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Profession-specific course

Professional Boundaries and Multiple Relationships for Psychologists

Applying the Psychology Board's Code to Dual Relationships, Gifts, Online Contact and Small Communities

  • 3 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 20-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

On 1 December 2025 the Psychology Board of Australia's own Code of conduct replaced the APS Code of Ethics as the standard your conduct is judged against. The new code is written as prescriptive standards rather than principles, and several boundary rules changed: the default is now to avoid or discontinue multiple relationships, services to associates of clients should be declined unless an exception is decided in peer supervision, physical contact needs written consent, and the familiar two-year rule on former clients is gone.

Boundary violation was raised in 8.3% of complaints about psychologists in 2024/25, and boundary problems also sit behind many clinical care, communication and documentation complaints. Most of these matters do not begin with bad intent. They begin with a small exception: a session that runs over, a friend's relative squeezed in, a gift accepted, a message answered late at night, a friend request in a small town.

This course turns the new code into practical decisions. You will work through Australian scenarios, use a step-by-step framework for multiple relationships, practise scripts for difficult conversations, and learn what to document so that you can show how you reached your decisions.

Who this course is for

  • Registered psychologists in private practice, community mental health, hospitals and schools
  • Provisional psychologists and registrars learning to apply the new code
  • Supervisors of provisional psychologists and registrars who model and teach boundary practice
  • Psychologists in rural, remote and small-community practice where overlaps are unavoidable
  • Psychologists working in organisational, EAP, insurance and court-related roles
  • Psychologists who trained under the APS Code of Ethics and want to update their practice
  • Practitioners reflecting on a boundary issue who want structured learning to support that reflection

What you’ll learn

  • Apply the 2025 code with confidence

    Explain what sections 4.8, 4.9, 4.10, 4.2 and 3.3 require and how they change earlier habits.

  • Decide and document multiple relationships

    Use an eight-step framework to avoid, end or manage overlaps, with records that show your reasoning.

  • Hold sexual and physical boundaries

    Recognise early warning signs, use supervision well and obtain written consent for any physical contact.

  • Manage digital and small-community practice

    Set clear rules for social media, telehealth and messaging, and handle incidental contact in rural and cultural settings.

Learning objectives

  • Explain how the Psychology Board's Code of conduct sets boundary and multiple relationship standards from 1 December 2025.
  • Distinguish boundary crossings from boundary violations and recognise early signs of drift.
  • Apply a structured, documented decision process to multiple relationships, including associates of clients and simultaneous services.
  • Describe the absolute prohibition on sexual relationships with clients and the code's approach to former clients.
  • Obtain and record written consent for physical contact and for sharing client information.
  • Make defensible decisions about gifts, fees, commercial conflicts and self-disclosure.
  • Set safe boundaries for online contact, social media and telehealth.
  • Manage boundaries in rural, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, identity-based and organisational settings.
  • Use supervision, records and self-care to protect boundaries, and respond appropriately to notifications.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • The friend's teenager

    A close friend asks you to see her son for anxiety. You work through why the code's default is to decline, and how to refer without damaging the friendship.

  • Only psychologist in town

    A client starts working at your clinic's reception in a remote mining town. You apply the obligation test, set safeguards and document a review plan.

  • The former client at a barbecue

    Three years after therapy ended, a former client suggests dinner. You learn why the removal of the two-year rule makes this harder, not easier.

  • The partner who wants their own sessions

    Your client's wife asks to book in with you. You practise a script that declines, refers and protects your client's confidentiality.

  • Late-night voice messages

    A client starts messaging you through an app at night. You reset between-session contact, move to practice channels and agree a crisis plan.

  • Gift voucher at the last session

    A grateful client offers a card and a $300 voucher. You decide what to accept, what to decline and how to record it.

