7 May 2020 Update

Dear AAPi Community,

It has been a busy few weeks for AAPi. To touch on a few of our current initiatives:

  • We are continuing our advocacy work for improved Medicare Telehealth during the COVID-19 period and beyond.

  • We are progressing our legal challenge against the two tier system. We are hoping to provide you with an update from our legal team later this month. To reiterate, AAPi is working towards a one-tier model for all registered psychologists, not lower than the exisiting higher tier.

  • AAPi has and will continue to represent our members with government and industry consultations.

  • Providing support to our members and the community.

  • Building our media profile, including AAPi President Anne Marie Collins being featured in the 'Ask the Experts' section of The Daily Telegraph. This article can be viewed here. Amanda Curran, AAPi Vice President, was featured in an excellent article in The Guardian. This article focussing on addiction can be viewed here.

  • Working on partnerships that will benefit our members and help link the community to psychologists.

  • Applying for grants to further our work.

  • Added to the AAPi team to provide more support and assistance to members.

  • Investigating additional activities including equality for government psychologists, support for school psychologists and how best to support students, provisional and early career psychologists.

  • Improvements to our website, which will be released shortly.

  • Negotiating exclusive member benefits including discounted insurance through Insurance House.

  • Listened, heard and responded to members.

I also wanted to take the opportunity welcome our new members. We have more members joining in the last few months than possibly expected, with more joining each day. We value and appreciate your support and look forward to getting to know each and everyone of you. As our numbers grow, so too does our voice and the services we can offer. We are stronger together. Thank you for joining our vibrant and progressive community.

In this update you will find:

  • New resources for psychologists

  • Discounted PD opportunities

  • Member rates for insurance

  • An update on peer support meetings

  • Telehealth and PTSD research surveys

  • Interesting articles

As always, please contact me if your have any suggestions, thoughts or concerns. As a not for profit, AAPi exists for you, our members. You can email me via [email protected] or phone 0488770044.

Take care,

Tegan Carrison

Executive Director AAPi

New AAPi resources:

Email Guidelines for Psychologists

With more of us working remotely, this timely resource provides guidelines for safe electronic transmission of information.

Ethical Decision Making Guide

A simple guide to provide options for navigating tricky ethical dilemmas.

Privacy Checklist for Telehealth Services

The Department of Health has released a checklist to help you comply with privacy guidelines when providing telehealth services. 

Update AAPi Virtual Peer Meetings

AAPi has launched our first virtual group of peer consultation/supervision meetings with great success. It was fantastic to see the talent within the group and the pure diversity of the approaches of the members. Never before have I been in such a space with psychologists where every member had a clear, passionately communicated, and authentic voice to their practice.

We indeed have some amazing members and each one contributes so much to the field. This is the beauty of AAPi. We have the knowledge that every psychologist brings something very unique and we wish to embrace them all. It really warmed my heart to see this in action.

This group is continuing on together and we are forming another two groups, including one with a working with children focus. A few members are also in the process of being set up with a one on one supervision format.

If you would like to be involved in Peer Meetings, either as a participant or convener please register your interest with me via email [email protected].

Warmest Regards,

Amanda Curran

Vice President AAPi

Insurance House – Making insurance simple for AAPi Members 

Eligible psychologists have access to an insurance arrangement via their AAPi membership.

Via Insurance House members can purchase their combined Medical Malpractice and Public Liability insurance online with instant confirmation. Premiums start from $210* per year for a $2m Medical Malpractice/$10m Public Liability combined limit. 

Some of the benefits offered by the Insurance House policy include:

  • A choice of four different levels of cover to choose from, according to risk profile

  • Lower rates for members earning less than $40,000 per annum

  • Nil excess on all claims

  • Unlimited retroactive coverto cover members for claims based on previously provided services after switching their policy from another insurer 

  • Legal hotline providing members with access to a 30-minute telephone consultation at no cost

  • Member Portal for 24/7 access to view claim progress

  • Students are covered at no cost until they qualify

To find out more and to register, visit the Insurance House AAPi member webpage 

AAPi Members are backed by a dedicated Customer Support team contactable on 1300 659 626 or by email on [email protected]

e-Friend Launch Virtual Peer Support

eFriend is an innovative new approach to virtual peer support in Australia developed by Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA) to help people who may be experiencing loneliness, isolation, distress, difficulty coping with the impact of trauma, or if they are struggling with anxiety, depression or thoughts of self-harm.

eFriend builds on the existing network of support lines, web-based services and peer support groups in Australia by offering something unique through one-to-one sessions with an eFriend Peer using an individualised, virtual model.

This model differs from anonymous crisis support lines and borrows from telehealth (where you connect each time with the same person), ensuring that you don’t have to retell your story each time you call.

eFriend also combines the methodology of ‘befriending’ developed in the UK to combat loneliness with the expertise of a trained peer support worker.

eFriend complements other support lines and services delivered by other national mental health organisations, and builds on ICLA’s 30 years of expertise and experience in delivering in-community support for people living with mental illness and trauma.

eFriend is staffed by a trained team of peer support workers who have a lived experience of mental ill health, trauma or distress and who can provide immediate non-clinical, peer-based mental health support to people.

Further information on eFriend can be found on their website https://efriend.org.au/