26/05/2022
If you look at the yellow Pages in the sections where you can find a psychologist, it will have a definition at great length of a 'clinical psychologist' then it turns to define 'psychologist' but there is no description written there. This upsetting because so many psychologists in Australia have advanced degrees in areas of psychology other than clinical psychology.
There are a number of colleges in which psychologists with advanced degrees can be represented in the population of practicising psychologists apart from clinical psychology - forensic, sport, organizational, health, counselling - but nobody knows we are there. We disappear in to the silence of the rest of the psychological unknown world.
Clinical psychologists must have at least a masters degree in psychology, called, technically, clinical psychology, and so also for all the other masters in psychology degree holders. But it is never publicised that in order to earn a masters degree in psychology we (that is the clinicals, forensic, sport, organisational, health, counseling degreed psychologists) are all required to study and pass certain common streams: up to and including five years of statistics, plus modules on counselling and psychological assessments and all of us, at least at the university where I studied, one clinical supervised practicum/three and some reasonable knowledge of DSM (now V) and ability to diagnose before we break off into our further studies and thesis. All masters level trained psychologists are required to complete six years of study full time, but it takes longer when you pursue your passage through advanced psychology if the study is part time.
Even Medicare doesn't seem to know we exist: irrespective of our advanced degrees or even standing within the various colleges, our clients do not receive the same medicare rebate as those designated 'clinical psychologists' ie psychologists with a clinical masters degree. These latter are permitted to give their clients a significantly financially better rebate from medicare than the rest of us advanced degree six year trained psychologists. Consequently, the clinical masters psychologists ask clients for a much higher fee than the rest of us six year trained psychologists because of the higher medicare rebate for that one group of psychologists with a masters degree in psychology.
But when it comes to fees set by the State or National governments for insurance work, all registered psychologists, irrespective of advanced degree or not are paid at the same rate after completed further training. Clients registered with NDIS are treated similarly whether registered with NDIS or not, so all of us can ask our $200 plus rates or anything lower as we desire.
But the frustration hits the mark when a solicitor or a medical professional asks if we psychologists with advanced degrees in psychology are 'clinical psychologists' then clearly relegate the rest of the advanced degree psychologists to the Yellow Pages never-never, even refusing to do business with us because in the dark past, aided by medicare, they formed an erroneous opinion that the only psychologist with an advanced degree in psychology 'must be' a clinical psychologist and all the rest of us advanced trained psychologists are insufficiently trained to do work on a par with the clinicals as the clinicals in the opinion of medicare and the Yellow Pages are often regarded as far better than the rest of us.
I intend to say more on this elsewhere but for the time being the public knowing that there are advanced educated psychologists at the time of a change of government may be a great asset to various currently unaware clients needing for example, pain management, a deeper understanding of their anxiety and depression, their mood changes and the like.
Finally I would conclude by saying forensic masters psychologists are particularly well trained in doing psychological assessments of clients. I should know, because a forensic psychologist taught me those skills too.
