A Wellbeing Plan is completed by clinicians in collaboration with the kiritaki (client) when planning their recovery from a covered mental injury within New Zealand’s ACC.
This report template synthesises information from NovoNote and NovoPsych psychometrics to assist clinicians in preparing a draft Wellbeing Plan (ACC8541).
Note: NovoNote also includes the related templates:
ACC Wellbeing Plan (ACC8541)
1. Kiritaki Details
2. Current Situation and Impacts
3. Treatment
4. Treatment Barriers
5. Recovery Goals
6. Planned Services and the Providers Who Will Deliver These
7. Other Information
8. Provider Declaration
ACC Wellbeing Plan (ACC8541)
1. Kiritaki Details
Kiritaki name: Emma Brown
Date of birth: 14 March 1989
Claim number: ACC-2025-048832
Contact details / safe contact: 11 NovoNote Street, NovoPsych, Australia. Safe contact: Emma’s mobile. Do not leave a voicemail or send correspondence to her home address.
2. Current Situation and Impacts
a. Changes to presentation:
Since the previous report, Emma has reported a modest reduction in the frequency of intrusive memories, which she attributes to the stabilisation strategies introduced in recent sessions. Her sleep disturbance and hypervigilance remain significant, and she continues to experience emotional numbing and social withdrawal. There have been no changes to her medication. Her overall functioning remains impaired, though she reports a slight improvement in her capacity to manage distress during the working day.
b. Changes to life situation:
Emma’s occupational circumstances remain unchanged; she continues on reduced hours as a primary school teacher. She has identified a renewed connection with a close friend as an emerging protective factor and has begun attending a weekly community walking group, which she finds moderately helpful. No bereavement, significant loss, or additional psychosocial stressors have been reported since the previous report.
Risk:
No. No new risk developments have been identified since the previous report.
c. Changes affecting access to services:
No changes to Emma’s access to services have been identified since the previous report. She continues to attend appointments consistently and has not raised any new barriers to engagement.
Changes to non-ACC supports:
Name: Dr James Brown
Role/function: General Practitioner — ongoing medication management and monitoring
Community organisation: NovoPsych Medical Centre
3. Treatment
a. Tailored treatment needs:
Emma’s primary treatment need is trauma-focused psychological therapy to address her PTSD symptoms, specifically intrusive re-experiencing, hyperarousal, and avoidance. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been identified as the recommended modality and will be delivered on a weekly basis. Adjunct support from her general practitioner for ongoing medication management is required throughout the treatment period. Emma has not identified specific cultural or spiritual needs; however, her preference for a structured, goal-oriented approach to therapy has been incorporated into the treatment plan.
b. Broad treatment outcomes:
Emma would like to be able to return to full-time teaching without experiencing intrusive trauma symptoms triggered by her work environment. She would also like to re-engage socially with friends and family with less avoidance and emotional numbing. Emma has indicated she will know these outcomes have been achieved when she can attend work for a full week without significant distress and can participate in social events without withdrawing.
c. Other non-ACC community supports:
Name: Dr James Brown
Role/function: Medication management and mental health monitoring, with monthly review appointments
Community organisation: NovoPsych Medical Centre
4. Treatment Barriers
Treatment barrier 1:
Emma’s occupational context — daily contact with children of similar ages to those she was during the abuse — functions as an ongoing trigger for intrusive symptoms and hyperarousal, and may interfere with trauma processing during active EMDR phases.
Plans to address treatment barrier 1:
The treating psychologist will liaise with Emma’s general practitioner to consider whether a temporary increase in sick leave or further reduction in working hours is clinically indicated during the trauma processing phase. Psychoeducation about the relationship between ongoing trigger exposure and treatment progress will be provided, and session pacing will be adjusted to account for heightened arousal levels following work days.
Treatment barrier 2:
Emma’s pattern of emotional avoidance and self-reliance may limit her willingness to engage with the more emotionally demanding phases of trauma-focused therapy.
Plans to address treatment barrier 2:
Preparatory stabilisation work will continue until Emma demonstrates sufficient affect regulation capacity to engage safely with trauma processing. The therapeutic relationship will be prioritised as a foundation for this work, and Emma will be supported to develop a personalised distress tolerance plan prior to commencing EMDR reprocessing.
