The next generation of therapists: getting to know provisional psychologists

By Felix Frain, Provisional Psychologist

When it comes to seeing a psychologist, it’s understandable that you want to find the right fit (check out our blog post about this here), and know that you’re going to receive the professional care that you need. At Excel Psychology, we have psychologists ranging from provisional registration to clinical endorsement, but what does that really mean for you? Let’s take a closer look.

What is a provisional psychologist?

‘Provisional’ means that a psychologist is in the final stages of their training before becoming generally registered psychologists. AHPRA requires that psychologists complete accredited training through a three year undergraduate degree or equivalent, followed by an honors degree or graduate diploma in psychology. Following the completion of a fourth year of university, psychologists must apply for a masters degree which includes evaluation of their academic history, work experience and performance in a university psychology panel interview. Depending on their masters training pathway, some psychologists may begin seeing clients as part of their university training, or as part of an internship, both of which comprise 6 years of academic and professional training in total before provisional psychologists can apply for general registration. These extensive training pathways ensure psychologists are highly skilled and well equipped to provide evidence-based therapy. Provisional psychologists are able to practice as registered Psychologists would, with additional mentoring and supervision to fine-tune the implementation of their skillset.

What can a provisional psychologist help me with?

Provisional psychologists are qualified, knowledgeable and skilled in delivery of mental health assessments and interventions, and often have experience in other areas of mental health, such as counselling, support work or human services. With a background in the field, alongside their training as a psychologist, means that many provisional psychologists are experienced in delivering evidence-based mental health treatment.

Additionally, funding bodies such as WorkCover, NDIS, not-for-profit mental health services and other government organisations recognise and approve funding for psychological services provided by provisional psychologists, given their professional registration and ability to deliver evidence-based psychological interventions.

What’s the difference between provisional, registered and clinical psychologists?

All Psychologists are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, which ensures they’ve met high standards in education, training, supervised practice, ethical and professional standards. Psychologists have a broad range of training and experience, with the same 6 year training pathway being required for any psychologist to apply for general registration. As such, all psychologists will practice as provisional psychologists at the beginning of their career, with over 5,500 provisional psychologists currently registered and practicing in Australia. For those who have completed a master of clinical psychology, two years of supervised practice following their university training are required to be endorsed as a clinical psychologist. A number of other area-of-practice endorsements require the same two year supervision schedule, such as counselling psychologists, health psychologists and forensic psychologists to name a few.

Provisional psychologists employ the most recent evidence-based treatment modalities

As provisional psychologists have more recently completed their university training, they tend to be up-to-date with the latest research and treatment approaches in the field of psychology. This translates to provisional psychologists delivering extensively researched and evidence-based treatments for a range of psychological presentations.

Clinician experience might not be the indicator of client outcomes that you expect

It might be fair to say that we assume that practitioner experience will result in better outcomes when seeing a professional of any sort, but when it comes to seeing a psychologist, the research doesn’t actually back that up. A study by Miller and colleagues (2013) indicated that the outcomes of therapy provided by early career psychologists were more effective in the outcomes of their psychological practice than those of some psychologists in the later years of their practice. This study also found that some psychologists did improve their effectiveness over time when they engaged in feedback-informed therapy, so while experience and expertise should not be discounted, it is helpful to know that provisional psychologists can be highly effective in their practice.

So what we can take away from the research, university training pathways and AHPRA registration requirements, is that provisional psychologists are extensively trained professionals that can provide evidence-based psychological therapy while undertaking supervision, continued professional development and adhering to a high level of ethical standards in their practice. At Excel Psychology, we have provisional psychologists on our team that are experienced in providing area-specific therapy, such as couples therapy. Check out our ‘team’ page or contact our friendly reception staff to find out more.

References

Miller, S. D., Hubble, M. A., Chow, D. L., & Seidel, J. A. (2013). The outcome of psychotherapy: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Psychotherapy, 50(1), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031097