Issues of Continuing Education of Psychologists

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) is the national organization for the profession of psychology. The College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists (CEDP) of the APS is open to APS members who are able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills either by an accredited master degree or an 'equivalent prior knowledge' pathway. The knowledge and skills required have been defined through a set of competencies. The college provides a program of continuing education/professional development based on those competencies to show how new information/practices can be implemented, and publishes a journal for members to show how the content areas are developing through research. This paper will show how this approach has been developed and implemented to date. The challenge for the CEDP in the 21st century is to determine the optimum delivery of programs to meet the diverse needs of members and thereby ensure the maintenance of the highest standards of practice of the profession and the greatest benefit to all clients. The authors expect that this presentation in an international context will generate constructive analysis and evaluation of the current approach and suggestions for its enhancement.