Western Sydney University receives two federal grants to train more psychologists for our region
Clinical psychology student, Nicola Lopino; Honours student, Jack Parry; The Hon Emma McBride MP; and Professional psychology graduate, Emily Dunn
Western Sydney University is the recipient of two federal grants Supporting Provisional Psychology to Practice and the Postgraduate Psychology Incentive Grant, a Federal Government initiative designed to increase the workforce of registered psychologists through supervision and training. The funding comes at a critical time when the demand for psychological services in the region is high.
The Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, announced an investment of $91.3 million in the grants program at Western Sydney University’s Bankstown City campus.
Professor Tanya Meade, Dean of Psychology at Western Sydney University, outlined the University’s deep commitment to the diverse region of Greater Western Sydney, and the well-being of our community.
Professor Meade highlighted that Western Sydney University is one of the largest national providers of postgraduate places. The University’s Psychology Clinic supports over 500 individual clients per year and in 2024, it expanded with the opening of the Child Development Clinic and the Professional Psychology Clinic, anticipated to support an additional 300 clients.
“We welcome this initiative as it has been our ongoing commitment to build capacity to increase the number of places in our programs through the recruitment of registered staff, expanding our training clinics and cultivating important partnerships to facilitate placements and transition into the workforce for our students,” said Professor Meade.
“The collective experience of our qualified supervisors and the commitment of our provisionally registered psychologists to practitioner training is remarkable. The University is pleased to be involved in this important initiative to address health services needs through training of future psychologists and building psychology services capacity in Greater Western Sydney.”
Professor Tanya Meade, Dean, School of Psychology
The Postgraduate Psychology Incentive Grant grant will support the establishment of a one-year internship program for students who have completed their Master of Professional Psychology. The funding will assist in increasing placement opportunities in mental health partners’ organisations, particularly focusing on Indigenous and diverse communities which are richly represented in Greater Western Sydney, to provide critical services to the communities that have unmet needs due to a shortage of psychologists.
The Supporting Provisional Psychology to Practice grant for the Master of Clinical Psychology is already having an impact with the recently opened Child Development Clinic and by increasing the number of students in our program in 2024 and 2025.
These initiatives will allow provisionally registered psychologists to complete their training requirements with the support and supervision provided by the University, through to their final stage of training towards work-readiness.
Students and alumni speak with The Hon Emma McBride MP
ENDS
23 September 2024
Ali Sardyga, Senior Media Officer
Photo credit: Sally Tsoutas
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