Registrar program

The registrar program is a period of supervised practice in one of the nine approved areas of practice which follows the completion of an approved postgraduate qualification in the same area of practice. It enables a psychologist to develop the competencies required of a psychologist endorsed in the area of practice.
The registrar program consists of three components:

• psychological practice 
• supervision with a Board-approved supervisor who holds endorsement in that area of practice, and 
• continuing professional development (CPD).

Requirements of the registrar program are detailed in the Guidelines on area of practice endorsements.

Starting the registrar program

You can undertake a registrar program for area of practice endorsement once you have completed a postgraduate qualification approved for AoPE. See the Guidelines on area of practice endorsements for the approved types of postgraduate qualifications for AoPE, or search for approved programs of study.

After completing your qualification and receiving your academic transcript (and where relevant, receiving a final mark for any thesis), you’ll need to:

• apply for general registration (if you don’t already hold general registration) 
• find a Board-approved supervisor who agrees to supervise you in the registrar program 
• find a suitable work role or placement that enables you to meet the practice requirements, and 
• design a program of practice, supervision and CPD that meets the requirements in the Guidelines on area of practice endorsements and the Guidelines for continuing professional development.

You can then apply for approval of your registrar program using the AEAP-76 form.

Note: Doctoral degree candidates can apply for early general registration and to begin the registrar program once they have completed all coursework and placements for their degree and have made progress with their Doctoral thesis. See the Policy for higher degree students applying for general registration for more information.

During the registrar program

Your qualification determines the requirements for each component in your registrar program:

The minimum duration of psychological practice, number of registrar hours, hours of supervision and CPD requirement are varied depending on your qualification not on experience. Developing the competencies for area of practice endorsement involves integrating new learning (i.e. your qualification) with psychological practice during the registrar program. This means that experience acquired prior to the new learning (as a registered psychologist), in another profession (e.g. social work) or outside of the registrar program will not reduce the registrar program requirements. 

Once you have completed half of your supervised practice hours, you need to submit a progress report (PREA-76 form) to Ahpra.

Applying for endorsement

Once you have met the requirements for all components of your registrar program, you can submit your final progress report (PREA-76 form) and your application for endorsement (AECR-76 form) to Ahpra.

Other information

See the area of practice endorsement FAQ.