Allied health professions have grown in demand in Australia. Among the many allied health professions, the demand for psychologists is continuously on the rise. Many Australian graduated and graduates from around the world are seeking employment in the field of Psychology in Australia. Pay rates for psychologists are also very high and Australia also provides high living standards with the ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

So, let’s learn how to become a psychologist in Australia and the benefits of taking it up as a career.

Job Responsibilities of a Psychologist

A psychologist’s role involves using scientific methods to analyse human behaviour and identify their feelings and emotions. They deal with different patients from all demographics and provide their services in hospitals, educational institutes, community health services, prisons, and businesses.

Here are the duties of a psychologist:

·        Learn about clients through interviews and understand their behavioural, emotional, and, cognitive issues.

·        Provide counselling services for individuals and groups.

·        Detect and diagnose behavioural, emotional, and neurological disorders.

·        Interpret diagnostic assessments and come up with suitable treatment plans.

·        Conduct research on motivation, supervision, and work morale.

·        Develop psychological assessments and interview techniques.

Skills a Psychologist Should Have

Apart from having appropriate qualifications, a psychologist should also have certain traits as given below.

·        Interpersonal skills

·        Communication skills

·        Empathy

·        Critical thinking skills

·        Trustworthiness

·        Patience

·        Problem-solving ability

·        Analytical skills

·        Deductive and inductive reasoning skills

Benefits of Working as a Psychologist in Australia

Becoming a psychologist is rewarding in so many different ways. Here are the benefits of working as a psychologist in Australia:

·        Flexibility in work schedules.

·        High earning potential.

·        The reward in helping people overcome their emotional and behavioural challenges.

·        Opportunity to meet and work with new people each day.

·        Ability to work independently.

Process of Becoming a Psychologist in Australia

If you want to work as a psychologist in Australia you need to register with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA). The pathway to becoming a Psychologist involves six years of education and training.

Here are the steps to becoming a Psychologist in Australia.

Step 1: Complete an Accredited Three-year Undergraduate Psychology Sequence

This is the first step towards becoming a Psychologist in Australia. It involves completing a three-year bachelor's degree which is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), such as Bachelor of Psychology.

If you have completed a degree in any other field of study, you can top up your qualifications with a Graduate Diploma which contains psychology subjects and is accredited by APAC.

Step 2: Complete an Accredited Fourth Year Sequence

After completing an APAC accredited three-year degree in Psychology you can achieve the fourth year sequence by completing an APAC accredited honours degree or postgraduate diploma. After completing this, you can work as a research assistant or continue to the next step.

Step 3: APAC-accredited Postgraduate Degree in Psychology

There are three pathways for fourth-year graduates to obtain a general registration as a psychologist in Australia.

·        Pathway 1: APAC-accredited Postgraduate Degree in Psychology – A minimum of a two-year postgraduate degree.

·        Pathway 2: A 4+2 Internship Program – Two-year internship of supervised practice.

·        Pathway 3: A 5+1 Internship Program – An accredited one-year Graduate Diploma of Professional Psychology, passing the National Psychology Exam, and following a one-year internship of supervised practice.

Step 4: Apply for a Registrar Program for Area of Practice Endorsement

After completing your postgraduate degree you can apply for a registrar program for different fields of practice qualification.

·        MPsych: Two years of supervised practice with 80 hours of CPD (Continuing Professional Development).

·        MPsych/ PhD: One and a half years of supervised practice with 60 hours of CPD.

·        DPsych: One year of supervised practice with 40 hours of CPD.

Process of Becoming a Psychologist in Australia for Immigrants

Here are the steps to becoming a Psychologist in Australia as an immigrant:

·        First, you need to undergo a skills assessment to be able to migrate to Australia. The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is the assessing body for psychologists applying for migration.

·        You need to have qualifications equivalent to the six years of psychology study in Australia along with English language proficiency requirements.

·        Thereafter, you can apply for a skilled migration visa and go through the Australian migration visa process with an approved migration consultant.

Read the article How can overseas Psychologists work in Australia? to find out more about how you can work as an immigrant.

Job Opportunities as a Psychologist in Australia

There are so many career options to choose from when working as a psychologist in Australia. Here are the career options to choose from.

·        Clinical Psychologist

·        Health Psychologist

·        Neuropsychologist

·        Forensic Psychologist

·        Counselling Psychologist

·        Educational and Development Psychologist

·        Organisational Psychologist

·        Sports and Exercise Psychologist

·        Community Psychologist

Other Careers in the Field of Psychology

Studying Psychology doesn’t mean that you need to work in allied health services. There are so many other industries that require counselling and psychology skills. Here are some other professions which can benefit from knowledge in the subject of psychology.

·        Community Development Officer

·        Training Officer

·        Behavioural Ecologist

·        Human Resources Manager

·        Crime Prevention Officer

·        Alcohol/ Drug Case Worker

·        Disability Support Officer

·        Counsellor

Pay Rates for Psychologists in Australia                   

Working as a psychologist in Australia can prove to be rewarding monetary-wise. Apart from the satisfaction you get from helping others, you can also be content with the payment rates. On average, a psychologist in Australia earns a salary of $102,986 per year or $52.81 per hour.

Fresh graduates can start from an annual salary of $90,000 while experienced professionals can earn up to $121,273 per year. The following three professions are the highest-paid psychology professions in Australia:

·        Clinical Psychologist

·        Psychologist/ Social Worker

·        Therapist

Read the article Psychology Careers with High Salaries in Australia for more information on the highest-paid psychology careers.

Industry Insights

At present, there are approximately 43,900 psychologists in Australia. The future growth of this profession is projected to be 13.3% or approximately 4,100 new job vacancies.

The state with the highest number of psychologists is New South Wales (33.8%), with the second-highest being Victoria (26.6%), and the third-highest being Queensland (18.6%).

Conclusion

Working as a Psychologist in Australia is a career choice that is worth your consideration. Australia is known for its high-quality living standards along with great pay rates. You get to enjoy life to its fullest while working as a psychologist in Australia. Australia has a growing demand for qualified and experienced psychologists, which means that there are many opportunities even for international graduates to live and work in the country.

Medfuture can help you connect with some of the highest-paid allied health vacancies in Australia including psychologists. We have built a strong network of professionals in the healthcare industry in Australia.

Our list of healthcare vacancies cover all states and suburbs across Australia.

Here are more articles for you to read:

Opportunities for Overseas Psychologists in Australia

9 growing Allied health professions in Australia

Allied health occupation growth in Australia

Demand for Psychology Services in Australia