Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)
School of Psychology
Bangor University
BANGOR
Gwynedd
LL57 2DG
Telephone: 01248 382205
Fax: 01248 383718
Admissions Tutor: Carolien Lamers
Link to Bangor University website
This three year Doctoral Programme is a collaborative venture between the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and Bangor University. Successful candidates will gain a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology that confers eligibility to apply for registration with the Health Professions Council and eligibility for chartered status with the British Psychological Society. The North Wales Programme was the first to establish the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in the UK, leading the way for other Programmes. BCUHB clinical psychologists have close working links with the Bangor University School of Psychology and currently have numerous joint clinical psychology posts with the University. There are at present about 100 qualified clinical psychologists working in North Wales covering work in adult mental health, older adults, learning disabilities, child and adolescent clinical psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology and health psychology. Nearly all are involved in the Programme through teaching, supervision (clinical/research), assessment of academic work and representation at committees.
One of the distinctive aspects of the North Wales Programme is its close integration into a mainstream academic psychology department that is highly rated for both research and teaching. The School of Psychology's research excellence is internationally recognised. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise it maintained its status as one of the top Psychology departments in the UK, ranking seventh (out of 76) on the Research Power Table. It has one of the most vibrant and friendly research communities. The School has particular strengths in clinical and health psychology, cognitive neuropsychology, applied behaviour analysis, and learning and developmental psychology. Several leading international researchers have made their base in Bangor, for example in the areas of Older Adults (Robert T Woods and Linda Clare) and Learning Disabilities and Autism (Richard Hastings). The School is a centre of excellence for training in clinical practice. There is the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (the UK's leading organisation for the delivery of Mindfulness training programmes). Michaela Swales (who is internationally recognised for her expertise in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and leader of the national Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Training Team) is on the School staff and the School hosts an early intervention parent-training centre directed by Judy Hutchings (which is funded nationally to deliver training throughout Wales). The School also prides itself on excellent teaching and during the most recent internal Quality Audit of the School of Psychology, the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme was commended for both its teaching and pastoral care of trainees. The Programme was accredited by the BPS in April 2008 for the subsequent five years and was commended for the supportiveness and accessibility of the Programme Team, the quality of the graduates, and collaboration with stakeholders, including the School of Psychology, commissioners and local clinicians. We were delighted to receive endorsement with no conditions from the accreditation and believe this illustrates the robust and cohesive nature of the Programme.
The academic base of the Programme is in Bangor and the trainees have dedicated teaching rooms in the School of Psychology building overlooking the city of Bangor.
The College of Health and Behavioural Sciences comprises the School of Psychology, the School of Healthcare Sciences, the School of Sports Health and Exercise Science, the School of Medical Sciences and the Institute of Medical and Social Care Research. This collaboration brings expertise and interest in health research together creating an environment for shared research strategies and health related training activities in terms of professional learning.
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 clients and the development of services. The main aim of the Programme is to meet the needs of the NHS for Health Professions Council registered Clinical Psychologists who have:
The Programme continually reviews the training scheme and is active in making adjustments, where these are indicated, in keeping with the Programme's Aims and Objectives and meeting the needs of the public and the profession. We are currently focusing on leadership, resilience and service user involvement. We have a People Panel, comprising service users and carers, that helps to establish a dialogue between the clients, the trainers and future colleagues in the profession. The People Panel offers advice on a range of aspects of the training Programme. Trainees are invited to consult with the Panel on areas of their training, eg research ideas. A service user sits on our Selection sub-committee and service user representatives are involved in interviewing. Service users are also involved in curriculum development, teaching and placement feedback.
In terms of therapeutic approaches we focus on Cognitive Behavioural and the Third Wave therapies: Mindfulness based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. With the help of the Centre for Mindfulness, the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy training team, a leading centre for training and research in behaviour analysis based within the School, and a range of local clinicians using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, we are optimising learning in these exciting clinical areas.
The Programme aims to select trainees for their commitment to clinical psychology and their potential to develop a high level of clinical, academic and research competence. It aims to foster this potential by encouraging the development of skills, knowledge and values that underpin these competencies. This approach 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.
There are few University towns or cities that can rival Bangor's location. It is set in a region of outstanding natural beauty with the mountains, lakes and forests of Snowdonia National Park, as well as having North Wales's dramatic coastline on its doorstep. There are unparalleled opportunities for outdoor activities, attracting many students to North Wales. The City of Bangor is compact in size and in a rural setting, leaving it free from many of the problems of the larger industrial cities but it still has a vibrant student life. Bangor is regarded as the fourth most economical place to study in the UK according to a table published by The Independent. Bangor is easily accessible; it is just over one hour's travelling distance from the M56 motorway, which joins with the M6. The M56 provides a direct link from Manchester to the A55 coast expressway, while the A5 is a scenic route through North Wales to Shropshire. Regular fast trains run between Bangor and London, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Manchester. There is also an Anglesey-Cardiff air link, which runs Monday to Friday.
