And a bold initiative developed by the University of New England (UNE) to cater to its own geographically dispersed students promises to deliver this and more in the quest for improved health delivery and outcomes.
UNE’s new Digital Psychology Clinic takes professional students in the postgraduate programs inside the rooms of professional psychologists via a series of realistic sessions filmed using actors and UNE “treating” clinicians. Via some 60 hours’ worth of unscripted sessions, they experience a full range of presentations and treatment options, augmented by practitioner reflections on their clinical decision-making.
Project leader Dr Amanda Jefferys, course coordinator of UNE’s Master of Psychology (Clinical) Programs, said the Digital Psychology Clinic is a novel contribution to Australian psychology teaching that provides unparalleled exposure to real-life scenarios for students wherever they may live.
“This is a bold response to one of Australia’s most pressing health workforce challenges,” she said. “The clinic bridges the gap between theory and application, truly reflecting what students can expect in rural and regional contexts. It will ensure that geography is no barrier to them developing critical skills and that they are more work ready when they graduate.”
Previously, UNE relied on limited and dated resources that were not tailored to the rural and regional experience.
“The reality of rural and regional practice is that clients have complex presentations, and multiple conditions can present comorbidly,” Dr Jefferys said. “I expect other universities will be very interested in using our Digital Psychology Clinic as the Federal Government seeks to redesign psychology pathways and introduce skills training earlier in tertiary programs.”
The digital clinic was successfully piloted earlier this year and is now being rolled out to 150 UNE psychology students in 2026, with provision for new sessions to be added throughout the course of their psychology training. It complements UNE’s celebrated online practicum program, which enables students to develop vital clinical competencies on country.
Dr Jefferys said the Digital Psychology Clinic will help to address the nation’s critical psychologist shortage as well prepared students complete their training pathway from 2027 and beyond.
