Achievements (Latest Year first)

Achievements of the DGPP Forum (Up to March 2019)

Working Party member of the DGPP Contribution to the 2019 APS Medicare Review Submission
Moderator of the DGPP Facebook Page

Achievements of the DGPP Forum (2018)

Launch of the DGPP Facebook Page – Allowing a more responsive forum for discussion of matters relevant to the DGPP activities
2018 APS Website description about psychologists – Ensuring that the skills and competencies of all psychologists without distinction is clearly presented to the public.
DGPP Response to the APS Medicare Submission – Collating members feedback and proposing 35 tangible strategies forward
Informing members further about each Board Director from the DGPP Member nominee – through national online Q&A with the nominees, with consent encouraged members to interact via published emails of each, and making additional statements from each nominee via the Facebook group
Video for Secondary School and Tertiary students explaining the commonalities of all psychologists and particularly what all psychologists, including those without endorsement of practice areas, can uniquely contribute to clients.
National online webmeetings/forums (3)
Significant profile and voice for DGPP Psychologists at the Advisory Council to the APS Board.

Achievements of the DGPP Forum (2017)

2017 Publicity Campaign – After the initial launch, the primary authorship of all materials related to DGPP psychologists, especially regarding members’ expertise.
Medicare review survey – DGPP insistence of an across the board collaborative approach to this, including contributions of specific item content, saw the APS launch a survey for all members.
Assisted with mobilising the membership to appoint, under the new Board of Governance, a General Director from the DGPP membership.

Achievements of the DGPP Forum (2016)

APS Forum Senate – 3 DGPP members represented*
Superforum – 5 DGPP members represented*.
DGPP Awards – establishment of APS DGPP Awards as well as the awarding of the first recipient – Judy Marty.
2016 Congress – 1,461 congress attendees. 90% APS members, 74% full members, 11.% associates, 36% non-college (vs 32% clinicals), 9 Specific DGPP presentations, APS Division of General Psychologic Practice, Domestic Keynote Presenter, Professor Cheryl Dissanayake La Trobe University: Autism in Australia: We can do better!. Andrew Chua, poster presentation: “Rethinking pornography and healthy adolescent sexual wellbeing.”
Publicity materials – Contributed to the finalised version of the General Registered Psychologists APS Brochure and Banner, as well contributed to overall publicity campaign for 2017.
Communication – DGPP request to communicate with all eligible APS DGPP members granted – opt-out rather than the previous opt-in system.
Designated APS officer for up to 2 days per week for DGPP work appointed
Proposed Board of Governance Review valued DGPP’s roles and contribution– 2 DGPP Board member positions, as well as positions on the Council were part of the final recommendations.
Medicare review survey – Initiated collaborative work with other Colleges, with DGPP proposing items that collected more information for the business survival and benefit of all psychologists (rather than College membership bias).

*Issues raised continually in all forums – Cost of psychology education, cost and access to supervision, PHNs, grandfathering or other mechanism for greater recognition of experience and skills beyond the tertiary system of DGPP members.

Achievements of the DGPP Forum (2015)

Survey of DGPP’s. This online survey was opened between 20 July and mid August. Over 3000 DGPP APS members completed the survey and the results were distributed through the APS website.
Forum Senate. Initiated by the DGPP, saw representatives of the Colleges Forum and the DGPP Forum meeting on Sep 19 to discuss and canvas ideas of mutual interest.
2016 APS Congress. A representative of the DGPP Forum has been invited to sit on the conference planning committee.
Enhancing DGPP Member Profile. The following proposals have been discussed: practice certificates – providing evidence of expertise in specific areas. awards – raising the profile of DGPP members who contribute to both the Society and the profession. referral pathways – finding ways of defining how other health professionals might understand and more appropriately refer to all psychologists. College structure and proposal – understanding and discussing how the College structure works and the viability of considering a Generalist College
Contributing to National Policy Issues. A number of major government reviews and consultations have been underway recently which may well significantly impact on the work of psychologists. These are regularly discussed with the DGPP forum and include:
>Mental Health Service Review
>Primary Health Care Networks
>APAC reviews and revisions
>MBS Review and Primary Health Care Task Force
Communication. Representing the DGPP membership and communicating about all aspects of its activities is a major concern for the DGPP forum. Some of the strategies under consideration include:
A. DGPP webpages
B. local State/Territory communication and support structure
C. local newsletters and email system

Achievements of the DGPP Forum (2012- 2014)

Inviting psychologists with general registration to opt into a national database, of which 2563 (23%) psychologists did.
Improved links with State and Territory Committees.
Facilitation of a range of state and territory meetings on the purpose of DGPP as well as to collate key issues from members.
Collecting top 3 issues faced by DGPP members.
Design of survey to DGPP members to gather reliable data on the type of work psychologists do after registration and to describe the DGPP group with more detail.
Nomination of two key DGPP members to be interviewed about their experience as a psychologist and to be shared on the APS website.
Presenting at the National APS Conference held in Tasmania in October 2014.