Postgraduate Course in Clinical Psychology
The University of Birmingham
School of Psychology
Edgbaston
BIRMINGHAM
B15 2TT
Telephone: 0121 414 7124
Course Director: Dr Jan Oyebode
Admissions Tutor: Dr Theresa Powell
General enquiries should be directed to the Programme Administrator: Sharon Boyce
Link to University of Birmingham website
This is an integrated three-year Course leading to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology (Clinical Psychology Doctorate) and eligibility to apply for registration with the Health Professions Council. The course began in 1967 and is accredited by the British Psychological Society. It has produced over 500 qualified clinical psychologists and enjoys the benefits of being based in a University School of Psychology that was ranked third in the UK in the last Research Assessment Exercise. It is also well integrated with clinical psychology services in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country where clinical psychology is a strong and well-developed profession. Local clinicians sit on all course committees and provide valuable input to the delivery and design of the curriculum.
The University has over 27,000 students from the UK and around the world and is situated on a pleasant campus close to the city centre. The School of Psychology has almost 800 undergraduate and postgraduate students, 46 lecturers and 40 research staff. The Clinical Psychology Group is a comparatively large one and most staff are actively engaged in both health service work and research.
The course provides the opportunity for trainees to acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills in order to solve problems in clinical settings. We encourage an attitude of "critical open-mindedness" to a range of theories and, in line with current NHS trends, we emphasise the importance of evidence-based practice and evaluation of therapeutic interventions. We encourage trainees to reflect on their clinical work in reflective practice groups, teaching and in written assessments. Although special consideration is given to cognitive-behavioural approaches, trainees are also introduced to behavioural, psychodynamic and systemic models and specialist placements that focus on these models are available. The course also aims to prepare trainees for the broader organisational demands of the NHS.
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There are no restrictions on the level of the first degree, although applicants with a first degree of 2.2 or lower may need to show evidence of further academic qualifications. The degree qualification must be such that the candidate would be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society. People who have taken conversion courses are not at a disadvantage in our process. Candidates seeking GBC through application to the BPS must have attained this by the time of interview (April 2012). NB this does not apply to candidates waiting to complete their first degree.
Applicants should have experience that includes significant exposure to relevant client groups, is sufficient to provide them with specialist knowledge of clinical psychology and shows that they have the skills to cope with the real life demands of work in clinical settings. This might include clinical research (eg a PhD or work on a clinically relevant research project) or service delivery (eg Assistant Psychologist or Psychological Well-being Practitioner). Mature applicants or applicants with experience outside traditional health/caring settings should not be discouraged from applying if their experience is relevant in some way. Undergraduate psychologists are only considered if they have relevant experience prior to their first degree. For candidates whose first language is not English or whose first degree was not taught in English the minimum requirements for TOEFL/IELTS are: 100 for internet-based TOEFL with no less than 23 in any band, 600 for paper-based TOEFL (TWE4) or 7.0 for IELTS with no less than 6.5 in any band.
We are very conscious of being situated in an area of rich ethnic diversity, and try to ensure that ethnic and racial issues are fully addressed in all aspects of the course. The University is an equal opportunities employer and the course particularly welcomes applications from people from ethnic minority groups. People who can provide evidence of a disability will be interviewed if they fall in the top 100 after paper sort.
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A short-list of interviewees is selected by a team of university teaching staff and local supervisors. 60 applicants are selected for interview for 25 places (2011/12). Trainees are selected on the basis of relevant clinical experience, academic achievement and personal suitability. Short-listed candidates are seen for a day long assessment that includes three interviews (each with two people) and a written exercise. Service users are also involved in this process. After the final interview date, offers are made to the most suitable candidates. Brief written feedback is provided to applicants who are not short-listed for interview. Written feedback is also given on interview performance.
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The West Midlands Strategic Health Authority pays all Birmingham trainees a salary throughout their training. Each trainee has an employment contract with one of the local NHS Trusts and is required to adhere to their terms and conditions. There are no contractual obligations with Trusts after training. Travel expenses are paid at 25p per mile and are capped at £1,200 per trainee per year. The salary is on Agenda for Change Band 6 (as of April 2011):
| Cohort | Salary |
|---|---|
| First Year Trainees | £25,528 |
| Second Year Trainees | £26,556 |
| Third Year Trainees | £27,625 |
The West Midlands Strategic Health Authority will only fund EEA citizens or people who do not need a work permit. Owing to pressure on placements it is, regrettably, not possible to accept applicants on a personal self-funding basis.
All trainees are required to sign a generic code of professional conduct and fitness to practice statement and undergo criminal records bureau and occupational health checks.
These are met by The West Midlands Strategic Health Authority.
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The trainees' time on the course is almost equally divided between academic work and clinical practice. Teaching consists of workshops, lectures and seminars provided in term time across the three-year period. Clinical placements start in Week 7 of the first year and continue for three days a week. Time is scheduled for private study and project work throughout each year.
Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is organised to link in with the requirements of placement including teaching in: Adult Mental Health, Child, Learning Disabilities, work with Older People and other specialist areas such as Physical Health. At the same time academic courses in all three years cover a broad range of topics in psychology, providing the knowledge base for clinical practice and training in clinical, professional, therapeutic and research skills. The essential components of the course are given below.
