The 4+2 Case Report Countdown: Planning Your Remaining Case Reports Before 30 June 2027
Aug 28, 2026
If you are currently completing the 4+2 internship program, there is now a clear deadline on the horizon. The 4+2 internship program is being retired, with the transition period ending on 30 June 2027.
For provisional psychologists who still have internship requirements to complete, it is important to start taking stock of what remains — particularly when it comes to case reports. Case reports are not simply another piece of paperwork to complete at the end of your internship. They take time.
You need appropriate clients. You need to undertake the relevant psychological work. You need supervision and feedback throughout the process. You need to prepare the written report and respond to feedback. Your supervisor must then assess the completed report as satisfactory and four must be selected and submitted to the Psychology Board of Australia for review.
If you still have several case reports remaining, now is the time to make a plan.
What are case reports?
Under the Psychology Board of Australia's Guidelines for the 4+2 internship program, case reports are an educational and developmental process designed to help provisional psychologists develop and demonstrate relevant competencies under appropriate supervision.
The case report process is a major component of the internship, and successful completion is a mandatory requirement.
The primary purpose of the case report process is to demonstrate evidence of competent, evidence-based practice to the provisional psychologist's supervisor. Importantly, all case reports must be based on psychological work carried out by the provisional psychologist with real clients.
Simulated clients cannot be used for case reports.
Case reports document a provisional psychologist's ability to comprehensively assess clients and provide appropriate interventions using recognised psychological frameworks. They are also more detailed than a typical psychological report. Their purpose is to showcase the provisional psychologist's knowledge and skills and demonstrate their thinking and reasoning.
What are the case report requirements?
During the 4+2 internship, a provisional psychologist must complete at least:
Eight written case reports of approximately 2,500 words each.
Each report must:
- Be based on a different client
- Document a different presenting problem
- Be based on real psychological work undertaken by the provisional psychologist
- Be assessed by the principal supervisor during the internship
Of the eight reports:
- Four must focus on assessment, measurement or diagnosis
- Four must focus on intervention or prevention
The eight case reports should demonstrate the provisional psychologist's ability to work with a variety of clients.
This may include working with clients:
- Across different stages of the lifespan
- From different social backgrounds
- From different cultural backgrounds
- With different presenting problems
Of the eight case reports assessed as satisfactory by the supervisor, four must be selected and submitted to the Psychology Board of Australia for review.
Why case reports take longer than you might think
It can be tempting to look at the requirements and think:
"I only have four reports left. I can write those over the next few months."
But writing is only one part of the process. The case report process begins much earlier, before you can write the report, you need to have undertaken appropriate psychological work with a suitable real client. You need to have received appropriate supervision and oversight, you need to be able to demonstrate your assessment, formulation, reasoning or intervention decisions. You need to reflect on your practice, you need feedback on the written report, you may then need to revise the report before it is assessed as satisfactory.
This means that if you have several reports remaining, you should not simply count how many weekends you have available to write.
You need to plan the entire case report process.
The case report process is part of supervision
One of the most important things to remember is that case report development is intended to occur as part of normal supervision throughout the internship.
The Psychology Board describes four integrated components of the case report development process.
The first step: Conduct a case report audit
Before making a plan, you need to know exactly where you stand.
Sit down with your internship records and create a simple overview.
Once you have completed this exercise, you should be able to clearly identify:
- How many reports you have completed
- How many have been assessed as satisfactory by PsyBa
- How many assessment reports remain
- How many intervention reports remain
- Which reports are currently in progress
- Whether you have suitable potential cases available
This is the starting point for your plan.
Work backwards from your remaining time
The deadline may feel like it is still some time away.
However, your personal deadline for completing your case reports should ideally be earlier than the final transition deadline. Why? Because you may also need to complete other internship requirements.
- You may need to finalise your hours.
- You may need to address supervision requirements.
- You may need to complete outstanding professional development.
- You may be preparing for the National Psychology Exam.
- You may have other documentation and registration requirements to complete.
And importantly, unexpected things can happen.
- A suitable client may discontinue therapy.
- PsyBA may provide feedback and advise a submitted case report is 'unsatisfactory' requiring you to submit another.
- A case may not ultimately be appropriate for a report.
- You may need significant revisions following supervisor feedback.
- Your supervisor may have limited availability.
- Building some breathing room into your plan is essential.
Your case reports are part of your internship
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that case reports are not meant to be separate from your internship.
They are a way of demonstrating the work you are already undertaking.
The case report process brings together:
- Your psychological work with real clients
- Your learning through supervision
- Your application of evidence and psychological frameworks
- Your professional reflection
- Your developing competencies as a psychologist
When you approach case reports as part of your ongoing internship work, rather than a pile of assignments waiting for you at the end, they become much easier to manage.
You've got this
If you are looking at the case reports you still have left to complete and feeling overwhelmed, take a breath. You do not need to complete everything at once.
Every case report starts with one client, one piece of psychological work and one step at a time. What may feel like a significant task when you look at all of your outstanding requirements together can become far more manageable when you commit to making steady progress. The months ahead will require commitment, organisation and persistence. There may be times when a report takes longer than expected or when feedback means going back and strengthening your work. That is all part of the learning process.
Remember how far you have already come. Completing the 4+2 internship requires dedication, resilience and an ongoing commitment to developing as a psychologist. Each case you work through, each conversation you have in supervision and each report you complete is another step towards your goal. Stay focused on what is in front of you. Make a plan, ask for support when you need it and keep moving forward.
There is still work to do, but with commitment, consistent progress and the right support, you can do this.
This article provides general information only. Provisional psychologists should refer to the current Psychology Board of Australia Guidelines for the 4+2 internship program and discuss their individual progress and outstanding requirements with their principal supervisor.
Professional Development and Supervision Support
E-Seminar + E-Handbook: 4+2 Case Reports
Learn about the case reports you are required to do as part of your 4+2 internship.
Comprehensively explore each section of the assessment and intervention case reports.
This workshop includes a 25-page e-Handbook to accompany this e-seminar which provides detailed information about the criteria for each case report and completed examples.
Case Report Supervision and Review
Provisional Psychologist Hub offers supervision and feedback on case reports, but final assessments are made by the Psychology Board of Australia, whose decisions are at the discretion of individual markers.
Our supervisors can review your case report and provide written feedback to help you refine it before submission. Case reports demonstrate a provisional psychologist’s ability to assess clients and provide interventions within a recognised framework. We recommend using supervision and professional development to improve your report and reduce the need for multiple reviews.
Supervisors must approve that a report meets all criteria before submission, and each review counts as indirect supervision, loggable toward your supervision ratio. You can have a secondary supervisor review your case reports, discuss with your primary supervisor so you have a plan in place.
- Find a Supervisor https://findasupervisor.provisionalpsych.com.au/search-results?tid=858&ttid=
- Book Supervision https://clientportal.zandahealth.com/clientportal/pph/home
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