Are you struggling with your RANZCP psychotherapy written case write-up or re-write?

With the February 2024 RANZCP MEQ and CEQ essay exams behind me (and each time it does feel like I am sitting them alongside you!), I've been asking trainees about their experiences with the psychotherapy written case assessment (PWC). 

I have been contacted by trainees who I have helped with other exams and assessment tasks to to see if I can help with their first write up and also when they have to resubmit. 

I have to say that knowing trainees trust me to come back and seek further help is the best feedback I can get and I am deeply appreciative of this trust. It makes me continue to strive to only produce the best range of workshops, coaching and courses that I can.

What I've learnt from talking to some of you:

The first submission

• After the 40 sessions are over and supervision ends, you can find the task of writing up the case quite daunting and don't know where to begin. You ask others and read their cases, and try and follow the structure they have used.
• You might do a LOT of procrastinating, even if it is your last assessment to get through before becoming a consultant. 
• You might ask lots of people who all give you well meaning but different advice.
• You may feel like you have gaps in your knowledge or lack the experience to apply complex psychotherapeutic principles to your case.
• You might have fallen out of interest with he whole thing, or it might have been quite some time since the 40 sessions ended, and you don't feel able to go over the recordings.

The dreaded re-write

• As far as I can ascertain, nobody knows what the failure rate is for the PWC.
• The examiners can be psychotherapists but not all are.
• When you resubmit, you get the same examiner and their feedback may put you off wanting to re-submit again
• The feedback can be more like criticism, and lead to further procrastination and avoidance
• You, your supervisor and those who read your case can be pretty troubled or confused about what you were unsuccessful and therefore not sure how to help with a re-write.
• By the time you have to re-write the case, you are really over the whole experience.
• Being delayed by a re-write can cost you time and money, and delay progression to consultant roles, sometimes with them lined up pending getting though the PWC.

My advice:

• Try to write your case as you go so it doesn’t feel so onerous at the end
• Believe you know enough to write and that your knowledge won’t improve much more if you procrastinate, but your progression to consultancy may blow out.
• Do everything you can to get through to pass the case the first time
• With feedback, you can ask as many people as possible for advice, but when interpreting feedback (including the examiner feedback) look for what is called the “signal in the noise” ie the common things you hear frequently, rather than trying to apply everything.
• While the feedback can feel personal, don’t personalise it. See the whole assessment as a task you have to do to get to where you want to be. Even if that is to be a psychotherapist. Your case was about 1 person, when you get there you’ll be able to do the same thing with many.
• If written communication isn’t your strongest skill, and yes the PWC case is a pretty sophisticated piece of writing, get help!

What I can't offer

My approach to offering solutions does not involve me taking over the role of your supervisor. I can’t write or re-write your cases for you because that would be highly unethical, and also, because I wasn’t there. I also don’t have the time!

I consider the whole art form and science behind this critical assessment task as being something you shared between your patient and your supervisor, and a lot of the key learning tasks of the assessment are about the importance of the frame and issues about confidentiality – and rightly so! They are skills you need for the rest of your career.

What I can absolutely offer! 

A FREE 1:1 strategy call (20 minutes) to talk about where you are at. These run on Tuesday afternoons. Click here to book your spot. 

Full-day, small group, face-to-face writing workshops (not online) which are immersion experiences, whereby you get my practical assistance with your approach and structure to the write-up or re-write. We go over how to approach the structure of the write-up, key headings and order of the heading and you get to present your formulations and receive feedback.

 You leave with a huge part of the write-up already done. That’s also because you have had a huge boost in motivation, have clarity and no longer procrastinate. You can approach the next submission date feeling in control and with confidence rather than trying not to think about it!

Book your place in Melbourne, Sydney or the Gold Coast by looking through the workshop dates here. 

There are a few places left for the first round of workshops for the PWC and the SP in Melbourne in 2 weeks time but they will go quickly. Remember, only 6 spots and lots of input on the day, improving your chances of success whether it’s your first submission or for a re-write, and getting you closer to becoming a psychiatrist.

I'll send some more details about my workshops for the scholarly project very soon, but in the meantime, click here for all the information about my workshops, including the ones for that assessment as well! A full day practical immersion experience complete with elevator pitches to get your research question sorted, assistance  with approaching literature reviews and practical advice and feedback regarding the write-up.

Best of luck with your study prep!

Helen x