New 4+2 internship guidelines come into effect 1 June 2017

01 Jun 2017

New outcome-come focused guidelines for 4+2 internships.

From 1 June 2017 provisional psychologists doing the 4+2 internship pathway must meet the requirements in the new guidelines for the 4+2 internship program.

Individuals soon to complete their 4+2 internship will have until 1 September 2017 to apply for general registration in accordance with the old requirements in the interim guideline (2013 version). After this transition period, all general registration applications will have to meet the requirements in the new guidelines.

Psychology Board of Australia Chair Professor Brin Grenyer said ‘The new 4+2 internship is an outcome-focused, competency based internship within a structured practice framework.

‘There is a strong focus on the role of the supervisor and supervisor-based assessment with light-touch oversight by the Board.’

Changes include a more flexible supervision arrangement, promotion of simulated learning activities, increased supervisor responsibilities and more flexibility to demonstrate achievement of the core competencies in different ways.

A new provisional registration standard also comes into effect from 1 June 2017. The revisions to the standard are mostly structural and clarify existing requirements, making it easier to read and understand. The minimum qualification is still a four-year accredited sequence of study in psychology (or overseas equivalent) and the four training pathways to general registration have been retained.

‘The Board wanted to make sure that anyone who might be affected by these changes were advised well in advance. In addition to updates on the website and in our communiques and newsletters, we also wrote to 4+2 provisional psychologists and their supervisors in March this year,’ Professor Grenyer said.

‘The changes themselves follow wide-ranging consultation with key stakeholders including government, the profession and the public.’

For more information

Supporting materials can be accessed via the Board’s 4+2 internship page, and include a fact sheet, details of the changes to requirements for assessment tasks and for psychological testing, a transition checklist, and a series of frequently asked questions. New and revised forms and templates can be downloaded from the Board’s forms page.