Clinical Psychology Doctorate
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Coventry University
James Starley Building
Priory Street
COVENTRY
CV1 5FB
Telephone: 024 7688 8328
Fax: 024 7688 8702
Course Director: Dr Eve Knight
Course Administrator: Catherine Ashton
Link to Coventry University website
This is an integrated 3-year course leading to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psych.). The course, which has been developed as a partnership between Coventry University and the University of Warwick, had its first graduates in 2001 and currently has an annual intake of 15 trainees.
The course is situated within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Coventry University and within the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick. The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences is one of the largest within Coventry University and has one of the strongest health and social science profiles in the country. The University of Warwick is amongst the UK's leading research universities and the Department of Psychology has an excellent research record. This context provides a unique academic and practical environment for training clinical psychologists to work in the NHS and trainees additionally benefit from having access to the combined facilities of two universities.
This is the second of three clinical psychology courses to be established in the West Midlands, where clinical psychology is a strong and well-developed profession. First and second year placements for the Coventry and Warwick course are located in the south and east NHS Trusts in either Coventry and Warwickshire or Worcestershire. Third year elective placements are throughout the West Midlands Region. Trainees have extensive choice although they may have to travel considerable distances at times during their training. Trainees are encouraged to live within an appropriate travelling distance to the employer and university base.
Training is a collaborative venture between the two universities and clinical psychologists in the West Midlands. The training scheme is seen as part of the local clinical psychology community and seeks to encourage full mutual participation between the course and local NHS services.
The programme philosophy is based on the belief that clinical psychology is not founded upon one theoretical position but adopts an open stance, which allows for a range of theoretical perspectives. This means that a clinical psychologist calls upon theories and concepts from the discipline of psychology and uses these in a creative way to solve problems in clinical settings. Programme content is based on evidence-based practice and there is an emphasis on critical evaluation of both the psychological literature and clinical practice itself. The course adopts the reflective practitioner approach and thus is based on active learning methods, which enhances the quality of learning in general, and specifically enables trainees to develop the skills required for enterprising and reflective practice. There is an emphasis on personal and professional development, and the course aims to establish a collaborative and co-operative, rather than competitive, group ethos.
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All candidates, at the time of application, must be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society. Candidates should normally have at least a 2.1 honours degree and be proficient in the use of English. If English is not the candidate's first language, and they haven't studied at degree level in English, then proficiency will need to be demonstrated to the level of IELTS 7. Additionally, applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have relevant clinical experience, an understanding of the NHS and a commitment to working in it. The programme is not able to offer any accreditation of prior experience or learning (APEL) routes. Candidates are normally required to hold a current driving license and have their own transport.
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It is recognised that clinical psychologists practice within a multi-cultural context. Every effort will be made in all stages of the recruitment process to ensure that the policies and procedures operate the fairest equal opportunities in accordance with Coventry University and the University of Warwick equal opportunities policies. In line with this, we make details of our paper selection process available to applicants via our website.
Initial screening of the application forms is undertaken by the clinical psychology team, in collaboration with local clinicians. Each selector grades the candidate's application on the basis of an understanding of the clinical psychologist's role, academic ability, previous and current clinical experiences, personal suitability, research ability and references. Each form is assessed independently by three selectors. These gradings are collated and discussed at a short-listing meeting. 50 applicants are selected to interview for 15 places. A standard written form with individual feedback is sent to all applicants who are not invited for interview, although further discussion of this is not available.
All short-listed candidates are seen for a daylong assessment, which includes a group discussion, a client-related exercise, clinical and personal suitability interview, and an academic interview/exercise. The course team meet and interview candidates along with local clinicians, service users and carers. Candidates have an opportunity to have informal discussions with current trainees during the day and join a trainee led reflective group at the end of the interviews. We welcome feedback from candidates about the selection process.
The selection panel will make a final decision about whether to offer a candidate a place on the programme. The Chair of the selection panel (currently the Programme Director) has the ultimate responsibility for the final selection decision. Once a final decision is reached the successful candidates will be informed as soon as possible. All offers of a place will be conditional upon satisfactory police checks and occupational health screening. Occasionally, if for example health issues arise prior to the start of training, it may be possible for a place to be deferred for 12 months. The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Coventry University has an established mechanism for police checks and proof of qualifications. All unsuccessful interviewees are given the opportunity for email/telephone feedback about their interview performance from a member of the course team.
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Fees and salary are paid by the NHS Executive West Midlands. Salaries match the Clinical Psychologist Trainee Job Profile, which is Band 6, point 21, on the Agenda for Change pay scales. Trainees are employed by one of the NHS Trusts in the south and east of the region, with associated NHS holidays etc. It is expected that the trainees will conduct some of their core placements within their employing trust, but not all, so for placements outside of the employment organisation, honorary contracts will be issued as necessary. The NHS Executive West Midlands will consider funding EU citizens who are appropriately qualified, can demonstrate relevant experience and who show commitment to working within the NHS when qualified. There are no self-funded places available on the course.
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The academic programme is structured around the standard academic year of three terms (September - July). For each of these terms in the first year, trainees are scheduled two days a week in the university and three days on clinical placement. Outside of the academic sessions trainees will spend three days a week on clinical placement with two days of each week allocated for private study.
