What to expect working in a psychology practice as a career

So, you’re thinking about a career in psychology. Maybe you’ve always been interested in mental health services, or how people think, feel, and behave. Or maybe you’ve been in a completely different field and something’s shifted. You want work that feels meaningful, work that actually helps people. Either way, you’re asking the right questions.

A career in psychology is one of the most varied, challenging, and rewarding paths you can take. It’s also a career that looks quite different from the inside than it might appear from the outside. Below we cover what to expect.

Are psychologists in demand in Australia?

Short answer, yes! Jobs and Skills Australia lists psychology as a high-demand occupation, and the field is projected to see a 13% increase in job prospects over the next five years. The ABC has also reported a significant shortage of qualified psychologists to meet the growing need for mental health support across the country.

More Australians are seeking mental health support than ever before, and that means more professionals are needed to provide it. More people seeking support means more professionals needed to provide it. If you’re curious about what that support actually looks like from a client’s perspective, our post on when to see a psychologist gives a good picture.

There are currently over 4,000 psychology job vacancies in Australia, spanning everything from private practice to hospitals, schools, workplaces, courts, and research institutions. The field isn’t limited to sitting in an office and seeing client,it’s far broader than that.

How to know if you’re genuinely interested in psychology

This might sound obvious, but it’s worth pausing to reflect on. A lot of people are drawn to psychology because they’ve been through hard things themselves, or because they’re naturally curious about people. Those are great starting points. But interest alone isn’t always enough to sustain a long study pathway and an emotionally demanding career.

Ask yourself:

Do I find myself genuinely curious about why people behave the way they do, even when it’s uncomfortable or complicated?
Can I hold space for someone else’s distress without trying to fix or minimise it?
Am I comfortable sitting with uncertainty? (There are rarely clean answers in psychology.)
Do I have a genuine interest in evidence-based practice and ongoing learning?
Can I maintain appropriate professional boundaries while still being warm and present?

If you answered yes to most of those, you’re probably on the right track. If some gave you pause, that’s worth reflecting on too. Not because it rules you out, but because self-awareness is genuinely core to this work.

What does studying psychology look like in Australia?

This is where a lot of people get surprised. Psychology in Australia is a protected title, which means you can’t call yourself a psychologist without being registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) via AHPRA.

The pathway to general registration typically takes a minimum of six years of full-time study and supervised practice. Here’s how it generally breaks down:

Years 1 to 3: Undergraduate study

You’ll complete an APAC-accredited bachelor’s degree with a major in psychology. This can be a Bachelor of Psychology or a Bachelor of Arts with a psychology major. If you already have a degree in another field, a Graduate Diploma of Psychology can serve as a bridge to get you onto the pathway.

Year 4: Honours or equivalent

After your undergraduate degree, you’ll complete a fourth-year program, typically an Honours degree or a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology accredited by APAC. This is where you start to develop research skills and go deeper into psychological theory.

Years 5 and 6: Postgraduate training

There are two main pathways from here. The higher degree pathway involves a two-year master’s or a doctorate in a specialised area such as clinical, forensic, or organisational psychology. The 5+1 pathway involves a one-year postgraduate degree followed by a one-year supervised internship. Both lead to general registration.

It’s a significant commitment. But it’s also a pathway that builds your skills progressively, and by the time you’re registered, you’ll have real, supervised clinical experience.

What does life in a psychology practice actually look like?

Let’s get to the practical side of a psychology career. Most people picture a calm room, a couch, and thoughtful conversations, that’s part of it. But there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes.

Client sessions

A typical day in private practice might involve seeing five to seven clients. Sessions are usually 50 minutes to an hour, and you’ll need time between each one to write notes, reflect on the session, and mentally reset. Good note-taking isn’t optional. It’s a professional and ethical requirement.

Sessions vary enormously by client and area of expertise. You might see someone managing anxiety in the morning, support a person navigating grief after lunch, and work with a client on relationship patterns in the afternoon. Each person brings something different, and you have to be fully present each time.

Admin and case management

The parts people don’t often talk about: writing reports, managing referrals, liaising with GPs and other health professionals, keeping client records up to date, and handling Medicare paperwork if you’re bulk billing or working with Better Access plans. Admin is a real and significant part of the job.

Supervision and professional development

As a provisionally registered psychologist, you’ll be required to have regular supervision. Even once you’re fully registered, good supervision doesn’t stop. Most psychologists continue it throughout their careers. The Australian Psychological Society (APS) also requires ongoing professional development to maintain your registration.

Self-care is part of the job

This is not a throwaway line. Hearing about trauma, distress, and human suffering day in and day out takes a toll if you’re not actively looking after yourself. Psychologists who thrive long-term are the ones who take their own mental health seriously. Regular supervision, peer support, exercise, and boundaries between work and personal life all matter. If you’re curious about this, our post on the importance of self-care for mental health is worth a read.

Where can a career in psychology take you?

One of the genuinely exciting things about this field is the breadth of directions it can go. You’re not locked into a single setting or client group.

Clinical psychology: working with people experiencing mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and personality disorders
Counselling psychology: supporting people through life transitions, grief, relationships, and personal development – see our individual therapy page for more on what this looks like
Organisational psychology: working with businesses to improve workplace culture, leadership, and employee wellbeing
Educational and developmental psychology: supporting children and young people in school settings, including areas like educational assessments and ADHD assessments
Forensic psychology: working at the intersection of psychology and the legal system
Health psychology: supporting people with chronic illness, pain management, and behaviour change
Research and academia: contributing to the evidence base that shapes how we understand and treat mental health

Many psychologists move between these areas over the course of their careers, or combine clinical work with research, teaching, or consulting.

What to expect in your early years as a psychologist

The early years of a psychology career can be both exciting and humbling. You’ll be supervised, which is a support as much as it is a requirement. You’ll make mistakes and learn from them. You’ll encounter presentations that are outside your experience and have to seek guidance. That’s normal, and it’s how the profession is designed.

Early career psychologists often work in community mental health, hospital settings, or as associates in private practices before eventually establishing themselves. Building a caseload and a professional reputation takes time. Be patient with yourself in that process.

If you’re interested in working with trauma, for example, a specialty like trauma counselling requires further training beyond general registration and is something many psychologists develop over time.

Is a career in psychology worth it?

That depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a high-income career with a short study pathway, psychology probably isn’t your best bet. But if you want work that’s intellectually engaging, that directly helps people, and that continues to challenge and develop you throughout your career, it’s hard to beat.

The field is growing. Beyond Blue and Head to Health continue to highlight just how significant the need for mental health support is in Australia. As a psychologist, you’re contributing to something that genuinely matters to individuals, families, and the broader community.

Thinking about a career in psychology?

Building careers in psychology is something we’re passionate about at Hargan. Whether you’re exploring psychology as a potential career path or you’re a registered psychologist looking for your next opportunity, we’d love to hear from you.

Take a look at our join the team page to see what we’re about, or contact us directly to start the conversation.