Psychology training boost to address regional mental health needs

Federation University Australia is continuing to address critical skills shortages in the mental health sector by growing the number of postgraduate psychology students, with an 8.7 per cent increase in Master of Psychology (Clinical) enrolments this year.

The boost has been recognised with a $647,900 Federal Government grant as part of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s National Leadership in Mental Health Program that addresses the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy.

It is the second consecutive year the University has received funding from the program which will directly support the delivery of high-quality teaching and supervision within Federation’s postgraduate psychology programs, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared for the demands of clinical practice.

The grant will support the expansion of external placement partnerships and will further boost Federation’s internal training clinic, FedCare Psychology Services, increasing the clinic’s capacity to provide services to the local community while giving students a wide range of clinical training experiences.

FedCare is a state-of-the-art training clinic located at Federation’s Mount Helen Campus which provides psychological treatment, formal psychological testing, consultation, community and school outreach programs and workshops.

Quotes attributable to Federation University’s Head of Clinical Services and Programs, Psychology, Dr Megan Jenkins

“The greatest shortfall in the mental health workforce is in rural and regional Australia and this funding acknowledges the impact of our programs on workforce development and mental health care access across the country.”

“Our innovative placement program and purpose-designed psychology training clinic, FedCare, allow us to offer more places to train our future psychologists while providing vital psychology services to our region.”