For almost 60 years the Australian Psychological Society (APS) has been Australia’s peak body for psychology, with more than 28,000 members including psychologists, academics and university students from across the country. Its vision is to increase awareness and understanding of psychology and mental health in the community and to advocate on behalf of APS members and the public to ensure affordable and accessible psychological care is available to all Australians. Aon was delighted to have the opportunity to chat to Dr Zena Burgess, CEO of APS. Read the interview below and find out about the value APS offers their members and how global events have shaped the field of psychology.

When so many businesses and professions around the world stopped with Covid, can you share how COVID-19 impacted psychologists.

Covid has had a profound impact on our profession and will continue to for many years. Across Australia we have seen record demand for public and private psychological services across all age groups and genders. Before the pandemic 1 in 100 psychologists were unable to see new patients, now 1 in 3 have had to close their books. "Our profession was forced to undergo a technological transformation overnight to be able to continue providing services, and for the safety of our members and the public. Through APS' support with resources, toolkits and continuing practical development, psychology has now become the second most technologically adaptable mental health profession. This is demonstrated through the significant uptake of telehealth, which has also expanded accessibility for areas historically underserved in the community."

Is the demand for psychologists’ services still as high as it was during COVID-19 lockdowns?

"We are hearing that demand is higher than it was during the lockdowns, and demand is expected to grow for several years even as the pandemic recedes, due to the years-long accumulation of stress and uncertainty people have faced."

What was the overall sentiment around telehealth-psychology services?

"Overall, the public and psychologists viewed telehealth as being vital to service delivery throughout the pandemic, which is why we successfully lobbied the federal government to ensure it was made a permanent feature of Medicare. Without telehealth, many psychologists would have been unable to continue to see their patients. Suddenly stopping psychological treatment can be incredibly harmful, even life-threatening and should be a measure of last resort. Telehealth increased service accessibility to people in need and kept continuity of care available for existing patients, many of whom have significant health issues alongside their mental ill-health."

Have psychologists returned to in person services, or have they moved to a hybrid business model offering both in person and telehealth services?

"We are largely seeing hybrid treatment models utilising the best aspects of telehealth and in-person treatment. While we advise members to adhere to relevant covid guidelines, how they deliver care is largely done at the community level."

With the demand for psychologists spiking during COVID-19 and lockdowns, what were the biggest learning’s for the industry from that sudden increase in demand?

"Technology, government relationships and communication. At APS we had to rapidly invest in work from home technology to continue to serve our members and the community efficiently and effectively. We had to strengthen our relationships with governments and health bureaucracies at every level to ensure the daily communications we were issuing to members and the community across all jurisdictions were accurate, on time and relevant to their workplace setting. These relationships have also been integral in informing government advice around additional government investment into mental health care, as we saw with telehealth and the doubling of Medicare subsidised sessions from 10 to 20 per year."

Has there been an increase in enrolments in psychology degrees in the last couple of years.

"While psychology remains one of the most popular bachelor’s degrees in Australia, there are multiple bottlenecks at the postgraduate level starving Australia of the next generation of psychologists. Despite the pandemic and record demand for services, psychologists have the largest workforce shortfall of any profession, with the federal government only meeting 35% of its own workplace target. 45 per cent of the existing workforce is aged over 45, and 25% is aged over 55. We are approaching a workforce and services cliff at a time when we’ve never needed more hands-on deck. This is largely due to a perverse university funding model which sees universities receive significant funding for bachelor’s degrees but lose on average $5,000 per student they enrol into their postgraduate degrees. Amazingly... the previous federal government cut funding by $2,000 during the pandemic. This has seen courses close during the pandemic with the few remaining positions incredibly competitive. Psychology continues to be one of the most popular undergraduate courses in Australia, but thousands of would-be psychologists are stopped from becoming a psychologist due to a lack of investment in Masters’ programs each year. Our academic members constantly receive far more applicants than they can accept into their Masters’ courses. Recently one member received hundreds of applications for just 20 available positions for their course.

If psychology funding was increased to be on par with medicine, dentistry and veterinary studies, Australia would see an additional 5,600 psychologists entering the community every year."

Do you feel the industry is well-equipped with the right number of practitioners to respond to increasing needs for services as awareness of mental health grows?

"While psychologists have risen to the call, taken on extra patients and utilised technology better than almost any other mental health profession to remain as accessible to the community as possible we are reaching our limit and are in desperate need of more practitioners across all fields. Demand continues to grow by the month and our incredible workforce is tired, burnt out and ageing. Tens of thousands of people are trained two-thirds of the way to becoming a psychologist, and many more want to join the profession. We just need action from the federal government to make this journey as seamless as possible. The cost of inaction is far too high. Pre-pandemic, the Productivity Commission in their Mental Health Inquiry Report in 2021 found mental ill-health and suicide costs in Australia up to $220bn per year, or more than 10 per cent of GDP. This has undoubtedly gotten worse. Investing in psychology now will prevent and mitigate the worst mental health impacts from the pandemic which are expected in the coming years, increase total workforce participation and productivity, reduce wait times and save lives. It just makes moral and economic sense."

What does the APS offer for student members and or psychologists new to the industry?

"We're proud to offer students access to exclusive events, networking and mentoring opportunities, as well as expert advice and guidance. Our students and early career members tell us this gives them an edge as they navigate their way through the complex world of psychology education and training. But more importantly, being an APS member is about being part of something bigger, right from the start of your psychology journey. APS is the peak body for psychology, and we’re working every day to secure and strengthen the future of this marvellous profession. For students and early career psychologists, we are your community now, and we will be right through until you retire or leave the profession."

In addition to the support you provide to members, can you advise on the important work you do in relation to advocacy and how you support global mental health and wellbeing.

"As Australia’s peak psychology body, we are proud of our leading role advocating for mental health awareness and investment within government and the community. Whether that more or cheaper services for patients, online community resources, a free online patient psychologist matching service or regular media appearances raising awareness for mental ill-health and disorders, the APS is constantly advocating on the community’s behalf. We also continuously look to build relationships with like-minded organisations to effect positive change on environmental, social and economic issues that directly impact the mental health of the community. The Climate and Health Alliance, Australian Patients Association and Australian Red Cross are just some of the many groups we work together with to advocate for more mental health and wellbeing support on a range of issues."

What draws you to working for a member-based organisation, what inspires you?

"It is incredibly inspiring knowing your job has the community at the heart of everything you do and to work as a representative of such a diverse membership united in their passion to help those who need it most is very humbling and rewarding. The skills you learn in people and organisational management that comes with working in a member-based organisation are also great skills you can take with you throughout your career, and I would recommend to anyone who has not worked for a member-based organisation to get involved."

Dr. Zena Burgess is an experienced non-executive Director and Chief Executive Officer with significant experience across commercial and social enterprise organisations. She holds a PhD in Organisational Psychology and Master’s Degrees in Business Administration and Education. Zena was awarded Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2013. Prior to joining the APS in 2020, Zena was the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) for 11 years. During that time she oversaw a transformation of the RACGP to be the largest, most influential and innovative medical college in Australia. Zena has a passion for building human capability in individuals, organisations and systems. Zena has driven new strategic directions and change implementation at APS, achieving a culture of high-performance and innovation in the organisation.