TGA locks out 70% of psychologists from psychedelic therapy
9 June 2026
The peak body for all psychologists says the recent TGA recommendation that prevents 70% of psychologists from conducting psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) ignores the expertise of the psychology profession.
Executive Director for the Australian Association of Psychologists(AAPi), Tegan Carrison, said registered psychologists are the key workforce that should have been included, but had been ignored in the TGA’s final recommendations on guidelines for the therapy.
“The TGA has ignored years of expert feedback and chosen to maintain an arbitrary two-tier system that excludes most psychologists from providing psychedelic-assisted therapy,” she said.
“This decision is profoundly concerning, both professionally and from a patient safety perspective.
“While the TGA has broadened the list of professions that may participate in psychedelic-assisted therapy as lead therapists, it has simultaneously retained the requirement that psychologists must hold clinical endorsement to act in the primary therapist role.
“This means the overwhelming majority of registered psychologists in Australia remain excluded from lead therapist roles in PAT, despite being regulated by the same National Law, governed by the same Psychology Board standards, and often possessing extensive psychotherapy, trauma and counselling expertise,” she said.
“This decision is about much more than PAT. It sends a message that endorsement status matters more than competence and experience. That precedent has implications well beyond PAT and risks further diminishing the standing of the broader psychology workforce."
Ms Carrison said clinical psychology endorsement alone does not include dedicated psychedelic-assisted therapy training.
“We remain extremely concerned about the ongoing use of endorsement status to divide psychologists into “tiers” of legitimacy across healthcare systems.
“Area of practice endorsement under the National Law does not restrict scope of practice for the psychology profession. The only practice limitations for psychologists relate to their knowledge and skills and their obligation to practice within the boundaries of their own scope of competence.
"Competence in PAT is obtained through post-registration education and supervision. We believe decisions about participation should be based on competence, not assumptions attached to a particular endorsement."
“Yet again, psychologists without clinical endorsement are being excluded. These endorsement-based restrictions are not evidence-based and are contributing to unnecessary workforce shortages, increased costs, and reduced access to care.”
ENDS
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About AAPi
AAPi is a not-for-profit peak body for psychologists that aims to preserve the rich diversity of psychological practice in Australia. Formed in 2010 by a group of passionate grassroots psychologists, AAPi’s primary goal is to address inequality in the profession and represent all psychologists and their clients equally to government and funding bodies. Its primary mission is to lobby for equitable access for the Australian public to professional psychological services such as Medicare Better Access Scheme and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.