Professional practice standards

The Psychology Board of Australia sets the standards for safe and effective practice as a psychologist in Australia. Professional practice standards define the practice and behaviour of psychologists and include:

Professional competencies for psychologists
Code of conduct

Professional competencies for psychologists

The Professional competencies for psychologists describe the threshold competencies for initial and continuing registration as a psychologist in Australia. The professional competencies articulate the minimum knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviours, values, and other attributes required to allow an individual to practise safely and effectively as a psychologist.

Code of conduct

A regulatory code of conduct describes standards of behaviour and practice that the Board expects from all psychologists registered to practise in Australia. The standards reflect the core requirements of providing professional, safe, and effective psychological services to the public.

The Board has developed its first regulatory code of conduct, effective from 1 December 2025.

Resources to support transition to new code and updated professional competencies

The Psychology Board has developed a new Code of Conduct and updated professional competencies to strengthen ethical standards and support high-quality psychological practice. These changes reflect current best practices and community expectations, helping psychologists deliver safe, effective, and culturally responsive care.

The Code and competencies are effective from 1 December 2025, and all practitioners are encouraged to review and apply them in their work.

Webinar about transitioning to the Code and Professional competencies

A comprehensive pre-recorded webinar (18min) where Board Chair Rachel Phillips provides information about transitioning to the Code and Professional competencies.

Download the webinar PDF slides (510 KB, PDF)

Webinars on Code of Conduct

In 2025, the Board held four workshops in relation to the Code of Conduct. The workshop included a panel of experts who discussed case studies in the context of the Code of Conduct.

The workshops were not recorded, but the Board have prepared FAQs in response to the common questions received from the webinars, and other general enquiries. You can find these FAQs here.

The workshops included a discussion of case studies which you can find below, along with some key considerations in response.

Case Studies and key considerations (245 KB, PDF).