About This Course
Hello and welcome to the website for the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme. The aim of this website is to give you a flavor of what North Wales is like as a place to live and work. Should you end up here, you will spend three years working in one of the most beautiful parts of Great Britain. The School of Human and Behavioural Sciences at Bangor University is renowned for its academic excellence, and our DClinPsy programme is fully accredited by the Health Care Professions Council, the British Psychological Society and Bangor University.
Because we are a small programme we are able to respond to our trainees on an individual basis. We regularly collect trainee feedback on the programme, and trainees regularly comment on how family friendly the programme can be. The words ‘friendly’ and ‘approachable’ seem to keep emerging and we hope this genuinely reflects the nature of a programme such as ours.
Although we are small, we offer trainees a wide range of clinical experiences and teaching, often by national leads in that particular clinical area. We aim to ensure that trainees have the facilities you need in order to make optimum use of the training we provide.
For general enquiries contact:
Mared Davies Hill, Selection Admin Assistant: m.d.hill@bangor.ac.uk
For selection enquiries contact:
Dr Carolien Lamers, Selection and Recruitment Director: c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk
We want to give you the background of the programme, our connections and history, as well as information about the programme itself, our philosophy and who works here. This will hopefully give you a flavour of what studying in North Wales might be like.
General Information
This three-year doctoral programme is a collaborative venture between the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and Bangor University. Successful candidates will obtain a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, which confers eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, www.hcpc-uk.org/) and eligibility for chartered status with the British Psychological Society. The North Wales programme was the first in the UK to establish the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, leading the way for other programmes. BCUHB clinical psychologists have exceptionally close working links with the NWCPP. In 2019, the programme was commended by the BPS at its accreditation visit for these links and the way in which the programme works alongside clinicians within the Health Board. There are at present some 110 qualified clinical psychologists in North Wales, working across the age range, from birth to death, in mental and physical health, intellectual disabilities, neuropsychology, medium secure services. Nearly all are involved in the programme through teaching, supervision (clinical/research), assessing academic work, selection and representation on committees.
The Schools of Psychology and Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences form the School of Human and Behavioural Sciences. This brings Schools with an interest in health and wellbeing together, creating an environment for shared research strategies and health-related training activities in terms of professional learning. The School of Psychology is a centre of excellence for training in clinical practice and has particular strengths in clinical and health psychology, cognitive neuroscience, applied behaviour analysis, and learning and developmental psychology. During the most recent internal Quality Audit of the School of Psychology, North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme was commended for both its teaching and pastoral care of trainees. The UK's leading Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, is also based in the School.
Professor Michaela Swales, who is internationally recognised for her expertise in dialectical behaviour therapy and leader of the British Isles Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Training Team, is our programme director and is a locally practising clinical psychologist. Dr Elizabeth Burnside, our Academic Director, is an ACT peer reviewed trainer, one of 13 in the UK, and also works clinically in local services. The trainees, programme team members and local clinical psychologists are keen to share their knowledge and expertise and have an impressive list of publications, close to 70 over the last five years alone.
During our last accreditation visit in February 2019, the programme was accredited by the BPS, and re-validated by Bangor University. We were commended for several aspects of the programme: the tight integration and commitment of the People Panel, which is our service user and carer representative group and the multi-layered support systems available to our trainees. They appreciated our innovative outreach work to secondary schools and our commitment to meeting the needs of the local population. The included our efforts to improve Welsh language mental health provision and develop skills in a cultural, linguistic and social context, the engagement and enthusiasm of the local clinical psychologists involved in the training, and the psychological and psychotherapeutic contribution to the regional community and service delivery. We were delighted to receive such strong endorsement from the BPS and Bangor University, and we believe this illustrates the robust and cohesive nature of the programme. Our next accreditation visit is due in 2024. The programme is also accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
The programme recognises that clinical psychology is a caring profession with a number of distinctive features. Chief among these are the close interdependence between practice and research, and the systematic application of psychological models, theories and evidence to the needs of service users and carers, and the development of services. The main aim of the programme is to meet the needs of the NHS for HCPC registered clinical psychologists who have:
- a wide range of clinical, organisational, leadership and research skills;
- developed high standards of professional integrity;
- an internalised model of reflective practice flexible enough to accommodate change and sensitivity to the needs of service users and carers.
We therefore train clinical psychologists who promote psychological thinking in health care settings, by integrating their clinical, academic and research skills, and through critical, reflective and independent thinking. From a strong value base, they act with integrity to make a positive difference to peoples’ lives.
We select trainees for their values and commitment to clinical psychology and their potential to develop a high level of clinical, academic and research competence. We aim to foster this potential by encouraging the development of skills, knowledge and values that underpin these competencies. This development takes place within a supportive structure that facilitates personal and professional growth and uses the close links that exist in North Wales between the clinical and academic services.
We have a positive attitude towards diversity and social inclusion, which is reflected in selection, teaching, value based practice ideas and the programme’s overall ethos. In January 2021, we established our anti-racism, anti-discrimination and promotion of cultural competence sub-committee. Trainees from all three years, programme team members and local Health Board Clinical Psychology colleagues are involved in reviewing all aspects of the programme for issues of racism, discrimination, whiteness etc. Selection, placements, assignments, research are all areas that are being explored for options to address issues of equality and social inclusion. This is a very young committee, and we look forward to the work that is ahead of us. All other programme committees report back to the anti-racism, anti-discrimination and promotion of cultural competence sub-committee about the work they are doing to change our practice. Together with the South Wales Clinical Psychology Programme, we offer a mentorship scheme (Cefnogi) to candidates from Black, Asian and other Ethnic Minority groups. For more information please contact Samantha Owen (Samantha.owen@bangor.ac.uk)
We continually review the training programme and we are active in making adjustments, where these are indicated, in keeping with the programme’s aims and objectives and to meet the needs of the public and the profession. We have developed our placements and academic programme to reflect the competency-based approach set out in the BPS accreditation standards. This will see you completing placements across a range of clinical areas, focusing on developing skills in assessment and formulation, therapeutic interventions, and systemic working and leadership skills.
In terms of therapeutic approaches, we focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Third Wave Therapies: particularly Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. With the Centre for Mindfulness, the Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Training Teams, as well as an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy peer reviewed trainer, and a range of local clinicians using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, we are optimising learning in these exciting clinical areas. We also have a strong emphasis on working systemically, as well as Schema Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy. You will also receive teaching in psychodynamic theory and Applied Behavioural Analysis as one of the leading centres for training and research in Behaviour Analysis is based within the College of Human Sciences.
