Presentation by Dr Kate Cavanagh & Dr Kathy Greenwood at Sussex University (updated April 2013)

1. Careers in Clinical Psychology
Dr. Kate Cavanagh
& Dr. Kathy Greenwood

2. What is a Clinical Psychologist?
• A health professional who aims to reduce
psychological distress and to enhance and
promote psychological well-being.
• A wide range of psychological difficulties may
be dealt with, including anxiety, depression,
relationship problems, learning disabilities,
child and family problems and serious mental
illness.

3. What kind of work do we do?
• Assessment
• Formulation – (making sense of what is going on)
• Intervention including Psychological Therapies
• Supervision
• Teaching / Training
• Research
• Leadership
• In the NHS and in the private sector

4. How to become a Clinical Psychologist?
• Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership
– This is achieved by completing a British Psychological
Society accredited degree or conversion course
• Completion of a British Psychological Society
accredited Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
– 3 year, full time training program, funded by NHS
• Registration with the Health Professional Council
(HPC)
– NB Continuous professional development

5. Professional structure in the NHS
GBCM and
other
experience

6. Applying for clinical psychology
training
• Approximately 580 funded training places per
year in the UK offered across 30 University
courses
• Apply through the Leeds Clearing House
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/

7. Leeds Clearing House for Clinical
Psychology Training

8. Bangor University - North Wales
University of Bath
University of Birmingham
Coventry and Warwick
University of East Anglia
University of East London
• Course Centres University of Edinburgh - NHS Scotland
University of Essex - Tavistock
University of Exeter
University of Glasgow - NHS Scotland
University of Hertfordshire
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London
Lancaster University
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Liverpool
University of Manchester
Newcastle University
North Thames - University College London
Oxford
Plus Plymouth University
Royal Holloway, University of London
• University of Hull Salomons, Canterbury Christ Church University
• Queens University Belfast University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
South Wales
Staffordshire and Keele
University of Surrey
Teesside University
Trent - Universities of Lincoln and Nottingham

9. Applying for clinical psychology
training
• You can apply for up to 4 courses through Leeds
Clearing house
• The deadline for applications is in late November
each year (to begin training the following
September)
• Information for international students:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/BasicInternationalFunding.html

10. Applying for clinical psychology
training
• Highly competitive application process
– In 2012 there were 3587 applicants for only 586
places (e.g. 1 in 7 success rate, 85% rejection rate)
• Average age of trainees at start of course is
around 27/28

11. Applications and offers

12. What are they looking for
• Note – each course is different (see Leeds Clearing
House for course details), but…
• Common themes across courses in what they are
looking for
– Evidence of academic ability
– Evidence of research experience and ability
– A basic understanding of what clinical psychologists do,
why and how.
– Evidence of experience of working in the kinds of settings
that clinical psychologists work
– Evidence of working with the kinds of people that clinical
psychologists work (both service users and professionals)
– Reflection: the ability to learn from your experiences,
whatever they are.

13. Getting the experience you need
• Assistant psychologist posts
– Sign up to emails on www.jobs.nhs.uk
• Research assistant posts on clinical research
projects
– Sign up to emails on www.jobs.ac.uk
• Local jobs in support work etc
– Keep an eye on vacancies in the Argus etc
• Other opportunities
– Charity and Voluntary sector

14. Useful resources for aspiring
clinical psychologists

15. British Psychological Society

16. Division of Clinical Psychology

17. Pre-qualification group

18. Health Professionals Council

19. Leeds Clearing House for Clinical
Psychology Training
• http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/

20. What are they looking for
• Note – each course is different (see Leeds Clearing
House for course details), but…
• Common themes across courses in what they are
looking for
– Evidence of academic ability
– Evidence of research experience and ability
– A basic understanding of what clinical psychologists do,
why and how.
– Evidence of experience of working in the kinds of settings
that clinical psychologists work
– Evidence of working with the kinds of people that clinical
psychologists work (both service users and professionals)
– Reflection: the ability to learn from your experiences,
whatever they are.

21. Alternative Course Handbook

22. ClinPsy.org.uk – aspiring clinical
psychologists community website

23. Keeping other options in mind…
• e.g. Increasing access to psychological
therapies – primary wellbeing practitioner
training
• http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/

24. Other useful resources
• MIND
– www.mind.org.uk/
• RETHINK
– http://www.rethink.org/
• Sussex Partnership Foundation NHS Trust
– http://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/
• Jobs in the NHS
– www.nhs.uk/ jobs
• Research jobs
– www.jobs.ac.uk

25. MSc Foundations in Clinical Psychology
and Mental Health