An opportunity for better: A reflection on the new Code of Conduct and Professional Competencies from the Psychology Board of Australia.
We have had December 1st 2025 marked in our calendar like we are Rosie waiting for the new Taylor Swift album to drop. This hotly anticipated implementation of the new Code of Conduct and Professional Competencies for psychologists is a real opportunity for growth and reflexive practice (hello, Competency 3!).
We are seeing this moment like an invitation to consider “what kind of psychologist do I want to be?” and “how do I best serve the communities that put their trust in us?”. It’s a call to reflect that psychology hasn’t always been a discipline that has considered all corners of the community, and perhaps these are some small steps towards rectifying that as a profession. That’s a call we’d love to answer!
Wait… what’s new and why does it matter?
In a nutshell, two things are changing. Firstly, the Code of Conduct outlines the standard of professional conduct and ethics for psychologists. Currently, psychologists’ only guideline for this was the Code of Ethics published by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). It was originally adopted because of the familiarity most psychologists had with it. But now, after years of consultation, the Psychology Board of Australia has developed their own code.
Secondly, the Professional competencies for psychologists have been updated for the first time in 15 years! These competencies are the standard which all psychologists must meet when they obtain their general registration, and must commit to upholding throughout the duration of their registration. These standards are in place to ensure safe and effective delivery of psychological services to the community
Why is this a good thing?
To start with, it has been a hot minute since both the Code of Ethics and the Professional Competencies have been reviewed! Our world has changed a lot in the past 15 years – we face very different challenges and experiences now to what we did in 2010. We have had the #metoo movement, Black Lives Matter, marriage equality in many corners of the world, countless wars, uprisings, resistance, and revelations in globalisation, communication, finance, religion, gender, sexuality, health etc etc etc!! And given we work with people and the study of the human condition, it is truly important that our practice reflects the times and communities that we serve.
Of note, Competency 8 of the new Professional Competencies dictates that psychologists should “Demonstrate a health equity and human rights approach when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, families and communities”. In short, decolonising psychology is not a “nice to have” add-on. It’s core to ethical practice in a country built on colonisation, where the rights of our First Nations communities have been stripped for centuries to significant detriment. Decolonising practice will look like building genuine partnerships with community, incorporating Indigenous wisdom and knowledge into healing and research, and questioning “where to from here” in a collaborative way. When we read all of the competencies through this lens, they’re not just about “being culturally responsive.” They’re a call to actively disrupt systems of harm, and to acknowledge that our discipline has played a role in upholding them. So whilst this is possibly a difficult point of reflection for some, it is integral to ensure we do not continue to perpetrate harm towards First Nations individuals, communities and families.
Competency 7 requires psychologists to “demonstrate a health equity and human rights approach when working with people from diverse groups”. Similar to Competency 8, this is about ensuring that our practice is accessible to everyone, and being mindful of the barriers to accessing psychology that exist for a number of minority cohorts such as stigma, fear of judgement, a lack of understanding, and discrimination. Basically, it is our job to balance our knowledge of the science of psychology with a deep respect for lived experience, culture, and identity so that we can create services and research that supports all people. Previously, 5 individual and cultural diversity areas were specified under the old competencies, now there are 17! And whilst this might seem overwhelming, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that you do not need to be an expert in every single cultural experience! That would be impossible! However, having a decent understanding of trauma informed principles and working with minority groups is a great start. Upskilling in areas that are presented to you by your clients through reading, training, podcasts, supervision can and should absolutely be done! But showing a genuine interest and care for your individual client and their experience of the world and intersectionality give you a great launchpad for all of the Googling you’ll do after a session!
Finally, as we alluded to at the start, Competency 3 mandates psychologists to “exercise professional reflexivity, purposeful and deliberate practice, and self-care”. An invitation to assess our practice for all of its strengths and weaknesses, and an opportunity to learn and grow – what a cool competency to have! There is so much to cover here, but we just want to make note of what “reflexivity” means and why this is important. Reflexive practice is a well researched process that involves increased self-awareness and critique of our own actions, biases and outcomes (often in real time), and using this assessment to do deeper learning/supervision/debriefing before developing a plan for the next interaction. We think about the positive impact this could have on our clients when it comes to our capacity to build or repair relationships, implement dynamic approaches to treatment, and hone our skills in the art of psychology.
Now what?
These new documents have been readily accessible for the past year or so, but we know that with the daily challenges we face as a profession, it can be easy to skip over these kinds of announcements or “get to it later”. But with only 8 or so weeks until this becomes the new governing standards for psychologists, consider this your gentle encouragement to read up (or to book in for some additional training throughout October and November!!).
We also want to acknowledge that change can be overwhelming for a lot of folks, particularly if you are struggling to source information, or information that is delivered in a way that reflects your practice. Consuming information slowly, but consistently and with curiosity, can help! Talking it through with peers, attending supervision on the topic, getting some training, and spending some time reflecting on your practice can all be helpful ways to adapt! And if we here at Haven can be of any assistance, please reach out! We’ve got supervisors who have gone deeeeep on these changes and are happy to help through our training offerings, 1:1 supervision or yaps in Facebook groups!
The new Code of Conduct and Professional Competencies aren’t perfect. No policy document can be. But they’re a prompt (a mirror, and perhaps even a challenge) to practise psychology in ways that are safer, braver, and more aligned with justice.
If we approach them with openness, humility, and a willingness to learn, they can support us in building a profession that truly honours the dignity, diversity, and lived experience of the people we work with.
And isn’t that worth getting excited about! Maybe even more than a Taylor Swift album drop?