The course commences with a four week induction block. This block will provide an introduction to the academic modules and largely concentrates on preparation for going on placement. The induction block includes a substantial part of the Introduction to Clinical Psychology module and an introduction to the other four academic modules: Psychological Approaches 1, Clinical Presentations 1, Personal and Professional Issues 1, Research Methods in Clinical Psychology 1. By the time they go on placement, trainees should have acquired an understanding of assessment interviewing skills, counselling skills, formulation skills and an introduction to the main psychological models. They will have begun their psychological presentations teaching which focuses on the adult life-span. Trainees will have covered basic ethical issues, eg consent and confidentiality, as well as statutory legal issues, issues of personal safety and BPS/HPC Codes of Conduct.
The timetable for second year trainees is similar but they are allocated some additional days of study leave (in place of university days) during term time.
The second year of the programme commences with a two week block of study in the university. The purpose of this block is to provide trainees with an overview of the second year of the programme and launch the second year modules to ensure adequate preparation for the next two placements. The following academic modules will be studied during the second year of the programme: Specialist Areas, Psychological Approaches 2, Clinical Presentations 2, Personal and Professional Issues 2, Research Methods in Clinical Psychology 2.
By the commencement of Year 3, trainees will have completed all academic modules with the exception of the Research Thesis. Trainees will be required to attend a minimum of 30 one-day workshops from the guest speaker programme of workshops. A programme of third year workshops is arranged with colleagues who offer the Birmingham course. Trainees are able to select from the range of workshops on offer at Warwick and Birmingham.
In the first year of training trainees will normally carry out two core placements in the areas of "Adult" and "Older Adult". In the second year the two core placements will normally be in the areas of "Child" and "Learning Disabilities". In the third year of the course trainees will be able to choose two placements in specialist areas.
The research training comprises two modules studied during the first and second years of the course. The assessment for these modules requires trainees to carry out a small scale, service related project and submit a full research proposal for their thesis. The research proposal will provide the basis for the individually chosen and supervised research project, which is begun towards the end of the first year. There will be a choice of academic supervisors from both universities. The research project (maximum 20,000 words) is written in a form suitable for publication in academic or professional journals.
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The degree of D.Clin.Psych. is awarded after three years on the basis of clinical ratings, written and oral assignments, case studies, personal development and the research project. The assessments include the following: seminar presentations; case studies including a single case design, an oral case presentation and a process analysis report; small scale research and a research proposal. Trainees are also expected to keep a reflective journal and to submit a reflective practice report as well as a professional portfolio. The course has been awarded a Teaching Excellence Award for Innovative Assessments. Placement supervisors provide ratings of clinical competencies on all placements. The research thesis is marked by an external examiner and one internal examiner who will both conduct a viva examination.
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Personal development is regarded as an extremely important aspect of the learning experience in enhancing self-awareness and underpinning the development of a therapeutic use of self in clinical work. Trainees will appraise their personal development throughout the course. They will keep a journal in which they are encouraged to record experiences, observations and concerns, together with self-reflections. Each trainee will be assigned an appraisal tutor from the course team who will be their advisor over the three years. The appraisal tutor will monitor the trainee's progress throughout the course and offer advice, guidance and support.
In keeping with the collaborative and co-operative group ethos, trainees are encouraged to seek support from course staff, peers and supervisors. A "buddy system" is encouraged and trainees have opportunities to meet together in various ways. Trainees can access one of a panel of clinicians who act as Personal Tutors. They also have access to the Regional "Therapy Network" scheme, which offers personal therapy for qualified clinical psychologists who are experiencing distress. It is expected that trainees may access this scheme for short term focused work. Both universities have excellent student-counselling services, which provide a confidential and independent service.
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The main organisation of the course is carried out by the course team, though many NHS clinical psychologists as well as members of staff at both universities contribute to teaching and supervision in their specialist areas.
The Course Director is Dr Eve Knight. There are currently nine Lecturer-Practitioner-Research posts; Dr Ian Hume (Research), Dr Helen Liebling-Kalifani (Research), Ms Jacky Knibbs (Child Development), Dr Camilla Watters (Paediatrics), Dr Jo Kucharska (Adult Mental Health), Dr Tom Patterson (Older Adult), Dr Carolyn James (Physical Health), Dr David Sanders (Child Mental Health), Dr Adrian Neal (Adult Mental Health). The course team is supported by a Course Administrator and a Course Secretary.
Dr Eve Knight - Course Director (024 7688 8637)
Dr Ian Hume - Research Tutor (024 76888714)
Dr Helen Liebling-Kalifani - Research Tutor (024 7688 8714)
Ms Jacky Knibbs - Selection Tutor (024 7688 8769)
Dr Camilla Watters - Senior Clinical Tutor (024 7688 8769)
Dr Jo Kucharska - Clinical Tutor (024 7688 8769)
Dr Tom Patterson - Academic Tutor (024 7688 8762)
Dr Carolyn James - Academic Tutor (024 7688 8762)
Dr David Sanders - Lecturer/Practitioner (024 7688 7630)
Dr Adrian Neal - Lecturer/Practitioner (024 7688 7630)
Mrs Catherine Ashton - Course Administrator (024 7688 7806)
Mrs Maria McDermott - Course Secretary (024 7688 8328)
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