5. Recovery Goals
Recovery goal 1
Goal description: Reduce the frequency and intensity of PTSD intrusive symptoms to below clinical threshold on the PCL-5.
How will the outcomes of this goal improve kiritaki functioning? Emma will experience fewer intrusive memories and nightmares, enabling her to concentrate more effectively at work and engage in daily activities without significant disruption.
How will this goal be achieved? Weekly EMDR therapy sessions targeting identified trauma memories, delivered by the treating psychologist at NovoPsych Psychology Practice.
How will progress towards this goal be measured? PCL-5 administered at baseline and at four-weekly intervals; reduction toward a score below clinical threshold (below 33) will indicate progress.
Who will deliver the services to support this goal, and what is the expected timeframe? Dr Sarah Brown, Clinical Psychologist, NovoPsych Psychology Practice; approximately 16 weekly sessions over four months.
Recovery goal 2
Goal description: Improve capacity to attend work full-time without significant trauma-related distress.
How will the outcomes of this goal improve kiritaki functioning? Emma will be able to return to her full teaching role, reducing financial and occupational strain and restoring her sense of professional identity and purpose.
How will this goal be achieved? Graded occupational re-engagement supported by the treating psychologist, in liaison with Emma’s general practitioner and employer, using a structured graduated return to work plan.
How will progress towards this goal be measured? Self-reported work attendance and distress ratings reviewed at fortnightly sessions; target is sustained full-time attendance over four consecutive weeks without clinically significant distress.
Who will deliver the services to support this goal, and what is the expected timeframe? Dr Sarah Brown, Clinical Psychologist, in liaison with Dr James Brown; expected timeframe of five to six months from commencement of trauma processing.
Recovery goal 3
Goal description: Increase social engagement and reduce avoidance of interpersonal situations.
How will the outcomes of this goal improve kiritaki functioning? Emma will be able to participate in social activities with friends and family with reduced avoidance and emotional numbing, improving her quality of life and informal support network.
How will this goal be achieved? Behavioural activation and graded exposure to avoided social situations will be incorporated into therapy sessions alongside EMDR, with agreed between-session activities reviewed weekly.
How will progress towards this goal be measured? Self-monitored social activity log reviewed in session; target is participation in at least two social activities per week sustained over one month without significant avoidance.
Who will deliver the services to support this goal, and what is the expected timeframe? Dr Sarah Brown, Clinical Psychologist; expected timeframe of three to four months.
6. Planned Services and the Providers Who Will Deliver These
Tailored Support to Wellbeing
Service: Individual trauma-focused psychological therapy (EMDR)
Provider name / ACC ID: Dr Sarah Brown / NP-2025-004
Provider discipline: Clinical Psychologist
Supplier / Supplier ID: NovoPsych Psychology Practice / NP-SUP-001
Hours: 20 hours
Total hours of Tailored Support to Wellbeing: 20 hours
Group-based Therapy
Service: None.
Expected start and end dates of Group-based Therapy: Not applicable.
Other ACC Services
Service: None.
Total expected package duration of all services listed above: 20 hours over approximately five months.
7. Other Information
Date of last face-to-face meeting with the kiritaki: 03/02/2026
Proposed Progress Report submission date: 03/05/2026
Date of disengagement by the kiritaki (if applicable): Not applicable.
Other relevant information: Emma has expressed a strong preference for consistency of treating clinician throughout the treatment package, which has been noted and accommodated in the service plan.
8. Provider Declaration
Note to clinician: The following declarations must be completed manually on the official ACC8541 form by checking the relevant boxes:
☐ I have informed the kiritaki/guardian/safe contact/whānau that the information collected for this report will be sent to ACC to support decisions on treatment and rehabilitation needs. I have kiritaki/guardian/whānau authority for this.
☐ I confirm that the information contained in this report is accurate and that I have followed the standards set out in the Sensitive Claims Service operational guidelines.
Lead Service Provider name: Dr Sarah Brown
Provider ID: NP-2025-004
Supplier name: NovoPsych Psychology Practice
Supplier ID: NP-SUP-001
Date: 14/05/2026
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