The Psychology Board has released an advanced copy of the new 5+1 Internship Guidelines that will be effective from 1 December 2025. Some of these changes will apply to provisional psychologists who are applying for their registration before this date as well, particularly around the requirement for case studies.
These guidelines have been updated to align with the Professional Competencies for Psychologists, which will come into effect on 1 December 2025. There are considerable changes that supervisors and provisional psychologists will need to be aware of, including:
- Provisional psychologists who complete their internship and apply for general registration before 30 November 2025 are exempt from submitting case studies and logbooks to the Psychology Board.
- Supervisors are still required to submit a final assessment of competence.
We have compiled a summary of the changes below. Please ensure you read the full guidelines here.
Comparison of 5+1 Internship Guidelines (2013 vs 2025)
| Area |
2013 Guidelines |
2025 Guidelines |
| Terminology |
Core competencies
|
Threshold professional competencies |
| Total Internship Hours |
1,540 hours
|
1,500 hours |
Client Contact Hours
|
560 hours (min 40%) with 60 hours of simulated client contact allowed.
|
500 hours (up to 60 hours can be simulated) |
| Supervision |
80 hours (50 with principal supervisor and specified 1 hour of supervision for every 17.5 hours of supervised practice) |
80 hours (50 must be with principal supervisor).
No set ratio for completion of hours or for how much has to be done face to face or how long supervision sessions must be.
This can be determined by the supervisor.
|
| Education & Training |
60 hours |
60 hours (must include health equity and human rights focus) |
| Direct Observation |
2 assessments + 2 interventions every 6 months
|
2 assessments + 2 interventions every 6 months |
Cultural Supervision
|
Not specified |
Permitted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interns |
Case Studies
|
Required (4 total, 2 submitted to Board) |
No longer mandatory and no longer needed to be submitted to the Psychology Board |
| Final Assessment |
PACF-76 form |
PACF-76 form aligned with threshold competencies |
| Internship Plan |
INPP-76, less structured |
INPP-76, more structured and competency-aligned |
Case Studies Requirement Changes
The most significant change is that the formal submission of case studies to the Psychology Board is no longer required. Your supervisor may still require you to complete this as an assessment task, but they are not required to be lodged with the Psychology Board. For Provisional psychologists completing the 5+1 internship and eligible to apply for General Registration before December 2025, an exemption has been put in place, which means you do not need to submit case studies to Ahpra. As the case study requirement has been removed from the updated Guidelines, the Psychology Board has removed this requirement immediately for all 5+1 provisional psychologists.
What does it mean that the new guidelines are aligned with the Professional Competencies for Psychologists?
The updated competencies define the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours expected of psychologists in Australia. All the prior competencies are still required, but they have been reorganised, and some new areas have been included to reflect the contemporary practice of psychology. AAPi has many resources on the changes that can be found here. Key changes include:
- Competency 3 – Reflexivity and Self-Care: Emphasises professional reflexivity, deliberate practice, and self-care. Psychologists must reflect on their own biases, values, and limitations to ensure safe and ethical practice.
- Competency 7 – Diversity and Inclusion: Requires a health equity and human rights approach when working with diverse groups. Expands the definition of diversity to include at least 17 dimensions, such as neurodiversity, disability, refugee status, and more 4.
- Competency 8 – Cultural Safety: Focuses on culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
- Digital Competency: Reflects the growing importance of technology in psychological practice
The 2025 guidelines require interns to demonstrate a health equity and human rights approach, especially when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and diverse groups. This aligns with national commitments to health equity and culturally responsive practice. Interns must cover this area in their CPD activities during their internship.
At the completion of their internship, all provisional psychologists completing the 5+1 pathway require a final assessment of competence document to be completed. From 1 December 2025, this form will include all of the new competencies, and provisional psychologists will be required to demonstrate threshold competence in all areas to be eligible for general registration. From February 2026, the National Psychology Exam will also change to ensure that it covers all of the new competencies.
What do the changes mean for how I am assessed for competence?
There has been a removal of mandatory assessment requirements, such as case studies; however, there are still requirements that two assessment and two intervention sessions be observed every six months. There is a lot more flexibility and responsibility given to supervisors to decide how competence is assessed within the internship.
There is no longer a standardised form for the 6-monthly progress reviews that are required; the supervisor will determine the format. Progress reports are no longer required to be submitted to the Psychology Board, but must be produced if requested. Logbooks also do not need to be submitted to the Psychology Board, but must be updated weekly and provided to the supervisor regularly, with the frequency determined by the supervisor.
Supervision changes
Cultural Supervision: A New provision allowing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interns to count culturally informed supervision toward their 80 hours of required supervision. This must still be provided by a Board Approved Supervisor and approved by your primary supervisor.
Secondary supervisor changes and approvals will now be managed by your primary supervisor, who has to make sure that they are a Board Approved Supervisor and who now has ultimate oversight over the secondary supervisor. This type of team arrangement was not previously formally required, and the Psychology Board managed secondary supervisor changes.
There is no mandatory ratio or frequency for the provision of supervision. It is expected that supervisors and interns will be proactive in discussing the required frequency of supervision to be completed before the end of the internship. There is a general suggestion that 80 hours of supervision equate to 1 hour of supervision for every 18 hours of practice, and that supervision should be provided weekly if a provisional psychologist is practising. The supervisor, as the safeguard for the community, will be the final word on how often supervision needs to take place for interns to practice safely and effectively.
AAPi recognises that some supervisors will have reservations about the changes given the increased responsibility and reduced oversight of the Psychology Board over provisional psychologists. We have communicated this concern to the Psychology Board during the consultation period and will provide feedback to the Psychology Board as these changes roll out to ensure that any unintended consequences for supervisors are addressed. Please reach out to our Professional Guidance Team (all of whom are Board Approved Supervisors) if you need assistance in navigating these changes and your responsibilities.