- Dr Elizabeth Burnside, Academic Director & Deputy Programme Director
- Ms Fiona Greenly-Jones, Senior Administrator & P.A. to Programme Director
- Mrs Mared Davies Hill, Administrative Assistant ( Research & Selection)
- Dr Lee Hogan, Assessment Director
- Dr Mike Jackson, Research Director
- Mrs Debbie Jones, Administrative Assistant (Curriculum & Clinical)
- Mrs Kathryn Morgan Jones, Administrative Assistant (Academic & Assessment)
- Dr Carolien Lamers, Selection and Recruitment Director
- Dr Samantha Owen, Academic Tutor
- Ms Donna-Marie Pierce, Programme Manager
- Dr Lucy Piggin, Research Tutor
- Dr Renee Rickard, Clinical Director
- Dr Christopher Saville, Research Tutor
- Dr Laura Spencer-Jones, Clinical Tutor
- Professor Michaela Swales, Programme Director
Course Content
Structure and Content
The programme is full-time and the length of the programme cannot be reduced through the accreditation of prior learning or experience: you are required to complete the full programme of training in order to qualify.
The information below will give you a flavour about the programme, our vision and values and what training with us might look like.
The academic component of the programme actively engages you in the learning process. This is helped greatly by the relatively small size of each year group, allowing plenty of scope for discussion and development of ideas and skills. You are expected to take an active role in teaching by bringing your own clinical material and experiences to discussions, and by taking part in role plays to develop skills. The academic curriculum emphasises a life span perspective. This means that topic areas can be taught by clinicians from a range of specialisms, thus ensuring that you gain a developmental view and appreciates how the same theoretical models and approaches are applied with different client groups.
Following the programmme’s competence-based model, the majority of our teaching, matches the focus of the core placements, until you begin elective placements in year three. At the start of year one, you are provided with foundation teaching relevant to the general work of clinical psychologists across all settings. This includes core engagement, assessment and therapeutic skills, as well as professional codes of ethics and conduct and relevant legal frameworks. During placement time, one of the aims of the teaching is to equip you with both the theoretical knowledge and skills to complete robust psychological assessments and formulations. Half way through this placement you also engage in an 8-week mindfulness course as part of your teaching, to set the foundations for learning more about third wave approaches and to use yourselves to help manage the demands of training. During the second and third placements, teaching has a greater focus on therapeutic models and skills development, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. Other therapeutic models are also introduced as training progresses including Schema Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy. During the final core placement there is a stronger focus on systemic working and leadership theories and practice.
We are working steadily to develop our teaching so that it contributes to accreditation requirements for other professional qualifications, such as British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) CBT therapist accreditation, Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT) foundation level training and The British Psychological Society’s qualification in clinical neuropsychology. Our DBT teaching (and related clinical experience) has been expanded, so that you can have acquired all the knowledge-based competencies and most of the practice-based competencies you require for accreditation as a DBT therapist by the Society for DBT in the UK and Ireland, that implements the International DBT Accreditation standards.
Each placement is preceded by a block of teaching spanning between two and five weeks. Once you are on placement, weekly teaching days continue for most of the year, which enables ongoing contact with the programme and fellow members of your year group. There are also two teaching days each academic year, when all three cohorts come together, where specialist and current topics are presented and discussed. Titles for recent all cohort teaching days have been “Working with people who misuse substances” and “Clinical psychology – power and disadvantage”
Teaching is delivered in our dedicated teaching rooms in Bangor University, close to the staff team offices with a roomy shared kitchen and dining area. You also have access to a spacious trainee resource room to undertake academic work on several on the University and Health Board computers.
While clinical and academic psychologists within North Wales deliver the majority of the teaching, psychologists from outside the area and other professionals are also invited to contribute where appropriate. Members of our People Panel and other service users and carers are actively involved in a number of teaching sessions throughout the three years. Trainees greatly appreciate and value their perspective and feedback is consistently high. You give feedback on all academic sessions, thus enabling the programme to keep improving the standards of its teaching.
There are four academic assignments to be completed across the three years, including one reflective assignment. While the format for the assignments is set, you choose your own clinically relevant topics for these. Welsh speakers can submit their work in Welsh.
Learning continues as you apply theories introduced in the classroom and through independent study to working with your clients on placement. Clinical experience starts toward the end of October of year one and extends over the three years of the programme. Placements will aid you in developing skills in assessment and formulation (Foundation placement) before moving on to develop skills in therapeutic interventions and specific psychological therapies (Intervention I and II). Later placements will focus on developing your competencies in systemic and leadership competencies and you will end your training with a supplementary or elective placement.
You will complete a report of clinical activity (RCA) relating to your Foundation placement and Intervention I placement and two RCAs from your longer Intervention II placement. One of your RCAs will be a CBT-RCA. A professional issues presentation will be assessed from your systemic and leadership placement.
All clinical placements will be undertaken within the large geographical area of North Wales, which extends from Wrexham to Pwllheli, Holyhead to Newtown and Dolgellau and cover post-industrial towns and cities as well as rural communities. Placements currently available include: adult mental health, including secondary care mental health services, a stepped care service and working in inpatient settings, older adults including working in inpatient settings and memory clinics, child and adolescent services, including an inpatient adolescent service, neuro-developmental services, adult and child intellectual disabilities, forensic services, adult and child brain injury services, eating disorders, peri-natal mental health, substance misuse, health clinical psychology including renal care, pain management, diabetes, chronic fatigue services, oncology and palliative care, and paediatric services. In addition, you can gain further clinical experience in using particular therapeutic approaches such as CBT for psychosis, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy , Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Schema Therapy and Compassion Focussed Therapy. Each placement is evaluated by the clinical supervisor, assessing a full range of clinical and professional competencies.
Placement agreements are negotiated at the beginning of each placement by the supervisor and you, in conjunction with programme staff. These agreements are reviewed mid-way through the placement. You provide feedback on all placements as part of our endeavour to ensure that the high quality of clinical experience is maintained and improved.
Welsh speaking trainees are often allocated placements where you can work using the Welsh language in yourclinical practice and where possible with your supervisor.
The aim of the research curriculum is to ensure that you gain experience in using a range of research approaches and obtain a sophisticated understanding of the evidence base underlying clinical practice. Training in research skills occurs throughout the three years.
There are three research projects to be completed over the three years. You start with a data analysis project, using large publicly available data sets to answer set questions. The service related research project is a highly applied piece of research, such as an audit or service evaluation, completed during the second year of the programme. Finally, there is the large scale research project which forms your doctoral thesis, which you work on throughout the programme.The thesis comprises of a literature review or meta-analysis; an empirical study; and a paper on the clinical and research implications of your work. This work is expected to be of a publishable standard and in the last five years alone over 30 trainee papers have been published in academic journals. In your final year you have a viva, where you defend your thesis.
