Contemporary profiles of clinical and health psychologists in Australia

Abstract

Clinical and health psychologists are, collectively, the most numerous of the professional subgroups represented by the Colleges of the Australian Psychological Society. The value of these professionals to the continued health and well-being of the Australian society is important and this value is underscored by the commitment shown by Australian clinical and health psychologists both to intake-level education and to the maintenance of continuing professional development once entry into the profession has been achieved. The present paper documents contemporary professional profiles of Australian clinical and health psychologists and relates these to previous information addressing this issue. Quite clearly, those now involved in clinical and health psychology are, by and large, highly educated professionals strongly committed to evidence-based practice and to the pursuit of experiences which maintain and enhance their professional skills. The changing nature of the Australian health-care system, however, poses escalating challenges for the profession and many appear to be migrating from the public to the private sectors of practice although they are still not well served by health-care policies related to funding. Their experiences in this regard (and others) point to areas where a professional body such as the APS can further support these highly valuable professionals.