Why we exist

There’s no manual for private practice.
Private practice is a distinct professional environment. It has its own economics, its own risks, and its own pressures, and no other body treats it as the whole job rather than one setting among many. Many of us started in the public sector and moved into private practice to find that out first hand. ICP fills the gap: advocacy on the issues that affect your income and your clients, CPD that fits a working practice, and a peer network of clinical psychologists who understand what you’re navigating, because they’re navigating it too.

Why it matters beyond the practice

For many Australians, private practice is the only mental health system there is.
Private practice is often the only source of psychological care, for NDIS participants, veterans, first responders, workers’ compensation claimants, and those accessing Medicare Better Access. In many regional and remote areas, private practice isn’t an alternative to the public system; it is the system. Protecting the viability of private practice isn’t only a membership issue. It is a public access issue. This is why ICP’s advocacy and member support carry real weight.

A peak body with a national voice

45 years of representation, still active today.

ICP is a recognised peak body in psychology, represented on the national industry bodies that shape the policy environment you practise in, including PsyBA, Mental Health Australia, DVA, and workers’ compensation. Right now, our advocacy includes formal position papers on Medicare’s Better Access, DVA fee reform, psychology training pathway reform, and NDIS changes – the issues directly shaping what you can offer your clients and what it costs you to offer it.

What makes ICP different

Private practice isn’t a niche. It’s the whole focus.
ICP is the only professional body where private practice isn’t one consideration among many. It’s the entire focus. Every position we take is shaped by what it actually takes to run a practice.