The research team endeavour to support you to do projects in your areas of interest, rather than being assigned projects from a list. Recent theses include research on: An exploration of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming identity in the UK; Psychological Wellbeing and Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis; The experience of mental health problems in later life; Eating Disorder Recovery; Exploring the Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy in University Students and Overcoming the barriers to men's mental health. (For a full list of thesis titles, please look at http://www.nwcpp.bangor.ac.uk/topics.php).
Research supervision is provided by the programme team, local clinical psychologists and colleagues in the university. Research in clinical and clinical health psychology is one of the strengths of the School of Psychology. The programme supports research projects from across the scientist practitioner tradition, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
We hold an annual research conference where the trainees present their research projects through presentations or posters. We invite new entry trainees to this conference before they start on the programme.
The programme holds an annual research fair, where local Clinical Psychologists present and share their research ideas. Trainees are encouraged to link up with local supervisors (or other colleagues in the UK) to discuss and develop their large scale research project. The programme supports and supervises qualitative and quantitative research as well as secondary data analysis projects. Please find below an overview of the research projects undertaken by our trainees ouver recent years.
There are no unseen written examinations on the programme, but you will complete a total of 11 assignments, including a final thesis. Competencies in theoretical aspects of clinical psychology, clinical skills and professional issues are evaluated by continuous assessment through a range of academic assignments: presentations, evaluations of clinical and professional competencies, reports of clinical activity (including one using CBT), a reflective piece of work, a data base analysis project, a service related research project and a large scale research project (the thesis). Although the format of the assessments is set, you decide on the clinical topic area you want to address. The assignments are marked by two clinical psychologists. External examiners with extensive experience of clinical psychology training programmes play an active role in benchmarking our marking system. At the end of the third year, the thesis is evaluated by viva voce examination.
Welsh speaking trainees have the option of completing your assignments through the medium of Welsh. The programme organises translation services.
Diversity and Social Inclusion
We continue to explore how we can expand our diversity in all areas and increase our social inclusion. These are big concepts, that require time and energy to develop and we are very pleased with the road that we have travelled so far, and are always on the lookout for new and alternative routes.
During the accreditation visit from the British Psychological Society in 2019, they identified as one of the areas of good practice the close attention paid to Welsh language and cultural diversity issues, the engagement of a diverse, committed and passionate group on the People Panel, who positively feed into the programme.
In 2021, we established the anti-racism, anti-discrimination and promotion of cultural competencies committee. All areas of the programme are being evaluated against these concepts, and development is under way to look at: how the curriculum can become even more sensitive and decolonized; whether selection has certain biases that need addressing; how placements can ensure that cultural competencies are promoted; and that trainees can demonstrate these competencies and reflect their appreciation of these areas in their assignments. We are working with our current and past trainees, and NHS colleagues on this, and are linking in with the wider academic community at Bangor University.
We are continuing to explore ways to increase the diversity in our profession. Two mentorship schemes have been introduced this year:
In order to support candidates from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority groups in the application process, we are working together with the South Wales Clinical Psychology Programme in offering candidates six to eight mentoring sessions with either a trainee or qualified clinical psychologist. These aim to offer the person the option to find out about the work of a clinical psychologist, discuss their values and ideas about (clinical) psychology, and explore routes into training. Where desired, the candidates can also explore their position and experiences as a candidate from a Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority background. For more information please contact Samantha Owen (Samantha.owen@bangor.ac.uk)
We are keen to support candidates who are Welsh speaking by offering them six to eight mentoring sessions with either a trainee or qualified clinical psychologist. These aim to offer the person the option to find out about the work of a clinical psychologist, discuss their values and ideas about (clinical) psychology, and explore routes into training. Please contact Carolien Lamers (Recruitment and Selection Director, c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk) for more information about the mentorship scheme.
We have always supported trainees with lived experience and again the feedback we receive from our trainees is that we do a good job at offering the support, re-evaluating training plans for the trainees and making other reasonable adjustments. We want to pay more attention to the valuing of lived experience too and are making changes to the curriculum to reflect this. Further work with the People panel and the supervisors is planned.
This year, we will be using contextual information provided by applicants as part of our shortlisting process. We have been working together with other UK programmes to devise the questionnaire that enquires about earlier life experiences that might have hindered an applicant to reach their full potential. We will take this information into consideration when offering interview places. We are continuing to evaluate the impact that this approach has on the make-up of our new cohorts in the future.
The programme’s Service User and Carer Involvement Group was named by its members the ‘People Panel’. Established in 2008 the panel aims to enhance trainees’ learning from a service user and carer perspective. We have trainee representation from all cohort years on the People Panel, thus providing regular opportunities for trainees and service users and carers to consult with each other on a wide range of clinically relevant topics and areas of development.
Currently the panel comprises individuals who have had involvement with clinical psychology services in a range of settings such as adult mental health, clinical health psychology, older adult and child and adult intellectual disability services. The representation on the People Panel changes regularly with new members joining and older members leaving, either when they feel that their involvement has reached its natural end, or following a three year term of involvement.
The People Panel members are involved in a range of different aspects of the training programme. They represent that panel on all programme committees and play a key role in our selection procedures for trainees and staff. People Panel members also co-facilitate CBT workshops where feedback is given directly to trainees on their performance from a service user and carer perspective and are actively involved with a number of teaching sessions on the programme. People Panel members also act as consultants for the Problem Based Learning assignment. Trainees regard this experience as positive and comment that they appreciate their advice, guidance and feedback. Trainees regularly ask the People Panel to comment on aspects of their research projects, from early design ideas, to participation information sheets and consent forms, and present their projects at various stages of development for advice and feedback. There are lively discussions at People Panel meetings, discussing and debating areas of shared interest and often trainees report that these exchanges have helped them develop their ideas and thinking further. People Panel members attend the annual research fair, where BCUHB clinical psychologists share ideas for research and academic assignments with the trainees. The People Panel members are keen to become more involved in research and this strand of service user and carer involvement is currently being developed to maximise future collaboration and co-production. The People Panel has also assisted in the development of client consent guidelines for trainees on placement, and forms for service user feedback to be completed at the end of the trainee’s involvement.
At the BPS and Bangor University accreditation visit in 2019, the programme’s People Panel was commended as follows: the engagement of a diverse, committed and passionate group on the People Panel (Service User group), who positively feed into the programme is an area of good practice.
