DEGREE VALIDATION CONSULTANCY FOR OVERSEAS-TRAINED PSYCHOLOGISTS
You trained as a psychologist overseas.
Now you need someone who understands what comes next.
Practical consultancy for psychologists trained outside Australia who are navigating AHPRA’s registration process
FOR INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED PSYCHOLOGISTS
If you trained as a psychologist outside Australia and are seeking to have your qualifications recognised to practise here, the process can be complex, slow, and — if you’re navigating it in a second language — genuinely disorienting.
The Australian psychology registration pathway involves multiple bodies, assessments, and requirements that are not always clearly explained or easy to access. For psychologists trained in Brazil, Latin America, or elsewhere outside the English-speaking world, the additional layers of translation — both linguistic and cultural — add significant difficulty.
Patricia offers consultancy sessions for psychologists in this position. These are not therapy sessions — they are professional consultations focused on the practical and psychological navigation of the registration pathway.
FOR INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED PSYCHOLOGISTS
If you trained as a psychologist outside Australia and are seeking to have your qualifications recognised to practise here, the process can be complex, slow, and — if you’re navigating it in a second language — genuinely disorienting.
The Australian psychology registration pathway involves multiple bodies, assessments, and requirements that are not always clearly explained or easy to access. For psychologists trained in Brazil, Latin America, or elsewhere outside the English-speaking world, the additional layers of translation — both linguistic and cultural — add significant difficulty.
Patricia offers consultancy sessions for psychologists in this position. These are not therapy sessions — they are professional consultations focused on the practical and psychological navigation of the registration pathway.
Is this for you?
Who is this consultancy for?
This consultancy is open to any psychologist trained outside Australia who is navigating — or planning to navigate — the Australian registration process.
- You have an overseas psychology qualification and want to understand whether and how it can be recognised in Australia
- You are planning to migrate to Australia and want to understand the registration process before you arrive
- You have already begun the AHPRA assessment process and feel stuck, confused, or unsupported
- You would like to understand the different programs – provisional and transitional
- You would like to learn what to expect from the Skills Assessment process for overseas-trained psychologists
- You would like to learn more about the psychological experience of professional identity in transition — what it means to rebuild a career in a second language and a new professional culture
- You need practical guidance on documents, timelines, and what to prepare
If any of this resonates, a free 15-minute introductory call is available. Send us a message.
Validating your psychology degree in aus
What consultancy sessions cover
These are not therapy sessions. They are professional consultations — focused, practical, and oriented toward helping you understand your pathway and move forward with clarity.
Consultancy at Talking Works covers four main areas:
Guidance on preparing your application and documents
Understand what AHPRA requires from overseas-trained applicants — what documentation to gather, how to present your qualifications, what the assessment process involves, and what to expect at each stage.
Many psychologists find the documentation requirements confusing and the assessment process opaque. Consultancy helps make it legible.
Guidance on migration to Australia
For psychologists who are still in their home country and planning to migrate, the registration process and the migration process are often intertwined. Consultancy can help you understand how they relate to each other, what to prioritise, and how to sequence your steps.
Note: Patricia provides professional guidance, not formal migration legal advice — for specific visa or migration legal questions, she can point you towards appropriate resources.
Identifying strengths and weaknesses of your individual case
Every overseas qualification is assessed individually. The strength of your case depends on your specific degree, institution, training pathway, supervised hours, and the match between your training and Australian requirements. A consultancy session can help you understand where your application is strong, where it may face scrutiny, and how to present it as effectively as possible.
Support through the decision-making process
The registration pathway involves a series of decisions — how to find an approved supervisor, how to find a placement, whether and when to sit the National Psychology Examination and how to manage the timeline. These decisions are not always obvious, and the stakes are high. Consultancy provides a space to think through your options with someone who has navigated the same decisions herself.
Why Patricia?
Why work with Patricia?
Patricia does not offer this consultancy as an academic exercise or a generic professional service. She offers it because she has been exactly where her consultancy clients are, and because, when she was there, she wished someone had been able to help her the way she can help others now.
Patricia trained as a psychologist in Brazil, completed her degree in 2011, and arrived in Melbourne in 2012. She spent years building a life here before deciding to validate her qualification in 2018. She navigated the process without a guide, found her way to registration through the 5+1 pathway.
Since then, Patricia has been supporting other psychologists through the same process – people who are, like she was, highly trained, professionally experienced, and confronting a system that doesn’t yet recognise what they have.
What Patricia offers is not just knowledge of the system. It is knowledge of what it feels like to navigate it: the confusion, the frustration, the particular disorientation of having your professional identity put on hold while you wait for an institution to assess it. That understanding shapes how she works with consultancy clients: practically, honestly, and without false reassurance.
How it works
What to expect
Format
Sessions are conducted via telehealth for psychologists across Australia or located overseas.
In-person sessions are available in Melbourne.
Number of sessions
Some psychologists find that one focused session gives them the clarity they need. Others benefit from ongoing consultancy at multiple stages of the process.
There is no minimum commitment – you can book a single session and decide from there.
Fees
Consultancy sessions are charged at a private rate. Medicare rebates are not available.
frequently asked questions
FAQs
I didn't train in Brazil. Is this consultancy still available to me?
Yes. This consultancy is open to any psychologist trained outside Australia, regardless of where you studied. Patricia’s personal experience is with the Brazilian system and the 5+1 pathway, but AHPRA’s registration process applies the same framework to all overseas qualifications. Sessions in English are available for psychologists from any country.
What is the 5+1 pathway?
The 5+1 pathway is one of the supervised practice pathways for registering as a psychologist in Australia. It involves completing one year of supervised practice (the “+1”) after an accredited undergraduate psychology degree and approved postgraduate study (the “5”).
Can you help me with the migration process as well as the registration process?
Patricia can provide guidance on how the migration and registration processes relate to each other and how to sequence your steps. She is not a registered migration agent and does not provide formal legal migration advice. For specific visa questions, she will point you toward appropriate professional resources.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies. Some psychologists find that one focused session clarifies the path ahead and gives them what they need to move forward. Others benefit from ongoing consultancy as they move through different stages of the process. There is no minimum commitment.
Can I do consultancy in Portuguese?
Yes. Sessions are available in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.
Is this the same as getting legal advice?
No. Patricia is a registered psychologist providing professional consultancy based on her personal experience of the registration process and her knowledge of how it works. This is professional guidance, not legal advice. For questions requiring formal legal or migration advice, she can refer you to appropriate resources.
What if I also need clinical supervision?
Talking Works also offers clinical supervision for psychologists and counsellors. If you think supervision is what you need – or if you need both consultancy and supervision — please get in touch, and we can discuss what the right fit is.