Fit to Practice

Everything you wanted to know about starting your own psychology practice in Australia but were afraid to ask.

By Kaye Frankcom, Bruce Stevens, Philip Watt

Australian psychology practice today is a dynamic, well respected and increasingly competitive environment. Many new psychologists graduate with an expectation of setting up their own private practice. But how is that best done? What are the traps to avoid, the questions to ask, the knowledge needed to succeed? 

Find out here in this book written by three highly experienced psychologists with more than 75 years of private practice experience between them as well as backgrounds in academic training, dealing with complaints about psychologists, training and supervision of psychologists, and presenting as expert witnesses. They've seen or experienced just about everything that can be thrown at a modern Australia psychology practice and lived to impart their advice.

Written from a no-nonsense approach, with plenty of practical examples and personal reflections from each author scattered throughout, this is a manual designed for those either entering private practice or already practicing who might want to continue their professional development.

Topics covered include:

• setting up in private practice

• Medicare audits

• treatment in a private practice setting

• consultation, supervision, self-care

• ethical dilemmas

• Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT)

• record keeping, case notes, writing reports

• avoiding legal pitfalls

• contingency planning

• closing and selling a practice

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1 The basics: life since Medicare
Chapter 2 How to set up in private practice
Chapter 3 Compliance: Medicare audits and other regulation issues
Chapter 4 Psychological treatment in a private practice setting
Chapter 5 Where do you belong? Consultation, supervision and professional support and self-care
Chapter 6 Ethical dilemmas: traps in private practice land
Chapter 7 Tricky and complex presentations in private practice
Chapter 8 Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT): how to and why you should implement it in private practice
Chapter 9 Record keeping, case notes and writing reports
Chapter 10 Cross-examination: preparing for court and giving evidence
Chapter 11 Contingency planning
Chapter 12 To close a practice (and sell it if you can)
References

ISBN 9781922117779

Softcover, 178 pages

Released 2016