A significant proportion of the population in North Wales speaks Welsh as their first language. Our commitment to train Welsh speaking clinical psychologists who can meet present and future clinical needs in Wales, provides unique opportunities to include practical aspects of cultural diversity in our training, which will be attractive to all trainees. Funding is available for those wishing to learn the Welsh language or who would like to have a refresher to increase confidence. Classes are run by Bangor University as well as Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in various locations across North Wales. Trainees can also attend an intense week of learning basic Welsh before starting the programme. Here is information about what the university can offer: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/cio/index.php.en
Welsh speaking candidates can undertake their interview through the medium of Welsh and simultaneous translation will be provided. Welsh speaking trainees have the option to of completing their academic assignments through the medium of Welsh. The programme organises translation services, of both written work and simultaneous translation in oral presentations.
We are keen to support candidates who are Welsh speaking by offering them six to eight mentoring sessions with either a trainee or qualified clinical psychologist. These aim to offer the person the option to find out about the work of a clinical psychologist, discuss their values and ideas about (clinical) psychology, and explore routes into training. Please contact Carolien Lamers (Recruitment and Selection Director, c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk) for more information about the mentorship scheme.
The programme is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds and ages. The programme also operates the Disability Confident Scheme.
Please contact Carolien Lamers, Selection and Recruitment Director, (c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk) for further information and to discuss support that can be made available to candidates during the selection process and any reasonable adjustments that might be required during training. You can indicate in the application form (Disability Confident Scheme) that you want your application to be considered under the scheme. The minimum criteria identified under entry requirement with a * will be applied to your application.
Trainee Engagement and Support
Upon arrival, you will be allocated a ‘buddy’ from one of the other cohorts, who can help to familiarize yourself with North Wales and the programme, and any questions you may have.
In order to address individual training needs, the programme has a system of allocating a Training Co-ordinator to each trainee. The Training Co-ordinator is a member of the programme team, who oversees and monitors trainees’ development over the three years of the programme. The Training Co-ordinator can advise you on draft assignments and will be your first port of call for any queries.
Each trainee is funded to receive 16 personal and professional development sessions from recognised counsellors, therapists or clinical psychologists, who are independent of the programme. These sessions are voluntary and confidential to the trainee and counsellor, and the programme has no knowledge of which trainees take up the sessions.
Trainees can select a Professional Mentor (a local NHS clinical psychologist) to discuss matters to do with training.
An annual study leave budget is also available for external conferences and workshops.
There are trainee representatives on all the programme committees and the People Panel. Trainees are also asked to feedback on all teaching sessions and are required to complete a feedback form on all placements they undertake.
Lease cars are available to trainees on the programme and many trainees take advantage of this opportunity.
In addition to the programme library based within the Deiniol library (https://www.bangor.ac.uk/library/about/branches.php.en), trainees have access to the wide range of facilities at the university library and the School of Psychology (e.g. psychology and computer laboratories). Trainees can also access the NHS libraries in main district hospitals. There is a dedicated trainee room that contains computers. We also have a test library with assessments, which trainees are required to pass-out on as part of their core placements.
All trainees are registered with Bangor University library, which is a participating member of a UK-wide scheme called SCONUL Research Extra. This allows the opportunity to join and borrow from the libraries of other universities that may be more conveniently located for you. Trainees have an allocation of 20 inter library loan vouchers per annum, which enables them to obtain journals, books and theses.
Canolfan Brailsford is the university’s sports centre and provides sports and recreation facilities for Bangor University staff and students, and the general public. There are indoor facilities for a whole range of sports and fitness activities, including weight training, aerobics classes, in-door cricket, squash, trampolining and much more.
Extensive outdoor facilities are available at two sites, Canolfan Brailsford site and the Normal site. Both are within walking distance of our teaching rooms in Bangor.
There are a number of some of the estate agents and letting agents in the Bangor area who will help you find somewhere to live if you need to relocate temporarily or permanently during your training.
Links:
www.reedsrains.co.uk
www.dafyddhardy.co.uk
www.rightmove.co.uk
Childcare arrangements are available at the university or dependent upon where you live via your local authority.
For example, Tir Na n-Og is a non-profitmaking nursery funded by the university and is open to all sectors of the community with 50 childcare places available, 20 for infants from 3 months of age and 30 for pre-school toddlers. In addition for 5 – 11 year olds the complex includes an after school centre and a holiday play scheme during school term breaks. University employees can benefit from more affordable childcare via our salary exchange arrangement.
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/hr/bangorbenefits/childcaretnn.php.en
The Anglesey Children and Young People's Information Service is a central, confidential access point, providing free and impartial information on a wide range of quality and affordable childcare for children and young people, as well as other children and young people's services available on Anglesey.
Funding
Currently trainees are full time employees of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and have annual leave and other benefits in line with usual NHS entitlements. On entry to the Programme, all trainees are paid on the first spine point of Band 6 of the Agenda for Change pay scales (www.nhscareers.nhs.uk) and will move to the second and third pay points annually, dependent upon successful progression through the Programme.
Trainee posts are funded by the Welsh Government, who will also pay the university fees. There are currently thirteen training places per annum.
Due to funding regulations and restrictions, we cannot accept non-funded trainees or trainees who would normally be charged overseas fees. Please consult the fee status form.
If you are an applicant from the EU, you will need to have obtained indefinitely leave to remain in the UK.
You can also find information about fee status regulations on the UKCISA website.
Travel costs will be paid from an agreed clinical base. Subsistence may also be available for overnight accommodation, either during placement or academic teaching blocks.
GENERIC JOB DESCRIPTION
This is a generic job description provided as a guide to applicants for clinical psychology
training. Actual Trainee Clinical Psychologist job descriptions may differ from this. Please
check with individual clinical psychology course centres and/or the relevant NHS
organisation for more information
JOB SUMMARY
Job Title: Trainee Clinical Psychologist
Accountable to: Director of Clinical Psychology Training Programme or equivalent
Locality: Variable, dependent on current placement
Base: Clinical Psychology Training Programme Base
Termination: Normally after three years. Registration for the Doctor of Clinical
Psychology is a condition of continuation in post
Purpose of the job:
- To undertake and meet the requirements of a structured programme of learning including personal study, academic work, research, clinical experience and assessment leading to the award of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
- To undertake and evaluate specialised psychological assessments, treatments and other types of clinical intervention with individual clients, carers, families, groups of clients etc; staff training; research and development activity.
- To work independently on a day-to-day basis under supervision and subject to reviewat regular intervals, in accordance with Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Psychological Society (BPS) guidelines; supervision will usually be offered by a qualified clinical psychologist (although other qualified healthcare professionals may also contribute).