North Wales has a rich cultural diversity. A significant proportion of the population in North Wales speak Welsh as their first language. There are several diverse cultural communities in North Wales, reflecting recent and past mobility of people from other countries, including Poland and the African continent.
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All of the above criteria are assessed by a panel of NHS and Programme staff.
The Programme is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds. The Programme also operates the Double Tick Scheme. Please contact Carolien Lamers 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 your application (Disability Symbol Scheme question in the Eligibility section) that you want your application to be considered under the scheme.
A significant proportion of the population in North Wales speaks Welsh as their first language and if you are a bilingual Welsh-English speaker, you are strongly encouraged to apply for this Programme. We do not award points for Welsh language ability, but where two candidates have an identical scoring profile at either the short-listing or interview stage, and one of them speaks Welsh, the place will be offered to the Welsh speaker first.
Welsh speaking trainees are offered the possibility of having placements where they can work through the medium of Welsh. They can also take part in case discussions through the medium of Welsh across the three year groups, if they wish. Funding is available for those wishing to learn the Welsh language or who would like to have a refresher to increase confidence.
We welcome applications from all interested high quality candidates regardless of first language. As the number of Welsh speaking applicants remains low (about 1% of all applicants), the majority of our trainees are English speaking. Being in a cohort with Welsh speaking trainees provides unique opportunities to include practical aspects of cultural diversity in our training which will be attractive to all trainees.
If English is not your first language, you will be required to provide proof 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 English/Welsh bi-lingual candidates.
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Local NHS clinicians, service users and Programme staff are involved in all aspects of the selection process, applying the criteria as set out above under Entry Requirements. If you have not been short-listed for interview, you will be offered a time to ring for feedback about your application form.
The interview panels are usually comprised of a third year trainee, service users, local clinicians and Programme team members and involve the assessment of clinical, academic, research, and reflective skills as well as suitability for clinical training. Throughout the interview process candidates will be supported by Programme staff and existing trainees who do their utmost to put you at your ease. We try to contact all candidates on the last day of the interviews with the interview panels' decision. Candidates will also be offered a time to call for further feedback. The offer of a training place is subject to a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau check (paid for by the employer) and a satisfactory Occupational Health Assessment. If the Criminal Records Bureau check confirms the presence of convictions, the Heads of Service and the Programme Director will assess if the candidate can be accepted onto the Programme. In the case of an unsatisfactory Occupational Health Assessment, the offer might be withdrawn if no reasonable adjustments can be made to enable the candidate to undertake the training.
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The trainee posts are funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. There are currently seven training places per annum. If successful, you will become a salaried trainee clinical psychologist in the employment of the Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board and will commence at the first pay point on band 6 of Agenda for Change and commence to the second and third pay points annually dependant on successful progression through the Programme. Due to funding regulations and restrictions we cannot accept self-funded trainees or trainees who would normally be charged overseas fees. Travel costs are paid from an agreed clinical base. Subsistence is available for overnight accommodation subject to prior approval of the Programme Director.
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The Academic component of the Programme aims to actively engage trainees 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. The majority of teaching is workshop-based, introducing problem based learning, with theory-research-practice links developed from the outset. Trainees are expected to take an active role in teaching and present cases at regularly scheduled case-discussion sessions. In the first year of the Programme, teaching focuses on topics including adult mental health, older adults, health psychology and neuropsychology reflecting the range of clinical experience trainees may have during the year. In the second year, child and adolescent mental health and learning disabilities teaching are covered. Third year academic sessions pursue a range of topics at a more specialist and advanced level and trainees' preferences and interests are incorporated in the syllabus where possible. The Third Wave Therapies are taught across the three years. In the first year there is a focus on Mindfulness, with a gradual shift of emphasis to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy in Year 2 and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the final year. Teaching on therapy process, professional conduct, reflective practice and research run throughout the three years. Most of the teaching takes place in academic blocks, but there are also "college days" spread more evenly across the year, to further encourage theory-research-practice links. While clinical and academic psychologists within North Wales undertake the majority of the teaching, psychologists from outside the area are also invited to contribute where appropriate. There is also some contribution from other professions and an increase in service users perspectives in the teaching sessions. Trainees give feedback on all academic sessions, thus enabling the Programme to keep improving the standards of its teaching. Attendance at all teaching sessions is required, although with the agreement of the Programme Director, up to two college days per annum can be taken as annual leave, with no more than one trainee per cohort on leave at a time.
