The document provides an overview of a career as a clinical neuropsychologist from Dr. Sanjay Sunak. It discusses his background and qualifications, what the job entails, such as diagnostic assessment, rehabilitation, and working with patients, families, and teams. It also addresses some myths about qualifying for clinical psychology programs and provides suggestions for gaining relevant experience, such as working with charities or in research assistant roles.

1. Psychology Careers Uncovered Dr Sanjay Sunak BSc (Hons), MSc, PG Dip, PsychD Clinical Neuropsychologist Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton, London

2. Overview My background and qualifying as a Clinical Psychologist What does a Clinical Neuropsychologist do? Challenges and rewards What to do for experience Questions

3. My background and qualifying as a Clinical Psychologist Undergraduate degree & voluntary experiences Postgraduate degrees & salaried posts Myth busting...

4. Clinical Psychology Doctorate myth busting! It’s so competitive I’ll spend years applying and never getting an offer If I don’t have Psychology Assistant experience I won’t get offered an interview [Brunel’s Psychology courses confer Graduate Basis of Registration for the BPS]

5. What does a Clinical Neuropsychologist do? Extremely diverse and open to a variety of different approaches e.g. working with teams & leadership, 1:1 work with patients, working with groups of patients, working with families Since Monday last week....

6. A snapshot of my working week ‘ Diagnostic Assessment Clinic’ Family work Assessment and rehabilitation (1:1 patient work) Supervision & complex case discussion with my team Teaching the Trainee Clinical Psychologists at Surrey [Different settings]

7. A little more on assessment and rehabilitation Assessment Intelligence tests, memory, concentration, visuospatial skills, executive skills (initiation, planning, organisation etc.) Rehabilitation Compensatory strategies

8. What is wrong (and right) with this clock drawing?

9. Challenges & rewards Neuro rehab is a little bit like the film ‘Inception’ Mixture of both complex assessment skills and intervention/therapy skills: individual patients, groups of patients, families, NHS teams etc. Leadership

10. What to do for experience Relevant experience would be working closely with people that a clinical psychologist may see This experience could be obtained in any setting Equal weight is given to clinically-relevant experience obtained whilst carrying out research Relevant experience may be paid or unpaid

11. What to do for experience Google “Careers within the IAPT initiative” Specifically neuropsychology PhD students in a relevant field who need an assistant voluntary work in relevant UK charities (e.g. Stroke Association, Headway) and care settings for people with brain injury honorary assistant psychologist posts for research (psychometric assessment experience)

12. Thank you for listening! Questions?