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Government Funds New Associate Psychologist Pathway

Government Funds New Associate Psychologist Pathway

Applications are now open nationwide.

The New Zealand Government has announced a funding opportunity for tertiary education organisations to develop a postgraduate diploma programme for associate psychologists. The initiative, aimed at addressing the country's mental health and addiction workforce shortage, was unveiled by Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey on November 1st.

According to Mr Doocey, the programme will create a new role within the healthcare system, allowing associate psychologists to support individuals accessing mental health services under the supervision of registered psychologists. This is expected to ease pressure on existing staff and enable them to focus on more complex cases.

The goal is to establish a training programme with at least 20 associate psychologists in the first year, starting from 2026. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the New Zealand Psychologists Board are working together to develop the scope of practice, competences, and accreditation process for this new role.

Minister Doocey encourages tertiary education organisations to take advantage of this opportunity, stating it supports the Government's target to grow the mental health and addiction workforce.