The Australian College of Specialist Psychologists was formed in 2010 as a new national professional body representing specialist psychologists from the nine speciality areas in Western Australia. It grew out of the dedicated work of specialist psychologists who were concerned about the changes taking place within the profession under the newly established Australian National Health Registration Scheme (NAHRS). In 2014 the College was forced to change its name because under the requirements of the NAHRS, the psychology profession was not allowed to use the term “specialist” in any way, as it did not have specialist registration.
As a consequence, in March 2014 the College changed its name to the Australian College of Advanced Postgraduate Psychologists (ACAPP) with the aim to capture the advanced training and expert knowledge held by those psychologists who have trained at a Masters (minimum) level in the profession of Psychology. It is a fully incorporated body with a constitution and holds executive meetings each month and an annual AGM for members. The College focuses on issues affecting the way advanced trained psychologists work, how we are represented in Government policy and in promoting what we offer the community. We are actively engaged in making submissions to the Psychology Board and community groups, contacting and meeting with State and Federal politicians and media groups, and in attending meetings and conferences where relevant issues are discussed.