Communication and working relationships
Trainees will develop working relationships with their Programme Team and their
university tutors, who generally remain constant throughout their training. These
relationships encompass all facets of their training. In addition trainees will develop
circumscribed supervisory relationships with a number of service-based clinical and
research supervisors who each hold responsibility for supervision of specific aspects of
their clinical and/or research work.
Most challenging part of the job
Throughout their clinical psychology training, trainees will need to develop accurate self-awareness about their current knowledge and skills and use this to determine their own learning needs. The generic nature of training is such that trainees will address these issues in multiple organisational and professional contexts and in respect of several client Groups. The capacity to manage academic, research and clinical demands whilst developing as a reflective practitioner is a challenging aspect of the role.
General description of the job
1. Works within a broad range of health and social care settings alongside other
professionals and agencies including within multi-disciplinary teams and specialised
clinical settings.
2. Carries out complex psychological assessments sensitively and independently with a
broad range of client groups including individual psychometric testing sessions.
3. Formulates the nature, causes and maintaining factors of highly distressing
psychological difficulties and presentations informed by a broad range of potentially
conflicting clinical, theoretical and conceptual models, the empirical, experimental and
clinical literature base and the results of assessment. Communicates such
formulations professionally, sensitively and diplomatically frequently in an emotive
atmosphere to clients, relatives, carers and other healthcare professionals relevant to
the case.
4. Plans and implements individualised formulation-driven psychological interventions or
programmes empathically, sensitively and independently, with a broad range of client
groups, carers (including relatives), families, groups of clients etc and evaluates the
impact of such interventions.
5. Plans and delivers group sessions for clients or their carers.
6. Provides advice and support for carers and other professionals.
7. Networks and consults with relevant external agencies such as social services,
independent and voluntary sector, to facilitate and enable intervention at multiple
levels.
8. Plans and provides formal and informal training to other psychologists, other
professionals, and carers, including the presentation of complex and sometimes
contentious psychological and research material.
9.Formal and informal research and development activities designed to inform service
development are a major feature of the work, culminating in the award of a Doctorate
in Clinical Psychology. Disseminates research findings from own Doctorate, including
journal publication and conference presentation.
10. Special emphasis is placed on personal and professional development activity such as
weekly clinical supervision, shadowing, joint working, personal study and reflection.
Work is managed and goals agreed and reviewed at intervals; works independently on
a day-to-day basis
11. Attends formal teaching and training sessions provided by the University programme
and completes assessment and evaluation procedures as required by the programme.
12. Brings to bear a greater level of knowledge, training and experience on clinical activity
than the assistant psychologist.
13. Is required to travel to placements across a large geographical area and visits a range
of settings on placement, including home visits; ability to drive is desirable.
14. Most face-to-face clinical work is sedentary.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical
1. To undertake structured interviews, psychological assessments (including complex
psychometric tests) and observations of individuals and groups.
2. To assist in the development of psychological formulations of clinical problems and the
development and delivery of care plans, which include psychological treatment and/or
management of clients’ problems.
3. To determine appropriate psychological intervention, taking into account a range of
potentially conflicting clinical information and dynamics.
4.To carry out psychological and psychometric tests accurately, and to develop interview
and observation skills, to assess needs and eligibility for services.
5. To design, implement and modify as appropriate, individualised psychological
interventions with clients, carers, families, groups etc
6. To communicate confidential and personal information concerning ability level and
psychological needs, obtained through assessments and interventions, to referring
agents and to the client themselves, who may have limited understanding and
difficulties with acceptance, and where appropriate to relatives and carers.
7. To provide advice and clinically-based supervision to carers about care and
management of clients’ problems.
8. To assist in the co-ordination and running of therapeutic groups.
9. To provide emotional support for clients, their carers and families.
10. To keep appropriate records of work and inform referrers and relevant others through
letters or reports.
11. To work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
12. To follow a person-focused and evidence-based approach.
13. To work in partnership with service users.
14. To work in accordance with national NHS and placement providers’ policies and
regulations, as well as those of relevant professional and regulatory bodies.
15. To work in a variety of settings including the client’s own home, in-patient, residential
and day centre facilities.
16. To work in a highly emotive atmosphere, frequently encountering highly distressing
problems and circumstances, and maintain a high degree of professionalism at all
times.
17. To work in situations where there are barriers to acceptance and possible exposure to
aggression
18. To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with British Psychological Society
(BPS) guidelines and criteria, University procedures, and Health & Care Professions
Council (HCPC) requirements.
Research, Audit and Service Evaluation
1. To plan, monitor and evaluate own work, using clinical outcomes assessments, smallscale research methodology and statistical procedures.
2. To plan and undertake formal Doctoral research, as agreed with the Programme staff.
3. To prioritise expenditure from a small research budget.
4.To develop an advanced knowledge base and practical skill in the design,
implementation and statistical analysis of a wide variety of types of research, which
could include quantitative and qualitative, single case, small N and group comparison
studies.
5. To plan and undertake clinical audits, service evaluations or practice-based research
using appropriate methods and statistical procedures, as agreed with the clinical
supervisor(s).
6. To plan and undertake practice-based research using or developing validated
questionnaires, as required.
7. To enhance own knowledge of clinical psychology, specific client groups and types of
psychological difficulty through reading, literature searches and personal study.
8. To comply with the requirements of research governance and evidence-based
practice.
Information Systems
1. To maintain appropriate records of own work, in electronic and hard copy, in line with
placement provider, NHS and Social Care policies alongside professional guidelines.
2. To maintain relevant administrative systems of own work, electronic and hard copy, in
line with relevant guidelines.
3. To submit statistical information, activity and quality data of own work as required by
the University programme, placement provider, regional or national bodies, or NHS.
4 . To word-process material relevant to the Doctoral programme (such as essays, case
studies, service-related projects, clinical audits and the doctoral thesis) using suitable
word-processing and spreadsheet software.
5. To use information technology as appropriate, within direct clinical work, research and
treatment interventions.
6. To undertake clerical functions requiring some familiarity with applied psychology,
including literature searches, developing and maintaining training packs, information
leaflets, inputting data and other tasks necessary for the efficient running of the service
and/or training needs.
7. To undertake computerised literature searches using major clinical databases such as
PsychInfo, Medline and Cochrane, to inform routine clinical work and as preparation
for the design of major doctoral research and smaller scale placement-based projects.
8. To develop competence in advanced statistical software (such as SPSS) for the
analysis of clinical research and research data.
Teaching, Training and Supervision
1. In conjunction with supervisors and University Tutors, to plan and prioritise own
workload, research, and individual and group sessions.
