Clinical & health
Supervision grounded in assessment, formulation and evidence-based intervention across mental-health and health settings.
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Expert Supervision
Programs · Expert Supervision
Supervision for the 5+1 internship year, with people who know the pathway.
Expert Supervision is COPP's supervision program for provisional and early career psychologists on the 5+1 internship year — structured around the Psychology Board of Australia's (PsyBA) core competencies, delivered by a national network of Board-approved supervisors, and scheduled to fit your placement and your time zone.
62 hrsIndividual supervision
24 hrsGroup supervision
from $16,000Full internship year
Board-approved supervisors
62Hours individual supervision (up to)
IndividualUp to 62 hours individual supervision
24Hours group supervision (up to)
1 / mo2-hour group across the year
Aligned to the PsyBA framework
How it works
Individual depth, group perspective — mapped to the PsyBA's core competencies.
Your supervision is built around a Principal Supervisor who knows your case load and your goals, complemented by a monthly group that broadens your thinking. Both strands are aligned to the PsyBA competency framework and to the National Psychology Examination blueprint, so the year of practice and the exam ahead reinforce each other.
- Up to 62 hours individual supervision across the year, for continuity and depth.
- Up to 24 hours of group supervision — one two-hour group each month — to test your reasoning against peers and other practitioners.
- A one-year full-time internship of up to 35 hours per week, with 60+ hours of professional development across the year and structured support for the eight core competencies.
- Secondary supervisors you can draw on to explore particular career pathways and to prepare for the NPE.
- Documentation and structure designed to help you evidence your 5+1 internship requirements with confidence.
Your supervisors
A national network of Board-approved supervisors.
We match you with Board-approved supervisors whose experience fits your placement and the direction you want to take your practice. The breadth of the network means you can be supervised in the area you work in, and draw on a secondary supervisor when your interests reach further.
Forensic & community
Supervisors experienced in forensic, correctional, court and community-based work for interns placed in those settings.
Matched to your case loadOrganisational & workplace
Guidance for interns working in organisational, consulting and workplace contexts, including assessment and change.
Matched to your case loadThese are examples of the expertise within the network rather than a fixed list. We'll talk through your placement and goals before matching you with a supervisor.
Supervision and the exam, together
Supervision and the NPE, aligned.
The 5+1 supervised year and the National Psychology Examination assess the same underlying competencies. Expert Supervision is mapped to the NPE blueprint, so the clinical reasoning you develop in supervision is the same reasoning the exam asks you to apply — across all four assessment domains under the December 2025 curriculum.
One framework, four domains
Your supervisor helps you connect day-to-day practice to the way the NPE is structured — applied, case-based judgement rather than factual recall. Secondary supervisors can focus your preparation where you need it most as the exam approaches.
Ethics & professional matters
Carries the most weight — the largest reasoning load across the exam
Carries the most weight — the largest reasoning load across the exam
Assessment
Sound, ethical assessment and formulation in real cases
Sound, ethical assessment and formulation in real cases
Intervention
Evidence-based, well-reasoned intervention and management
Evidence-based, well-reasoned intervention and management
Communication
Clear, professional communication with clients and colleagues
Clear, professional communication with clients and colleagues
What the exam looks like
The reasoning you build in supervision is the reasoning the NPE tests, under the December 2025 curriculum (COPP content updated January 2026).
150
case-based questions
case-based questions
3.5h
computer-based exam
computer-based exam
No
negative marking
negative marking
Scaled
pass standard set by PsyBA
pass standard set by PsyBA
Every Australian time zone
Flexible & supported
Scheduling that works around your placement, wherever you are.
Supervision is scheduled across all Australian time zones, so you can complete your hours alongside your placement and the rest of your life. Our Placement & Learning Support (PALS) team coordinates supervision logistics and is there to help when circumstances change across the year.
- Sessions arranged across every Australian time zone to fit your working week.
- PALS support for supervision coordination, progression and the practical side of the year.
- Shorter durations are available for some interns, subject to a screening interview.
from $16,000 · for the full internship year
Questions
Supervision, answered.
Expert Supervision provides up to 62 hours individual supervision across the internship year, plus up to 24 hours of group supervision delivered as one two-hour group each month. It supports a one-year full-time internship of up to 35 hours per week, including 60+ hours of professional development and the eight core competencies.
You are matched with a Board-approved supervisor from COPP's national network, chosen to fit your placement and goals. The network spans diverse areas of practice — clinical, forensic, organisational and more — and you can draw on a secondary supervisor to explore particular career pathways and to prepare for the NPE.
The program is structured around the Psychology Board of Australia competency framework and the National Psychology Examination blueprint. COPP is an educator, not a regulator: we don't grant registration or speak for the PsyBA, and you remain responsible for confirming your own internship requirements with the Board.
Yes. Supervision is scheduled flexibly across all Australian time zones, so you can complete your hours alongside your placement wherever you are based.
Expert Supervision is from $16,000 for the full internship year. Shorter durations are available for some interns, subject to a screening interview — talk to us about your circumstances and we'll explain the options.
Send us an enquiry below or apply online. We'll arrange a conversation to understand your placement and goals before matching you with a supervisor and confirming the right structure for your year.
Start the conversation
Let's match you with the right supervisor.
Tell us where you're placed and where you want your practice to go. We'll talk through the structure of your supervised year, your time zone, and exactly how Expert Supervision fits.