Clinical experience starts in November of Year 1 and extends over the three years of the Programme. Trainees normally undertake two placements in each of the first and second years of the Programme. In the third year the length of placements is dictated by trainees' individual learning needs, and it is possible to have between one and three placements. The placements are provided over a large geographical area (Gwynedd, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, North Powys, Flintshire and Wrexham) and cover post-industrial towns and cities as well as rural communities. Trainees who are on placement at a distance from their home have the possibility of claiming for accommodation close to the placement. Placements available at the time of writing include: Adult Mental Health, Older Adults, Children and Adolescents, Learning Disabilities, Forensic Services, Neuropsychology, Oncology and Palliative Care, Renal Care, Pain Management, Chronic Fatigue Services, Paediatric and Primary Care Services for Children, Continuing Care, Severe and Enduring Mental Health Problems, Child Development, Childhood Autism, Child Conduct Disorder, In-patient Adolescents, Challenging Behaviour (learning disability) and Profound Learning Disability. In addition, trainees can gain clinical experience in particular therapeutic approaches such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, CBT for psychosis, Psycho-dynamically orientated therapies, Person Centred Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness.
It is expected that clinical placements be within the North Wales area. However under exceptional circumstances, related to individual training needs, trainees can apply to undertake a placement outside North Wales. Occasionally trainees have undertaken placements abroad eg Tennessee (child behaviour), South Africa (neuropsychology), Reno (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), India (older adults) and Canada (adult mental health). Trainees who want to undertake a placement abroad have to pay the major costs.
Placement Agreements are negotiated at the beginning of each placement by the supervisor and trainee in conjunction with Programme staff. These contracts are reviewed mid-way through the placement. Trainees are required to provide feedback on all placements as part of our endeavour to ensure that the high quality of clinical experience is maintained and improved.
Research is an important aspect of the Programme. Training in research skills occurs throughout the Programme. There is a literature-based and a data-based project during the first and second years of the Programme. Additionally, trainees start preparing a large-scale research project during the first year. The overall aim of the Programme is to ensure that trainees gain experience in using a range of research models and strategies.
A range of research supervision is provided by clinical psychologists from the BCUHB and colleagues in the School of Psychology. At present, research programmes are being conducted in several areas including self-control in children, evaluation of pain management, new treatments for conduct disordered children, people with a learning disability who display challenging behaviours, down syndrome, autism, dementia care, addictive behaviours, cognitive approaches to psychosis, autobiographical memory and mental health, cognitive and coping strategies in adult survivors of sexual abuse, mental health problems in people with learning disabilities, attributions in staff working with people with learning disabilities, families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, relationship issues in older adults, therapy process issues, mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, health psychology and professional issues in working as a clinical psychologist. The Programme supports research projects from within the scientist practitioner tradition, using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. In addition, the strengths of the School of Psychology include research in clinical and health psychology and clinical neuroscience.
We hold an annual conference where the trainees present their research projects either through presentations or posters. We invite new entry trainees to this conference before they start on the Programme.
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There are no unseen written examinations in the Programme. 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 competences, reports of clinical activity, a reflective piece of work, a service related research project and a meta analytic project. These assignments are marked by two psychologists and moderated by our external examiners. At the end of the third year, the doctoral thesis is evaluated by viva voce examination.
The doctorate is the only exit award from this Programme. There are no fall back qualifications for unsuccessful candidates or aegrotat award.
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The small size of trainee cohorts enables the Programme to have a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. 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 and oversees and monitors trainees' development over the three years of the Programme.
Trainees can select a Personal Tutor (a local NHS Clinical Psychologist) to discuss matters to do with training. Each trainee also is funded to receive 24 Personal and Professional Development sessions from recognised counsellors 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 particular trainee takes up the vouchers.
An annual study leave budget is also available to attend external conferences and workshops.
In addition to the dedicated Programme library based within the Main Arts Library, trainees have access to the wide range of facilities at the University library and the School of Psychology (eg psychology and computer laboratories). There is a dedicated trainee resource room that contains computers and an extensive Programme test library. Lease cars are available to trainees on the Programme and many trainees take advantage of this opportunity.
There are trainee representatives on all the Programme committees and trainees are consulted in the organisation of the academic teaching. Trainees are also asked to feed back on all teaching sessions and are required to complete a feedback form on all placements they undergo.
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Ms Sharon Fraser - Programme Manager
Professor Isabel Hargreaves - Programme Director & Clinical Director
Professor Richard Hastings - Research Director
Dr Helen Healy - Clinical Tutor
Ms Debbie Johnson - Admin Assistant (Curriculum)
Prof Robert Jones - Deputy Programme Director & CPD Director
Ms Carolien Lamers - Admissions Tutor
Ms Sharon Owen - Admin Assistant (Research and Clinical)
Ms Renee Rickard - Senior Clinical Tutor
Mrs Dawn Thompson - PA to Programme Director & Senior Administrator
Dr Vaso Totsika - Lecturer in Psychology & Research Tutor
Professor Bob Woods - Academic Director
Additional contributions to the Programme are made by the School of Psychology, Bangor University and Clinical Psychology Departments in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
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