2. To plan and deliver formal training sessions on psychological aspects of healthcare to
groups of relatives, care staff and other professional staff.
3. To provide practical training and supervision to care staff with respect to planned
interventions.
4. To assist with providing specialist training to other psychologists, trainees and
assistants as appropriate.
5. To demonstrate own duties to other graduate psychologists, if required.
Professional
1. To follow the advice and policies of the placement provider, including knowledge,
awareness of, and compliance with the legal framework relevant to the placement and
client group.
2. To be familiar with and abide by confidentiality and information handling and storage
guidelines of the placement provider, the relevant NHS organisation, and the
University.
3. To participate in regular developmental reviews with the Programme Director or
his/her representative, identifying CPD needs, agreeing objectives, identifying training
needs and formulating a personal plan.
4 .To co-operate in the use of rooms, books, tests and other equipment needed to carry
out duties.
5. To attend and participate in administrative and service planning meetings, as
determined by the clinical supervisor(s).
6 . To undertake any other duties as requested by the Programme Team, such as
participation in trainee and staff selection procedures, or service on programme and
national committees.
7. To participate in evaluation and monitoring of the Programme and associated
placements as required by key stakeholders.
8. To practise and conduct themselves in accordance with British Psychological Society
(BPS), Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and University codes of ethics and
conduct.
GENERIC PERSON SPECIFICATION
This is a generic person specification provided as a guide to applicants for clinical
psychology training. Actual Trainee Clinical Psychologist person specifications may differ
from this. Please check with individual clinical psychology course centres and/or the
relevant NHS organisation for more information.
Area |
Criteria |
Essential/ Desirable |
Academic Qualifications |
First degree in Psychology, or an equivalent qualification, which confers eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society. |
Essential |
Academic Qualifications |
Evidence from undergraduate and any postgraduate study of a capacity to undertake study at a Doctoral level, as indicated by a good class of degree or its equivalent, or by postgraduate study in a field related to Clinical Psychology. |
Essential |
Academic Qualifications |
Evidence of a high level of proficiency in English language. |
Essential |
Experience |
Experience of paid or voluntary work in a clinical, community or clinical-academic setting exposing the person to client groups and service settings directly relevant to clinical psychology. This experience can be gained in a range of contexts including NHS or University settings, the voluntary sector, or organisations affiliated to the NHS. It follows that a variety of pre-training roles would be relevant, including (but not restricted to) Assistant Psychologist, Research Assistant, Graduate Primary Care Worker, Nursing Assistant, and Healthcare Assistant. |
Essential |
Experience |
Sufficient relevant clinical/clinical-research experience to familiarise the person with working practices in NHS/UK statutory service-settings. |
Essential |
Experience |
Evidence that this experience (as above) engenders realistic expectations of the demands and nature of Clinical Psychology training. |
Essential |
Experience |
Evidence that this experience (as above) has developed an awareness of the contexts in which Clinical Psychology services are usually delivered. |
Essential |
Experience |
Evidence that this experience includes building and sustaining relationships with service users in relevant organisational contexts. |
Desirable |
Experience |
Evidence of learning from supervision of clinical practice. |
Desirable |
Experience |
Evidence of a capacity to undertake research at a postgraduate level. |
Desirable |
Skills/Abilities: Knowledge |
Specialist knowledge of clinical psychology acquired through relevant prior experience, undergraduate teaching and/or clinically supervised practice, and the potential to build upon and extend such knowledge through training. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Research |
A foundation of undergraduate-level knowledge of research design and methodology. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Research |
Knowledge of basic statistical procedures employed within the field of psychology (including multivariate data analysis). |
Desirable |
Skills/Abilities: Analytical/ capacity for formulation |
Evidence of potential to formulate and articulate sound judgements based on analysis and interpretation of a range of complex information in clinical work, drawing both on clinical observation and on relevant theoretical models. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Information Technology |
Familiarity with computer use which may include word- processing, spreadsheets, database programmes, Publisher and PowerPoint. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Physical |
Capacity to frequently sit in constrained positions for client assessments, group and individual therapy and counselling sessions and clinical supervision.* |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Effective communication skills, both orally and in written format.* |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential to communicate complex, technical and clinically sensitive information to individuals with whom clinical psychologists usually work. This includes both psychologists and fellow professionals, as well as individual clients and their relatives/carers. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential to tailor communication in a manner which is congruent with the needs of the recipient, including the needs of clients with a range of emotional difficulties, or who have difficulty in communicating or understanding. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential to exercise both appropriate assertion and diplomacy according to the particular situation, with professional colleagues, carers, relatives, and clients with a range of challenging emotional difficulties (including hostility). |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential for good presentation skills suited to both formal and informal settings.* |
Essential |
Experience |
Evidence of a capacity to undertake research at a postgraduate level. |
Desirable |
Skills/Abilities: Knowledge |
Specialist knowledge of clinical psychology acquired through relevant prior experience, undergraduate teaching and/or clinically supervised practice, and the potential to build upon and extend such knowledge through training. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Research |
A foundation of undergraduate-level knowledge of research design and methodology. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Research |
Knowledge of basic statistical procedures employed within the field of psychology (including multivariate data analysis). |
Desirable |
Skills/Abilities: Analytical/ capacity for formulation |
Evidence of potential to formulate and articulate sound judgements based on analysis and interpretation of a range of complex information in clinical work, drawing both on clinical observation and on relevant theoretical models. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Information Technology |
Familiarity with computer use which may include word- processing, spreadsheets, database programmes, Publisher and PowerPoint. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Physical |
Capacity to frequently sit in constrained positions for client assessments, group and individual therapy and counselling sessions and clinical supervision.* |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Effective communication skills, both orally and in written format.* |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential to communicate complex, technical and clinically sensitive information to individuals with whom clinical psychologists usually work. This includes both psychologists and fellow professionals, as well as individual clients and their relatives/carers. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential to tailor communication in a manner which is congruent with the needs of the recipient, including the needs of clients with a range of emotional difficulties, or who have difficulty in communicating or understanding. |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential to exercise both appropriate assertion and diplomacy according to the particular situation, with professional colleagues, carers, relatives, and clients with a range of challenging emotional difficulties (including hostility). |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Communication |
Evidence of potential for good presentation skills suited to both formal and informal settings.* |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Planning |
Evidence of organisational potential which enables planning of own workload in relation both to clinical work (e.g. organise appointments with staff and clients, plan client sessions) as well as academic work (e.g. teaching and research activities). |
Essential |
