AHPRA Updated Guidelines for the 5+1 Internship: What Provisional Psychologists and Supervisors Need to Know

On 8 September 2025, the Psychology Board of Australia announced updated guidelines for the 5+1 internship program. These guidelines follow extensive consultation and will come into effect on 1 December 2025, at the same time as the revised professional competencies and the new Code of Conduct for psychologists.

Here's what this means for provisional psychologists and board approved supervisors:

What’s Changing Immediately?

The most significant change is the removal of case study submissions.

• Provisional psychologists completing the 5+1 internship no longer need to submit case studies to AHPRA.

  
  

• AHPRA has decided to apply this effective immediately. Even if you have outstanding case reports to complete, this applies to you.

  
  

• Supervisors may still request case studies or similar tasks for training purposes, but these stay between you and your supervisor. They are no longer part of the formal submission process.

What Stays the Same (Until 30 November 2025)?

If you’re currently completing your internship, you will continue to follow the 2013 guidelines until the end of November. That means:

• Maintaining your logbook (reviewed and signed by your supervisor).

  
  

• Attending regular supervision.

  
  

• Meeting the expected practice, client contact, and training hours.

  
  

• Sitting the National Psychology Exam before applying for general registration.

Your supervisor will still complete a Final Assessment of Competence at the end of your internship.

The only requirement that has been lifted is the submission of case studies.

What Happens from 1 December 2025?

For anyone starting, continuing, or finishing their internship after 1 December 2025, the new guidelines will apply. These include:

• A fully competency-based structure aligned with the new professional competencies.

  
  

• Clear requirements for hours of practice, supervision, and education/training (1,500 practice hours, including at least 500 client contact hours, 80 supervision hours, and 60 training hours).

  
  

• Stronger emphasis on culturally safe practice, especially when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and diverse communities.

  
  

  This reflects the introduction of Competency 7 in the updated framework — which requires psychologists to practise from a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming lens and to be knowledgeable about working with culturally diverse and minority populations.

  
  

  In practice, this means recognising the impact of trauma, avoiding pathologising neurodivergence, and ensuring culturally responsive care is woven into everyday practice.

  
  

• Logbooks must still be maintained, reviewed, and signed by supervisors on a regular basis. However, unlike the old guidelines, you will only need to submit logbooks if AHPRA requests them. Supervisors will still need to complete a final assessment of competence at the end of the internship.

What Provisional Psychologists Need to Do

• If you will finish your internship before December 2025:

  Keep following the current guidelines — minus case studies. Logbooks, supervision, and your final assessment still apply.

  
  

• If your internship runs into or beyond December 2025:

  You’ll need to transition to the new competency-based framework. Make sure you and your supervisor are familiar with the updated requirements now, so there are no surprises when the change takes effect.

  
  

• All provisional psychologists:

  The National Psychology Exam remains a requirement for general registration.

  
  

  My National Psychology Exam Preparation Course has been created to support provisionals in feeling more confident and prepared. The course will be updated when the new reading list is released, and anyone already enrolled will automatically have access to those updates.

  
  

Final Thoughts

The removal of case studies is a welcome step toward reducing administrative burden. At the same time, the shift to a competency-based framework reflects the profession’s focus on safe, ethical, culturally responsive, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Whether you’re about to finish or just beginning your 5+1 internship, it’s important to know which set of guidelines applies to you — and to prepare early for what’s ahead.

You can read the full guidelines and fact sheet on the Psychology Board of Australia’s website here.

For those wanting to continue learning, my Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy Training is a chance to deepen your understanding of what affirming, inclusive practice can look like in everyday work with neurodivergent clients.