IN Psych Juris study plan

Map the structure of the Health Professions Act: locate the sections that create the HPCSA, the professional boards and the disciplinary machinery, and annotate each in your own words

Summarise the objects and powers of the professional board relevant to psychology, including its committees and their functions

Distinguish the statutory roles of the HPCSA, the professional board and the registrar so you can state who does what without notes

Build a one-page organogram linking the Act, the board, the registrar and the disciplinary process

Trace the full complaints pathway from receipt of a complaint through preliminary inquiry, board decision, formal inquiry and appeal, noting timeframes and decision points

Explain the difference between a complaint, a disciplinary inquiry and a civil claim, and identify which body handles each

List the grounds on which a practitioner may be found guilty of unprofessional conduct under the Act and regulations

Identify the sanctions available to an inquiry panel and the factors that typically aggravate or mitigate them

Define the scope of practice for psychologists and distinguish it from the scopes of registered counsellors and psychometrists

Explain what constitutes practising outside one's scope and give three concrete clinical scenarios where the boundary is tested

Describe supervision requirements, delegation and referral obligations when a case falls outside your competence or category

Outline the ethical duties that attach to record-keeping, confidentiality and informed consent in psychological practice

Work through the core rules of conduct governing practitioner-patient relationships and restate each in operational terms

Explain the patient rights framework as it applies to psychological assessment and therapy, including access to records and consent to treatment

Analyse dual-role and boundary-crossing situations and articulate the decision rule you would apply

Draft a short ethics opinion on a hypothetical conflict between a patient's request and a professional obligation

Apply the rules on advertising, professional representation and public statements to realistic practice scenarios

Explain the obligations around fees, billing and financial arrangements with patients

Identify the ethical duties triggered by a subpoena, a court report or a request for a professional opinion on a third party

Reconcile competing duties where confidentiality conflicts with a legal obligation or a risk of harm

Map the registration categories, application requirements and the consequences of practising while unregistered

Explain the CPD cycle: annual requirements, audit risk, acceptable activity types and record-keeping obligations

Describe the process for maintaining, restoring and converting registration, and the role of the registrar in each

Identify the statutory reporting and notification duties that attach to registration status changes

Consolidate the statutory requirements that overlap registration, CPD and disciplinary exposure into a single reference sheet

Revisit the complaints pathway and test yourself on where registration or CPD failures become disciplinary matters

Practise applying the Act to unfamiliar fact patterns under time pressure

Close remaining knowledge gaps identified in earlier weeks by re-testing only the weak areas

Complete two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions and record domain-level scores for each

Review every incorrect or guessed answer and trace it back to the governing rule or statutory provision

Drill the highest-frequency weak areas until you can state the rule and its application without prompts

Rehearse concise written answers to scenario questions using a consistent structure of issue, rule, application and conclusion