Which Is The Best Australian Psychologist Directory?
There are several online Australian therapist directories competing for the top spot. However, most are better thought of as member listings rather than any type of comprehensive Psychologist directory.
Let’s have a look at the biggest directories in Australia and see which one is the best fit for your needs.
We’ll be specifically looking at directories here that list Psychologists rather than other types of counsellors. That’s not to say that these counsellors, social workers and psychotherapists aren’t great; we’ve just got to draw the line somewhere for the sake of comparison.
So in no particular order let’s jump in:
Australian Psychological Society (APS) – Find A Psychologist
Without a doubt the largest Australian Psychologist directory. The Find A Psychologist section of the APS website provides a listing of all the APS member.
A bit of history is probably required to fully understand why this directory is so large.
Up until 2010 Australian Psychologists were registered with the APS which was deemed the professional body. In fact to this day, Psychologists are still bound by the APS Code of Ethics.
However, after 2010 a government body called AHPRA was established that became the official registration group for allied health professionals.
While some Psychologists ended their membership with the APS during this transition, a great many maintained their connection resulting in a very large membership body that represents a diverse range of psychologists across different clinical colleges. The end result is a big directory even if it isn’t every Psychologist in the country.
The Find A Psychologist website is generally the first Google search result when you search for Psychologist directory. They even trademarked the term “Find A Psychologist”. Let’s see though if biggest means best:
PROS
- The largest database of Australian Psychologists.
- Capacity to book through the PsychEngage function.
- Comprehensive search function – presenting issue, name, location.
- Listed member are required to meet professional development standards. However, there are the same as legally required by AHPRA for all Psychologists.
CONS
- Paid annual membership ($652 for full members) with the APS is required for standard listings, which restricts full representation of Australian Psychologists.
- Pay-to-win function of Premium Listings which allows paying Psychologists to go to the top of search results over those with standard listings.
- Only Premium Listing holder can access PsychEngage (Premium Listing holders only), thereby further restricting the number of Psychologists that are truly accessible. Non-members can pay an additional $399 to use the service.
- No way of knowing if the majority of listed Psychologist have any currently availability as many will simply renew membership yearly and maintain their profile.
Australian Clinical Psychology Association (ACPA) – Find A Clinical Psychologist
The Australian Clinical Psychology Association (ACPA) Find A Clinical Psychologist website is up next. A little bit more history might be helpful here.
ACPA arose around 2010 in response to a sentiment that the APS was too focused on the advocacy needs of Registered Psychologists as opposed to Clinical Psychologists. At the time Registered Psychologists made up the majority of the APS’ membership.
So as you might have guessed the ACPA Find A Clinical Psychologist database lists all of the Clinical Psychologists registered with ACPA. This equates to smaller bespoke Psychologist directory:
PROS
- Comprehensive search function – presenting issue, name, geolocation.
- The easiest way to find a Clinical Psychologist is this is important for your therapy needs.
- While Psychologists pay to list, the cost is lower than the APS and Psychology Today so likely to encourage more listings.
- Listed members must complete professional development requirements. But as with the APS, it’s just the same as the AHPRA requirements for every Psychologist.
CONS
- Limited to paid members of ACPA ($270 per year).
Available Psychologists
Available Psychologists is the new kid on the block. Obviously we’re a little biased here, but we think it’s a great initiative.
The Available Psychologists’ directory arose from a need within the psychological community to identify therapists that actually had spots free for clients quickly. During the pandemic, waitlists blew out to more than 8 months in some parts of Australia.
As this is a relatively new Psychologist directory, it doesn’t have the same dominance as some of the other big players.
PROS
- Free for all Psychologists (registered and clinical) in Australia.
- Able to identify immediately available psychologists.
- Strong search function – geolocation, languages, presenting problem.
CONS
- The number of listed Psychologists fluctuates with availability.
Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPI) – Find A Psychologist
Got time for just one more history lesson? The AAPI also sprung up around 2010 (starting to notice a trend here?); this time in response to the belief that it was unfair that Clinical Psychologists could provide higher rebates than Registered Psychologists to clients.
As such, the AAPI Find A Psychologist website is another professional body membership directory. But this time it’s the opposite of ACPA. So don’t expect to see too many Clinical Psychologists listed here.
PROS
- Solid search function – basic and advanced search available.
CONS
- Primarily lists Registered Psychologists, so you’re not necessarily getting a nice global picture of therapists in Australia.
- Limited to paid AAPI members ($300 per year).
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a worldwide Psychologist directory and blog. While it’s not specifically Australian, it is setup well enough to allow for local Australian searches.
Psychology Today is not connected to any professional membership body, so anyone can list. However, it is pay to list – despite having a 6 month free trial.
PROS
- Allows potential clients to directly email or phone Psychologists through the website.
- Comprehensive search function – presenting issue, name, geolocation
CONS
- As Psychologists have to pay for a profile ($24.95 per month) and isn’t connected to any professional body; the size of the local Australian database is much smaller than others.
- Not specifically for Psychologists. Psychology Today also lists psychotherapists, counsellors etc. This may make searches more confusing for people that don’t know the difference between these types of therapists.
Conclusions - Our Call On The Best Psychologist Directory
The big take away here is that Australian’s are lucky to have so many options when it comes to tracking down Psychologists. Each of the psychology directories discussed here has some real value.
But here’s how we’d break it down:
- If you’re just looking for the biggest number of Psychologists listed in one place then the APS Find a Psychologist is your best bet.
- If you want to specifically track down a Clinical Psychologist, then go for ACPA.
- If you want to find a Psychologist that can see you fast, then Available Psychologists is your best bet.
And of course remember to take the time a have a chat with any Psychologist via an intake call before committing to work with them. It’s important that you feel comfortable with their skills and demeanour.
The Psychologist directories we’ve looked at here are really just the first step in connecting you with someone that can hopefully help you make the changes you want to make in your life!