Course contents

7 sections, 31 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: The Regulatory Frame for Boundaries in Psychology4 lessons
    • 1.1 From the APS Code of Ethics to the Board's Code of Conduct
    • 1.2 Why Boundaries Carry Particular Weight in Psychological Practice
    • 1.3 What the Regulator Sees: Notification Patterns
    • 1.4 Boundary Crossings, Boundary Violations and the Slippery Slope
  2. Section 2: Multiple Relationships: Recognising, Avoiding and Managing5 lessons
    • 2.1 What Counts as a Multiple Relationship
    • 2.2 Avoid, Discontinue or Justify: The Code's Approach
    • 2.3 A Decision-Making Framework for Multiple Relationships
    • 2.4 Associates of Clients, Couples, Families and Simultaneous Services
    • 2.5 Supervision, Management and Training Relationships
  3. Section 3: Sexual Boundaries and Physical Contact5 lessons
    • 3.1 Sexual Misconduct and Current Clients
    • 3.2 Former Clients: After the “Two-Year Rule”
    • 3.3 Early Warning Signs and Self-Monitoring
    • 3.4 Physical Contact and Written Consent
    • 3.5 Consequences: Mandatory Notifications, the Register and Notifier Protections
  4. Section 4: Gifts, Money, Self-Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest4 lessons
    • 4.1 Gifts from Clients
    • 4.2 Fees, Bartering, Debt and Financial Entanglement
    • 4.3 Commercial Conflicts and Referral Arrangements
    • 4.4 Self-Disclosure, Time and Setting
  5. Section 5: Online Contact, Social Media and Telehealth4 lessons
    • 5.1 Searching for Clients Online
    • 5.2 Friend Requests, Followers and Messages
    • 5.3 Your Own Online Presence and Advertising
    • 5.4 Telehealth and Between-Session Contact
  6. Section 6: Small Communities and Specialised Settings4 lessons
    • 6.1 Rural and Remote Practice
    • 6.2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Clients and Communities
    • 6.3 Identity, Faith, Professional and Other Close-Knit Communities
    • 6.4 Schools, Workplaces and Court-Related Roles
  7. Section 7: Protecting Boundaries: Records, Supervision, Wellbeing and Notifications5 lessons
    • 7.1 Documenting Boundary Decisions
    • 7.2 Using Supervision and Peer Consultation Well
    • 7.3 Psychologist Wellbeing, Impairment and Vulnerability
    • 7.4 When a Colleague Crosses the Line
    • 7.5 Responding If a Concern Is Raised About You
  8. Final assessment and written reflection20 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    20 scenario-based questions. You need 16 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 3 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 3 hours of CPD learning time
  • A written reflective account on your own boundary practice to keep in your CPD portfolio
  • An eight-step multiple relationship decision framework and a documentation checklist
  • A quick-reference table of default responses to common boundary situations

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Is this course officially recognised by Ahpra or the Psychology Board?

No. This is an independent, CPD-aligned education course. It is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, the Psychology Board of Australia or any professional body. You record the actual time you spend and decide whether it fits the goals in your CPD learning plan.

Does the APS Code of Ethics still apply to psychologists?

Not as the regulatory code. Since 1 December 2025 the Psychology Board's own Code of conduct is the standard used to assess conduct. The APS Code and its guidelines remain useful professional resources, and the course explains where the Board's code is stricter.

Is the two-year rule for former clients still in place?

No. The Board's FAQ says the code removes the commonly referred-to two-year rule and focuses instead on the nature of the prior relationship and the client's vulnerability. The course explains why this removes a safe harbour rather than relaxing the standard.

Can I see a friend or family member of an existing client?

The starting point under the code is to decline services to associates of current and former clients unless specific circumstances have been determined in peer supervision. The course gives you a script for declining and referring.

How many CPD hours is this course?

It is designed for approximately 3 hours of learning, including the reflective account and a 20-question assessment. Record the time you actually spend. It counts as CPD activity; it is not peer consultation unless you discuss it with peers.

Will this course satisfy a condition or undertaking on my registration?

It is not designed to satisfy any specific condition or undertaking. If you have one, confirm with Ahpra or the Board, and with your lawyer or professional indemnity insurer, whether a particular course is acceptable before you enrol.

Does the course cover telehealth and social media?

Yes. A full section covers searching for clients online, friend requests, your own online presence and advertising rules, telehealth settings and between-session messaging.

Is it suitable for rural psychologists?

Yes. The course gives particular attention to small communities where multiple relationships cannot always be avoided, including rural and remote towns, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and identity-based communities.