Growing the Psychology Workforce in Regional and Remote Australia: Supporting Provisional Psychologists Through Accessible Supervision

For psychology practices in regional, rural and remote communities, growing the local psychology workforce can be challenging.

Recruiting psychologists is only one part of the workforce equation. Practices also need to consider how provisional psychologists can access the supervision, professional development and support they need to progress through the pathway to general registration.

For practices that may not have a Board-approved supervisor available locally, access to high-quality online supervision can open up new workforce opportunities.

Supporting provisional psychologists, wherever they practise

Provisional psychologists can complete their pathway to general registration while working across a wide range of locations and practice settings. However, access to an appropriate supervisor can be more difficult in regional and remote communities.

Provisional Psychologist Hub (PPH) provides nationally accessible, online Board-approved supervision for provisional psychologists across Australia.

This means a provisional psychologist working in a regional or remote practice can access supervision online without the practice needing to have a local Board-approved supervisor available.

For practices, this can help remove one of the practical barriers to employing and supporting provisional psychologists.

Supervision scholarships can reduce the financial barrier

The cost of supervision can also be a significant consideration for provisional psychologists and the practices supporting them.

PPH offers supervision scholarships for eligible provisional psychologists, providing access to up to 109 hours of fee-free supervision and helping reduce the cost associated with progressing through the pathway to general registration.

Scholarship programs are designed to support workforce participation and improve access to supervision, including for provisional psychologists working in regional, rural and remote communities.

This can be particularly valuable for practices looking to build their workforce by employing provisional psychologists who may otherwise find the cost or availability of supervision a barrier.

What does this mean for regional and remote practices?

Access to online supervision and scholarship opportunities can give practices greater flexibility when considering how to grow their psychology workforce.

Rather than being limited by the availability of a local Board-approved supervisor, a practice can employ a provisional psychologist and have them access their supervision online through a nationally available provider.

The practice can continue to provide the day-to-day professional environment, clinical opportunities and workplace support, while the provisional psychologist accesses their Board-approved supervision independently through PPH.

This can create a practical pathway for practices that want to invest in developing psychologists who may go on to become part of their longer-term workforce.

Building a workforce for the future

Supporting a provisional psychologist is not simply about meeting supervision requirements. It is an opportunity for practices to develop psychologists within their local community and potentially strengthen workforce retention over the longer term.

For regional and remote communities, where attracting and retaining psychologists can be particularly challenging, creating pathways for provisional psychologists to train and progress locally may contribute to a more sustainable workforce.

Accessible supervision means a provisional psychologist does not necessarily need to relocate to a metropolitan area to progress towards general registration.

Instead, they may be able to remain connected to their regional or remote community while completing their pathway with the support of their workplace and an appropriately qualified supervisor online.

External supervision can support clear professional boundaries

For practices in regional and remote communities, finding an appropriately experienced supervisor locally can be challenging — particularly when there are limited psychology services and professional networks in the area. Having supervision provided by a supervisor who is external to the workplace can help practices maintain clear professional boundaries and avoid potential multiple relationships. This can be particularly valuable in smaller communities where psychologists may know one another personally, professionally or through other community connections.

An external supervisor can provide independent professional oversight while the workplace continues to provide the day-to-day support, guidance and clinical environment the provisional psychologist needs. This separation can also help employers avoid placing an employee in a position where their workplace manager, colleague or another professional is also expected to fulfil the role of their formal supervisor.

For regional and remote practices, online supervision can therefore provide access to Board-approved supervision without requiring the practice to have a suitable supervisor located within the same community.

 Matching supervisors to your practice and community

Access to supervision is important, but so is finding a supervisor who is a good fit for the provisional psychologist, their area of practice and the community they work within.

For regional and remote employers, this may include considering experience with particular populations, practice settings or professional contexts. For example, a provisional psychologist working with First Nations communities may benefit from supervision with a supervisor who has relevant experience and cultural capability. Similarly, a provisional psychologist working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities may benefit from a supervisor who understands the complexities of culturally responsive practice and working across language and cultural differences.

Matching may also take into account the provisional psychologist's intended area of practice, the population they support, their stage of their psychology pathway and the types of professional experiences they are developing.

An online supervision model means employers do not need to be limited to the supervisors available within their immediate geographic area. Instead, provisional psychologists can access a broader national pool of supervisors and identify a supervisor whose experience and approach is appropriate to their professional development and practice context.

For employers, this can provide greater flexibility when recruiting provisional psychologists into regional and remote roles, while ensuring that access to quality supervision does not depend on whether an appropriately matched supervisor happens to be available locally.

 Provisional Psychologist Hub provides:

• National access to online Board-approved supervision

• Primary and secondary supervision options

• Scholarship opportunities for eligible provisional psychologists undertaking a 5+1 Internship

• Access to supervision regardless of whether a suitable local supervisor is available

• Professional development and resources to support provisional psychologists throughout their pathway

For practices in regional, rural and remote communities, these options may help make employing and supporting provisional psychologists more achievable.

Growing the psychology workforce starts with creating pathways into the profession — and ensuring provisional psychologists can access the support they need, wherever they live and work.

Find out more

Practices interested in supporting provisional psychologists can learn more about supervision and scholarship opportunities through Provisional Psychologist Hub. Enquire with them today. 

• Supervision Scholarships https://www.provisionalpsych.com.au/supervisionscholarships 
• Provisional Psychologist Hub EmployerSupport https://www.provisionalpsych.com.au/employersupport 
• Contact https://www.provisionalpsych.com.au/contact