Supporting psychology interns where it matters: how supervision quality, financial strain, and internship satisfaction shape self-perceived competence

Objective Psychology internships are the bedrock of training for psychologists. However, little is known from the perspective of psychology interns regarding how internship experiences shape outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic interplay between internship-related factors, overall internship satisfaction, and perceived professional competence for psychology interns.Method Participants (N = 122) completing or having completed a psychology internship via the 5 + 1 internship pathway to registration as a psychologist in Australia undertook an online questionnaire.Results Participants who perceived internship providers as prioritising their learning needs over the needs of the service/business reported greater internship satisfaction. Supervision quality was also related to internship satisfaction. This was especially the case for those reporting financial strain. An iterative data analytic process revealed that for current interns only, a positive link between supervision quality and perceived sense of professional competence was fully mediated by internship satisfaction, and was strongest for those experiencing financial strain.Conclusions Collectively, these findings highlight the protective role good quality supervision and internship programs can play in supporting psychology interns, including those from potentially vulnerable subgroups, and presents a call to action for improved education, training, and accountability for internship providers to safeguard the future of the psychology workforce.