Mentoring: results from the Australian Psychological Society College of Health Psychologists professional mentoring survey

Introduction: A key purpose of APS College of Health Psychologists (CHP) is to provide professional support for Health Psychologists. Professional mentoring provides opportunities for new practitioners, to be matched with established practitioners, to assist with transition to professional practice. The CHP is considering developing a platform to facilitate professional mentoring. This project aims to better understand members’ needs, for future support/development opportunities. Methods: Health Psychologists comprising all membership categories and final-year post-graduate Health Psychology students were invited were invited to complete a mentoring survey, advertised through professional/university networks and related social-media sites. Socio-demographic and education/employment information was captured. Ethics approval was obtained from Bond University. Results: There were fifty-two respondents (57% graduated from highest degree within six years, 27% post-grads; 66% Health Psychology Masters/PhD). Majority (80%) knew the process for becoming Health Psychology-endorsed, whilst half (56%) knew requirements for CHP membership (56%). Two-thirds (68%) would recommend a career in Health Psychology to others (23% unsure). Main findings indicated 73% expressed interest in a mentoring program sponsored by CHP (7% unsure); and were most interested in: advice about endorsement requirements, employment and growing a career in health psychology; with preferred mentoring formats face-to-face and email. Further qualitative analysis revealed key themes regarding motivations and barriers (time, family) for mentoring. Conclusions: This information will help inform the development of a mentoring platform to support the professional and workforce development needs of Health Psychologists in Australia, and tailor other APS CHP services to the better meet the needs of recent graduates/early-career Health Psychologists