and how to document your reasoning.

Does the Code require written consent for physical contact?

The course explains the Code's expectations on consent for physical contact and for sharing client information, and how to record that consent.

Is this course useful if a concern has been raised about me?

It gives you a clear picture of the boundary standard and a structure for reflecting on what went wrong. If a condition or undertaking applies, ask Ahpra or the Board whether a particular course will be accepted before you enrol.

What evidence do I get when I finish?

You receive a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time, and you can download a course pack holding your learning record, a revision sheet and your own reflections. Your CPD log should show the time you actually spend.

Does completing the course satisfy a condition or undertaking?

Not automatically. Where a Board has set education as a condition or undertaking, the course usually has to be nominated and accepted first, so check with Ahpra or the Board, and your legal adviser or defence organisation, before you enrol.

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