Skills/Abilities: Planning |
Evidence of a potential for flexibility in planning: specifically a capacity to monitor, evaluate and adjust plans accordingly over time. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of ability to form empathic relations with a wide range of clients in a variety of settings. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of an ability to form good and respectful professional working relationships with a wide range of professional colleagues. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of a capacity to reflect constructively on all aspects of own performance (academic, clinical and professional). |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of a capacity to reflect realistically on their own strengths and weaknesses. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of receptiveness to academic feedback and clinical supervision, and to apply ideas and knowledge gained from this feedback to current and novel contexts. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of values consistent with the NHS Constitution. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of a belief in the possibility of psychological change. |
Essential |
Personal |
Evidence of respect for fairness and diversity. |
Essential |
Personal |
Capacity for frequent extended periods of intense concentration in a range of clinical contexts (e.g. individual/group therapy, clinical assessments/interviews, clinical supervision) which require active participation which takes account of dynamic processes, and where planning of appropriate responses to these dynamic processes is required. |
Essential |
Personal |
Potential to work effectively under pressure, including working directly with staff and clients who may be highly distressed, analyse data where there may be frequent interruptions, prioritise work, operate a waiting list, meet short deadlines and function within an unpredictable work pattern which requires regular revision of plans. |
Essential |
Personal |
Ability, with appropriate support, to undertake psychological assessment and therapy in an emotionally demanding environment, with frequent exposure to highly |
Essential |
|
distressing or highly emotional circumstances, including situations where sexual abuse, family violence and breakdown, mental illness or terminal ill health may be the focus of psychological intervention. |
|
Personal |
Ability to function well in the context of unexpected or uncertain outcome, or in the absence of guidelines or in novel situations, and to contain anxiety and distress on behalf of others, including other staff within the organisation. |
Desirable |
Personal |
Evidence of potential ability to work as a lone worker in circumstances where there may be exposure to severe distress, verbal or physical aggression. |
Desirable |
Personal |
Evidence of potential ability to work effectively whilst exposed to unpleasant working conditions including frequent exposure to verbal aggression and occasional exposure to physical aggression. |
Desirable |
Practical |
Ability and willingness to travel across the training region.* |
Essential |
Practical |
Current driving licence and car/motorcycle owner.* |
Essential |
Practical |
Satisfactory Enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service |
Essential |
Practical |
Satisfactory Work Health Assessment |
Essential |
* After any reasonable adjustments to compensate for disability, including adjustments required to comply with the Equality Act
Entry Requirements
The Job Description and Person Specification of a trainee Clinical Psychologist position for the North Wales Clinical Psychgology Programme is available here.
All of the criteria below are used in the shortlisting process. Required information is obtained from the Clearing House application form and your academic transcript. Criteria identified with an * refer to the minimum criteria that all candidates need to meet. These criteria are assessed by NHS Clinical Psychologists and programme staff. Please note: Due to funding regulations, we are unable to accept applications from candidates who qualify for overseas fees.
Only the information mentioned below is downloaded from your application, we do not know your name, age, address etc,. We download the entire application form once we have decided who to invite for interview, when we review the application using safe recruitment principles.
- Before applying you should have already obtained a single or joint honours first or upper second-class psychology degree (or a conversion degree)* and you should be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership* (GBC). We apply similar criteria to a psychology conversion degree, as an undergraduate psychology degree (www.bps.org.uk/membership/eligibility) with the British Psychological Society.
- We require a transcript of your undergraduate degree or other qualifications, which have given you eligibility for GBC.
- We review the marks of your final year modules on your transcript and calculate an average, without applying any weighting. Your average score needs to be 60% or above. For courses using different marking systems, we apply the guidance provided to us by the Clearing House on how to interpret other degree classifications. For a conversion course, all your modules will be used to calculate this average.
- Applicants with 2.2 psychology undergraduate degree will only be considered if they have completed a PhD. We do not award points to non-psychology degrees.
- You need to have completed your undergraduate degree at the time you are applying.
- It is expected that you will have at least one year’s relevant paid clinical/ research experience*. Clinically relevant experience should give you the opportunity for substantial interaction with people with significant health or psychological difficulties, ideally under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. Experience obtained in other paid employment working with a clinical population will also be relevant (e.g. mental health worker, care assistant, advocate). Research experience should involve the investigation of psychological phenomena within a clinical population. We credit a maximum of two years full time equivalent paid relevant experience.
- In addition to the above you are expected to submit a good quality application form*, which will be assessed by two clinical psychologists. They will be looking for grammar and spelling, as well as your psychological mindedness and your value base. In order to demonstrate this, you have to ensure that you fully answer the open-ended questions.
- Candidates are expected to have good and supportive academic and clinical statement of suitability*, preferably from the employer or supervisor form your most recent post, unless you have only been working with the referee for a relatively short period. In that case you could consider asking the person you worked with before and who has known you for a longer period. Two clinical psychologists assess the statement. If they consider the statement not to be supportive, they will share their concerns with a larger group of assessors, who will need to agree whether or not the statement is considered supportive.
- We also acknowledge your motivation and commitment by awarding points for any presentations at conferences, publications in journals or newsletters and voluntary work that you have undertaken. There are no minimum criteria attached to this section.
- We are committed to increasing the diversity of the profession and we will start using contextual information in our selection process. As this is a new initiative, please keep checking our website (http://nwcpp.bangor.ac.uk/) for more information.
We strongly encourage Welsh speakers to apply for this programme and we award additional points in the shortlisting phase, for your ability to speak Welsh. The legal status of the Welsh language in all areas of life in Wales (including health), and the very significant proportion of the population in North and West Wales who speak Welsh as their first language, means that the programme welcomes the opportunity to train people to fulfil a very real need for delivering the best quality psychological care in the Welsh language. This commitment was recognised during the Bangor University re-validation visit in 2019. Please indicate on the application form your level of Welsh proficiency.
We can provide a range of facilities to support Welsh speaking trainees to develop their clinical practice skills in the Welsh language, including placements and, where practicable supervision, as well as presenting written and other work in Welsh. We can also support trainees who wish to learn Welsh, wish to refresh their skills, or simply develop more confidence in using their Welsh language skills in practice.
As the number of bilingual Welsh-English speaking applicants remains low (1% of all applicants in the UK, as per 2021 intake Clearing House equal opportunity data), the majority of trainees in each cohort is English speaking. We offer mentorship sessions to candidates who are Welsh speaking. For more information, please contact Carolien Lamers (c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk).
Training in a bilingual cohort and community, often rural, provides excellent opportunities for you to enhance your cultural appreciation and skills within clinical practice.
