Mastering the New Professional Competencies for Psychologists

Effective from 1 December 2025, the new Professional Competencies for Psychologists set updated expectations for safe, ethical, and responsive practice in a changing world.

This short, interactive course will guide you through what’s changing — and how you can prepare.

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Purchase with From Principles to Practice: A Psychologist’s Guide to the 2025 Code of Conduct for a reduced bundle price.

Course Overview

The psychology landscape in Australia is evolving. From December 2025, all psychologists will be expected to meet a refreshed set of Professional Competencies — with a new emphasis on:

✅ Professional reflection and deliberate practice

✅ Cultural responsiveness and diversity awareness

✅ Culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

✅ Digital competence in practice

This course provides a practical and supportive introduction to these updates. You'll explore what the changes mean for you, reflect on your current practice, and identify areas for professional growth.

The course also helps you create a targeted CPD plan — and connects you with practical on-demand learning options to help you confidently meet the new expectations.

This is a self-paced course designed to take approximately 5–6 hours to complete, including guided reading, reflections, activities, and CPD planning. Many learners choose to spread this across several sessions and incorporate key reflections into supervision discussions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

✅ Describe why the Professional Competencies are changing and the key principles behind them
✅ Identify and explain the four key areas where psychologists are expected to upskill
✅ Reflect on your current strengths and areas for development against the new competencies
✅ Understand what deliberate practice is and how it differs from traditional CPD
✅ Understand the meaning of cultural responsiveness and culturally safe care
✅ Understand what is required to demonstrate digital competence in psychological practice
✅ Use the Psychology Board's Self-Assessment Tool to guide your ongoing learning
✅ Develop a clear, actionable CPD plan aligned to your scope of practice and learning needs

Whats Included in this Course

✔️ Short instructional videos and guided readings
✔️ Interactive self-reflection activities and case studies
✔️ Plain English explanations of key concepts from the Psychology Board fact sheets
✔️ Downloadable CPD Planning Template
✔️ Guided use of the Board’s official Self-Assessment Tool
✔️ Interactive quiz and Certificate of Completion
✔️ Mapped links to on-demand courses to deepen your learning

Who Should Take This Course?

Psychologists preparing for registration under the new standards
Early career and provisional psychologists navigating the updated competencies
Mid-career and experienced psychologists updating their CPD to remain current
Supervisors supporting registrars, provisional psychologists and students to meet the new standards

Remember: You do not need to master everything at once. This course is designed to guide you through the changes and help you take a structured, sustainable approach to meeting the new Professional Competencies.

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Course contents

Course authored by

Kaye Frankcom

Clinical & Counselling Psychologist

Associate Professor in Psychology, Deakin University

Kaye has been a leader in psychology for 35 years, including clinical governance, developing a model of care for your practice, and balancing clinical and business standards. She was the author of the APS private practice standards.

Dr Aaron Frost

Clinical Psychologist
BBehSc BPsych (Hons) PhD (Clin) FAPS FCCLP

Director of Benchmark Psychology, STAP and PREP

With a career spanning over 20 years, and including private practice, public sector, research, academia, consultancy, and training, Aaron has been an influential and forward thinking leader in psychology.

Dr Rebecca Frost

Clinical Psychologist
BA / BPsychSci (Hons) PhD (Clin) MAAPi MAPS FCCLP
Director of Benchmark Psychology, STAP and PREP

Rebecca has been deeply involved in ethics and clinical governance in a combination of operational and supervisory roles. She is particularly well placed to apply these changes to the private practice setting.