What is a Provisional Psychologist?

A provisional psychologist is an intern practitioner who is in the final stages of becoming fully registered with the Australia Health Practitioner Regular Agency. All provisional psychologists are somewhere in their final two years out of the six-year process to becoming a fully registered psychologist.

At Difference Psychology, our provisional psychologists have been hand chosen for their passion in making a difference in people’s lives.  Many of our provisional psychologists have had critical professional and life experience working with mental health concerns. They often include experiences in a counselling role, disability support role and other health related roles.  

All provisional psychologists are required to work under supervision of an experienced fully registered psychologists. This is like an apprenticeship who is in the final stages of completing a trade. This means that when you see one of our provisional psychologists, your mental health concerns will be seen by a wider treating team. 

Benefits of seeing a provisional psychologist 

There are many reasons that a provisional psychologist is suitable for your mental health concerns.  

• Fewer wait times, quicker access to treatment. Provisional psychologists will generally have fewer caseloads and can accept more incoming clients. 
• Our provisional psychologists are supervised by one or more senior psychologists. This means that anyone who consults with a provisional psychologist will have access to a wider treating team for their mental health concerns.  
• Our provisional psychologists are also more recently trained in the most up-to-date therapy style, and therefore will be more  

Rebates are not available 

Provisional psychologists have limited capacity to offer Medicare rebates. This means that provisional psychologists cannot see clients with a Mental Health Care Plan or accept Private Health Funds. A notable exception to this is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).  

Considering this, Difference Psychology has adjusted pricing for a provisional psychology consultation to be equivalent to the gap fee that would otherwise be charged, should the rebate be available.