The University of Melbourne and Australian Psychological Society Forge New Partnership in Professional Development

The launch of a new Melbourne MicroCert, Mindfulness in Clinical Practice, brings together renowned experts from both the University of Melbourne and the APS to co-design a high-value online Melbourne MicroCert that combines the University’s world-class teaching and learning resources with the APS’s industry-expertise across the psychology sector.

This short course is ideal for health practitioners in a range of settings – including allied, clinical, and educational. Mindfulness is an increasingly sought-after treatment and there is a growing need for health practitioners to offer proven clinical mindfulness practices to clients and patients.

Dr Stephen McKenzie, online course developer and senior lecturer at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences said, “with so much uncertainty surrounding “the new normal” and the day-to-day disruption to our lives, this Melbourne MicroCert will give practitioners skills in clinical mindfulness that will help them treat new as well as pre-existing mental health conditions. I’m delighted that the APS, the largest professional body of Psychologists in Australia, is bringing its specialist knowledge across a broad spectrum of mental health topics to this Melbourne Microcert.”

This partnership builds on a strong collaborative relationship between the University of Melbourne and the APS, which has seen both organisations work closely on a related Melbourne MicroCert, Behaviour Change for Clinical Practice, and on a Wellbeing in Practice subject that is a key component of the University’s new Master of Professional Psychology course.

Dr Zena Burgess, APS Chief Executive Officer said this partnership will benefit many.

“Equipping health professionals with practical skills in clinical mindfulness is important not only for the course participants and course providers, ultimately the broader community will benefit too. APS psychologists are at the frontline of Australia’s mental health crisis, with a huge demand on their services, so we are seeing first-hand the community’s growing demand for evidence-based, innovative treatment options like clinical mindfulness.

The Mindfulness in Clinical Practice course is available online and is open to all professionals in the health sector seeking to upskill with this in-demand skill set. A unique benefit of this course is its strong practical component that gives participants an opportunity to prepare a “real world” clinical mindfulness session with a client or patient.