If English is not your first language, you will be required to provide evidence that you possess an adequate level of English competence. You need to have obtained level 8 on the IELTS scheme*, with no elements below 7.5. This does not apply to Welsh/English bilingual candidates. Having completed an academic psychology programme in the UK through the medium of English, will be considered evidence of your English language competence.
The Programme is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds and ages. The Programme operates the Disability Confident Scheme (http://www.gov.uk/government/collection/disability-confident-company). The minimum criteria identified above with a * are applied when you have indicated by injection of the application in Section 4 of the application form that you want your application to be rated under this scheme. Please contact Carolien Lamers (Recruitment and Selection Director, c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk) for further information and to discuss support that can be made available to you during the selection process and any reasonable adjustments that might be required during training.
Universities will not usually allow you to enrol onto a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology if you are currently enrolled on any other degree, e.g., a PhD or Masters programme. If you have any outstanding requirements from another programme, you may be required to withdraw from that programme in order to take up a place or to continue your studies on a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Being in the final stages of any such programme, i.e., submission of thesis has occurred or is imminent at the time of applying, your application might be considered.
We will be using the contextual information you were invited to provide on your Clearing House application form. We have been working together with other UK programmes to devise the contextual selection questionnaire that enquires about your earlier life experiences that might have hindered you to reach their full potential. We will include your contextual information once we have completed our shortlisting process, using the criteria described above. Those candidates who meet all our minimum criteria, and who are not invited for interview based on their ranking or for having their application reviewed under the Disability Confident scheme, will then be reviewed in light of the contextual information provided. Those with the highest number of ‘flags’ are then invited for interview. These places are in addition to those invited based on their ranking or Disability Confident scheme. We are continuing to evaluate the impact that this approach has on the make-up of our new cohorts in the future.
During the selection process, we will contact you by e-mail only, so please check your e-mails, as well as e-mails that may have gone into your spam folder and update us with any changes in your contact details.
Local NHS Clinical Psychologists, People Panel members and programme staff are involved in all aspects of the selection process, applying the criteria as set out under Entry Requirements. If you have not been shortlisted for interview, we recommend you check your details against our selection criteria.
The interviews for 2023 are scheduled to take place 20–24 March, and will be held online. You will also be invited to complete a written task the week before. If you are invited to attend for interview, you will also be invited to join us for an evening event (usually the night before your interview), where you have the chance to speak to current trainees and hear a bit more about the training programme. The interview panel members will not attend this event.
If you are invited for interview, we will ask you to provide evidence of your identity or status, for example, providing your passport, photocard driving licence, etc.
Usually, we interview three times the number of funded training places. The interview panels usually comprise of local Clinical Psychologists, People Panel members and programme team members, and involves the assessment of clinical, academic, research and reflective skills as well as suitability for clinical training. Throughout the interview process you will be supported by programme staff, who do their utmost to put you at your ease.
All candidates will be contacted as soon as the interview panels have made their decision. You will also be offered a time to call for further feedback.
Once you have been offered a place, the Programme will assess Fitness to Practise through screening procedures. The offer of a training place is subject to satisfactory checks with local Occupational Health Services and with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). If the DBS disclosure check confirms the presence of convictions, the Head of the Clinical Psychology Service and the Programme Director will assess if the candidate can be accepted onto the programme. In the case of an unsatisfactory occupational health check, the offer might be withdrawn if no reasonable adjustments can be made to enable the candidate to undertake the training.
We send new trainees an information pack regarding the programme and the local area before you commence training in October. At this stage you will also need to verify your qualification by providing your original certificate and other relevant documents.
Fitness to Practise is a requirement of all professions registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). During training (pre-registration), monitoring of Fitness to Practise is the responsibility of Programmes. Candidates should refer to the HCPC standards for a definition (www.hcpc-uk.org/complaints/fitnesstopractise/).
Concerns about Fitness to Practise could be raised during the selection process. This will include the manner and tone of written and verbal communications with the programme at any stage of the selection process, as well as your behaviour during the interview process.
During the selection process, issues that could significantly impair your capacity to practice will be noted in an open and reflective way. These could be for example, whether you are open to feedback about any relevant concerns, shows appropriate self-awareness in relation to difficulties that impact on your capacity to work, and are willing to work collaboratively with relevant staff to address (and hopefully to overcome) these.
Once you have been offered a place, the Programme will assess Fitness to Practise further through screening procedures. The offer of a training place is subject to satisfactory checks with local Occupational Health Services and with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). If the DBS check confirms the presence of convictions, the Programme Director in consultation with the Head of Clinical Psychology Services within Betsi Cadwalader University Health Board will assess if the candidate can be accepted onto the programme.
In the case concerns are raised in the occupational health check, the offer might be withdrawn if no reasonable adjustments can be made to enable the candidate to undertake the training.
The programme is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds and ages. The programme also operates the Disability Confident Scheme. Take out Also
Please contact Carolien Lamers, Selection and Recruitment Director, (c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk) for further information and to discuss support that can be made available to candidates during the selection process and any reasonable adjustments that might be required during training. You can indicate in the application form (Disability Confident Scheme) that you want your application to be considered under the scheme. The minimum criteria identified under entry requirement with a * will be applied to your application.
Frequently Asked Question
We do not consider your A levels. We are interested in your performance at undergraduate degree level and possibly beyond. We would expect applicants to have achieved at least a 2:1 at degree level. Unfortunately, we are no longer considering applications with a 2.2. or lower, even if you have obtained a further masters degree. Only a PhD could compensate for a low undergraduate degree.
Application
Applications for DClinPsy must be made through the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology.
The Clearing House for postgraduate courses in clinical psychology process all applications to the programme. Please do not apply directly to the university.
Further information on the application process can be found on the Clearing House Website, or you can contact our Selection and Recruitment Director(c.lamers@bangor.ac.uk) for further information.
You might also find the Facebook page 'Clinical Psychology, on the right track' helpful. It was created by students on the Masters in Foundation in Clinical Psychology at Bangor University.
Please note: This course is unable to accept applications from overseas students due to the fact that it is funded by the NHS.
The DCP Pre-Qualification Group represents the interests of assistant psychologists and trainee clinical psychologists. Each year, trainees are asked for their views on various aspects of their course, and the results are compiled to form the alternative handbook. The handbook gives a true flavour of each programmes and offers a consumer's view of each programme, updated each year, that can help guide applicants' decisions on where to apply, and which offer to accept. Handbooks can be obtained from:
The BPS
DCP Affiliates Alternative Handbook Request
48 Princess Road East
Leicester
LE1 7DR