Members can elect to join an APS College, Division and/or Interest Group. Membership requirements vary depending on the Member Group. Note that when becoming an APS member you are automatically allocated membership of an APS Branch or Regional Group.

Find out about joining:

Colleges

Why become a College Member?

APS Colleges promote specialist areas in psychology by:

  • Maintaining practice standards and quality assurance
  • Encouraging and supporting the education and continuing professional development of specialist practitioners
  • Holding seminars, courses and conferences
  • Publishing newsletters
  • Performing a range of other activities on behalf of members.

College members can display their membership status with APS post-nominals, for example:

Anne Davis, PhD, MAPS, Counselling Psychologist, (if permitted by Registration Board to use title) Member APS College of Counselling Psychologists
or
Jane Bloggs MPsych, MAPS, Member APS College of Sport Psychologists

View a list of APS Colleges, all of which have their own websites.

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How to join a College

The application process requires applicants to read the following documents as they relate to each College:

  • Membership requirements
  • College Information Form
  • Supervision requirements
  • College competencies

To access these forms, please visit the college website and select the College you wish to join:

For any other questions , please contact the APS National Office. Email colleges@psychology.org.au or call 1800 333 497 (toll free).

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Membership requirements for Colleges

Members can join a College at varying grades of membership depending on their qualifications. Below is an outline of each grade and its requirements. Please refer to the Generic Rules for Colleges for specific details - see Governance section.

6 Criteria For Membership Grades

6.1 Members of a College may be Honorary Fellows, Fellows or Members (but not Associate Members or Admitted Members) of the Society whose applications for membership are supported by two (2) Members of the College subsequent to having:

(a) completed a Doctor of Psychology program which has been accredited by the Society and approved in the specialist field of the College, or

(b) completed a Masters program which has been accredited by the Society and approved in the specialist field of the College, and at least 80 hours of College stipulated professional development specified in the APS College Specific Rules and approved by the Board of Directors, or

(c) completed the coursework and placement requirements of a postgraduate trainingcourse equivalent to a 5th and 6th year program of study which has been approved according to the APS Accreditation Guidelines, in the specialist field of the College, and completed a further 80 hours of College stipulated professional development specified in the APS College Specific Rules and approved by the Board of Directors, and completed a PhD dissertation in the specialist field of the College, or

(d) passed an equivalent level competency based assessment and supervised training in the specialist field of the College comprising:

(i) submission of an application in a format detailed by the relevant College; in addition the College may request:

(ii) a folio with practice, research and supervised experience components as determined by the College; if the examination committee of a College finds inadequacies in the portfolio, they may request additional assignments and/or research reports and/or supervised experience to demonstrate that the specialist knowledge and skills of the candidate reflect a standard commensurate with those of an applicant in 6.1 (a), 6.1 (b) or 6.1 (c);

(iii) if necessary an examination (which may be written and/or oral) covering perceived gaps in material submitted in steps (i) and (ii)

(e) Colleges may develop specific criteria relating to Sub-Rule (b) of this Rule 6.1, subject to approval by the Director of Professional Practice and the Director of Training and Standards of the Society.

6.2 Associate Members of a College may be Honorary Fellows, Fellows, Members or Associate Members of the Society whose applications for membership are supported by two (2) Members of the relevant College and who have satisfactorily completed the coursework and placement requirements of a postgraduate training course equivalent to a 5th or 6th year program of study which has been approved according to the APS Accreditation Guidelines, in the specialist field of the College; and

(a) have commenced or completed the research component of their postgraduate degree; and are able to provide to the Society documentary evidence to this effect form the Course Director of the approved program; and

(b)have commenced or completed the College stipulated professional development requirements for Rule 6.1 (b) or Rule 6.1 (c).

6.3 Affiliates of a College may be Honorary Fellows, Fellows, Members, Associate Members or Affiliates of the Society who wish to become associated with the College but are not eligible to become Members of a College or Associate Members of a College.

6.4 Student Subscribers to a College may be Student Subscribers of the Society who wish to become associated with the College.

Requirements for applicants with other qualifications and experience

College Membership Committees will consider applicants seeking full College Membership who have attained other qualifications and experience that are equivalent to the ‘standard’ qualifications in point a, as outlined above in requirements for full College Membership. This judgement is subject to the endorsement of the Director of Professional Practice.

“Equivalent Experience” is to be interpreted as follows:

College Competencies
For applicants who have completed an appropriate higher degree relating to the specialist field of that College from a non-specialist approved program, plus two years supervision, applications must:

  • include full details of the higher degree program, and
  • address each of the College competencies to demonstrate their relation to the program.

    Competencies of APS College Members - Acrobat icon - small (66kb)

Professional experience
Applicants under this section must:

  • demonstrate they have received at least two years supervision, and
  • have significant experience in the area of the specialist field, which may include publications and professional experience and responsibilities relating to the college competencies.

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Maintaining College Membership

Continuation as a Member of a College relies on completing relevant professional development programs and activities. Find out about professional development.

For more information, download the Generic Rules for Colleges - Acrobat icon - small (161kb)

College Supervisors' Directory

The APS maintains a directory of College Supervisors who provide their services to prospective college applicants. The Directory is used for the purpose of helping Associate Members meet the requirements for full APS College membership. College members who would like to be included in the Directory must have been a full College member for at least two years.

Download the College Supervisors' Directory - Acrobat icon - small (1.1mb) [updated Sept 2008]  

Large file warning: If the file does not open immediately, right-click on link and select "Save Target As ..." to save file to your computer.

 

Updating your details:

Changes are made twice per year in July and January and College members listed should check their entry and email Jenny Hepburn j.hepburn@psychology.org.au with any alterations/additions. Any College member who would like to be added to the Directory and is eligible to register should complete the application form below and send in a hard copy to Jenny.
Applying to be included: Please download and complete the application form below, and return to the APS by mail or fax:

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Interest Groups

Application Forms

All members can join one or more Interest Groups. Download an application form for:

Why join an Interest Group?

Interest Groups support members with special interests and assist communication between members interested in similar fields. The groups also advise the Society on issues pertinent to their area of interest. Interest Groups hold seminars, courses and conferences, publish newsletters and perform a range of activities on behalf of their members.

For more information, download the Generic Rules for Interest Groups in the Governance section.

View a list of APS Interest Groups, most of which have their own websites.

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