In the first few weeks of the course trainees participate in intensive training workshops designed to provide them with basic skills prior to their first clinical attachment. Amongst the topics covered are: interviewing and building rapport; problem formulation; the basics of behavioural, cognitive, systemic and psychodynamic models; working with people across the age-span; and working with people with disability. A range of topics are covered in the rest of the first year including: the four therapeutic models; therapeutic skills (via problem based learning); research methods in clinical practice; personal and professional issues (including self care); introduction to specialist areas eg neuropsychology and addictive behaviours.
Second year teaching builds on the areas covered in the first year and also includes specialist teaching on: psychological therapies; neuropsychology; clinical health psychology; severe and enduring mental health issues; addictions; forensic work; and advanced professional issues.
Much of the teaching in the third year consists of one-day specialist workshops that take place in collaboration with the Coventry and Warwick ClinPsyD course. Trainees select from a list of workshops (based on their learning needs), covering a wide range of topics relevant to clinical psychology.
A research project is initiated in the spring term of the first year and completed by the summer of the third year. We recommend that trainees choose projects that link with the interests of the course team or local clinical psychologists. The choice of potential topics is wide and each trainee has a clinical and academic supervisor. The project is written up in a form suitable for submission for publication in academic or professional journals. Staff have a diverse range of research interests that include the use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies in areas that span all ages and most specialties.
Clinical training takes place in a wide range of hospitals, clinics, community centres and voluntary agencies. These are within Birmingham, Solihull and The Black Country. There is one 10-month foundation placement in the first year during which trainees begin to acquire core competencies. This could be in any of the main specialties. In the second year there may be two 6-month or one 12-month placement depending on the competencies that trainees still need to acquire. In the third year, trainees elect two placements that may be carried out consecutively or in parallel. These may be chosen from the wide range of opportunities available across the placement territory of both the University of Birmingham and that of Coventry and Warwick on the basis of trainees' learning needs.
Further details relating to the management of clinical placements will be provided to short-listed applicants. Possession of a car or other means of transport is highly desirable as some placements are at a distance from the University.
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The degree of ClinPsyD is awarded after three years on the basis of written assignments, clinical practice reports, ratings of clinical work for all placements and the research project. There are no formal written examinations. Instead we operate a system of continuous assessment designed to sample fully and equally both academic knowledge and clinical skills. At the end of the third year of the course there is a viva examination conducted by an external examiner and one internal examiner. All components must be passed separately. University regulations specify the rules for re-submitting failed components.
At the beginning of each clinical placement, supervisors and trainees agree on the goals to be achieved in relation to BPS core competencies. At the end of the placement the extent to which those goals have been achieved is reviewed and rated by the supervisor. Trainees must keep an ongoing record of the competencies they acquire on each placement. They also evaluate their experiences on placement. The clinical placement components of the course must be passed each year, separately from the academic components, in order to qualify for the award of the degree.
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Each trainee has an appraisal tutor, who is a member of the course team, and who monitors progress and achievement of core competencies and helps to integrate clinical and academic experience through the three years. An individual personal tutor (from outside the university) also provides support throughout the three years. Reflective practice groups are time-tabled into all three years. There are seven trainees in each group and they are facilitated by practising clinical psychologists and course team members.
It is course policy to seek regular feedback from trainees on all aspects of the course. Such feedback plays an important part in shaping the course and there is trainee representation on all course committees.
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The main organisation of the course is carried out by the members of the course team who are listed below (with their specialist areas), though many other research associates and honorary staff make a particular contribution to course organisation and teaching.
Jan Oyebode BA MPsychol PhD CPsychol - Course Director (Older Adult)
Ruth Howard BSc MSc MPhil ClinPsyD - Senior Academic Tutor/Third Year Tutor (Clinical Health)
Chris Jones BA ClinPsyD - Research Director (Neuropsychology)
Biza Kroese BSc PhD MSc CPsychol - Senior Lecturer (Learning Disabilities)
Gary Law BSc DClinPsychol - Senior Academic Tutor/First Year Tutor (Child)
Arie Nouwen BA MSc PhD - Senior Lecturer/Second Year Tutor (Clinical Health)
Michael Larkin BA PGCert PhD ILTHE - Lecturer/Research Tutor (Qualitative Research Methods)
Michelle O'Shea BSc MSc ClinPsyD - Clinical Director (Adult)
Theresa Powell BSc MSc PhD AFBPsS - Associate Director (Neuropsychology)
Hermine Graham BSc ClinPsyD - Senior Academic Tutor (Addictions/Psychosis)
Gerry Riley BSc MSc PhD - Senior Academic Tutor/Assessment Tutor (Neuropsychology)
John Rose BSc MSc MClinPsych PhD AFBPsS - Academic Director (Learning Disabilities)
Jo Nicholson BSc ClinPsyD - Clinical Tutor (Older People)
Elizabeth Kent BSc ClinPsyD - Clinical Tutor (Learning Disabilities)
Angie Couchman - Team Manager
Joyce Peters - Placement Co-ordinator
Sharon Boyce - Programme Administrator
Barbara Courier - Curriculum/Assessment Secretary
In all, about 300 professionally qualified clinical psychologists are available to provide supervision of trainees on clinical placements. This group also provides much of the academic teaching in specialist areas. Supervisors take part in regular workshops and meetings for the discussion of issues relating to supervision.
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