The Master of Professional Psychology is a one year course designed to meet the requirements of the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for a generalist fifth year in psychology.

The course prepares selected psychology graduates in advanced psychotherapeutic skills required for general registration as a psychologist. It develops your professional capability to apply the theoretical, research, assessment and therapeutic skills involved in psychology. Following graduation, you will be eligible to undertake one year of supervised generalist practice – you will then progress to full registration as a psychologist.

You will develop expertise in applying counselling theories and practices through your understanding of a range of evidence-based psychotherapies. You will learn core skills and theoretical concepts underpinning the therapeutic process and extend your practical knowledge in counselling interventions as you develop therapeutic relationships with a range of client groups. You will acquire the skills to administer, score, interpret and report on a comprehensive range of psychological tests and assessments.

You will engage with the Australian Psychological Society (APS) code of ethics and explore ethical dilemmas to support your ethical practice in undertaking research, educational or professional roles in different workplaces.

You will be exposed to a range of techniques associated with promotion of wellbeing, symptom reduction and behavioural change. In addition, you will learn how to employ culturally sensitive interventions that have been shown to facilitate positive outcomes in a variety of contexts. You will learn how to utilise research in guiding your choice of therapeutic interventions and how to evaluate the outcomes of your intervention in practice.

You will complete 300 hours of supervised professional experience where you have the opportunity to learn about what is involved in practising as a psychologist and develop foundational skills for practice under supervision. This supervised professional experience will occur primarily through activities undertaken within coursework units and the outreach program of the faculty's clinic. Some off-campus professional experience activities may also be undertaken.

On completion of the course, graduates will have acquired the necessary skills to prepare for a final year of supervised practice in the field for general registration under the '5+1 internship model' for registration. Graduates of the program arrange a Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) approved 1-year internship in settings of their choice.