Australian Association of Psychology Training Clinics (AAPTC)
Purpose:
AAPTC is an organisation made up of psychology training clinic directors across Australia. The purpose of the AAPTC is to collaborate and share resources to allow best practice benchmarking and development, and to provide support to its member Clinic Directors and the Psychology Training Clinics they operate.
Contact - aaptcmembers@gmail.com
2025 AAPTC Executive
Chair - Dr Leander Mitchell – Director of Clinical Training – University of Queensland, QLD
Secretary - Dr Alison Marland - Psychology Clinic Director - Murdoch University, WA
Members – Shane Vasallo – Psychology Clinic Director – University of New South Wales, NSW
Jean McAusland-Green – Psychology Clinic Director – University of Southern Quensland, Ipswich, QLD
Bruce van Haeften – Clinical Manager – Wellness Centre Psychology, Charles Darwin University, NT
Alison Marland – Psychology Clinic Director – Murdoch Psychology Clinic, Murdoch University, Murdoch WA
Matthew Smout – Senior Clinic Supervisor – UniSA Psychology Clinic, University of South Australia, SA
Trevor Rule – Psychology Clinic Director – La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC
Guidelines for Training Clinics 2022
This document was developed by the Australian Association of Psychology Teaching Clinics (AAPTC) in collaboration with the Association of Psychology Training Clinics (APTC; aptc.org) based in the USA. Please follow this link to read the guidelines.
Upcoming Meetings and Conferences - 2025
TBC
Active national listserv
The national listserv is open to Directors and managers of Psychology Training Clinics. To join the national listserv please send your request to - aaptcmembers@gmail.com
Current Best Practice Working Groups
- Benchmarking role and expectations for Clinical Supervisors working in Psychology training clinics.
AAPTC Terms of Reference
Scope and Purpose:
The Australasian Association of Psychology Training Clinics (AAPTC) is a professional organisation open to all tertiary level education institutions with a psychology training clinic in Australasia.
AAPTC specifically seeks to:
(a) provide leadership and promote high standards of professional psychology training and practice in psychology training clinics;
(b) facilitate the exchange of information and resources among psychology training clinics that provide tertiary level education and training in postgraduate level psychology training; and
(c) interface with related professional groups and organisations to further the goals of AAPTC, including influencing the establishment of standards and guidelines on service delivery and training of future psychologists.
Specific Goals and Objectives:
The AAPTC commits to specific goals and objectives as follows.
(a) Provide regular forums for exchange of information and resources relevant to all aspects of tertiary level education and postgraduate training in professional psychology (e.g., annual conference, informal online meetings, Internet based information, email, and written communications).
(b) Promulgate administrative and practice recommendations for the professional operation of psychology training clinics.
(c) Represent the views of the membership regarding tertiary-level training, research, and service in professional psychology to relevant organisations, such as the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), the Psychology Board of Australia (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, AHPRA), the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the Australian Clinical Psychology Association (ACPA).
(d) Advocate for the financial and resource support of psychology training clinics in their respective academic communities.
(e) Establish and maintain the AAPTC executive committee and time- and task-limited task force working groups to support AAPTC’s goals and objectives.
(f) Promote ethical and legal standards of professional psychology training, supervision, service delivery, applied research, and administration as mandated by laws, professional Code of Ethics, jurisdiction-based professional standards and guidelines, and other publications of standards for professional psychologists.
(g) Recognise and support a full range of activities in psychology training clinics, including postgraduate level training, service delivery, research, and community outreach in various areas of specialty or endorsement.
Membership
AAPTC membership (“Members”) is open to the staff member who is in the role of leading the psychology training clinic/s associated with postgraduate psychology training courses / programs (e.g., clinic director/manager/deputy director/ senior clinical supervisor). Members, typically in a university faculty position, lead and support the clinics involved in training tertiary level psychology students, who are supervised by endorsed clinic supervisors. In addition, a training program may select a faculty member to represent the program to AAPTC in the temporary absence of a lead person involved in the training clinic.
Governance
The AAPTC is governed by an Executive Committee composed of a Chair, Secretary and other committee members and abides by the AAPTC terms of reference. The Executive Committee is jointly responsible for overseeing all AAPTC activities and obligations. The Chair presides over Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary is responsible for formal correspondence with other organisations, as directed by the Executive Committee, for documenting the proceedings of Executive Committee and general membership meetings and providing a report of these proceedings to membership. The Secretary is also responsible for maintaining a system for managing records of membership in the organisation. The Executive Committee reviews APTC TOR at a minimum of every five years. Any proposed changes or amendments will be presented to the Members and feedback sought via written or electronic communication.