Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
University of Liverpool
Division of Clinical Psychology
Whelan Building
Quadrangle
Brownlow Hill
LIVERPOOL
L69 3GB
Telephone: 0151 794 5530/5534/5877
Fax: 0151 794 5537
Head of Programme: Professor James McGuire
Programme Co-ordinator: Mrs Susan Knight
Link to University of Liverpool website
The programme leads to the award of the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology, conferring eligibility for Chartered Status as a professionally qualified clinical psychologist. We are based in the Department of Mental and Behavioural Health Sciences, part of the Institute of Psychology, Health and Society in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool. The Programme is housed in a modernised and refurbished late-Victorian building: accommodation consists of teaching rooms; offices for academic, clinical and administrative staff; and clinical interview rooms. Teaching rooms, based both here and in adjoining buildings, include computer terminals to provide trainees access to the University's IT system, numerous database facilities, software packages, and the Internet. There are a range of other computer facilities linked to the University's computer network.
The Department has a high research profile and its active research programmes include projects in the areas of health psychology, psychopathology, clinical communication, and forensic clinical psychology, alongside many other research interests. In recent years staff have been successful in attracting research funds from the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the North West Regional Health Authority, a number of local NHS Trusts, the Wellcome Trust, the DoH Forensic Mental Health R&D programme, and the Home Office.
Trainees are registered postgraduates in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and employed within Mersey Care NHS Trust. All staff are committed to ensuring that theory and practice elements are fully integrated within a programme structure responsive to both academic and service developments. The programme is funded through a contract with the NHS North West SHA. There is a Programme Training Committee consisting of representatives of appropriate bodies, with three sub-groups responsible for the clinical, academic, and research activities within the programme. Trainees are represented on all management groups.
Almost all qualified clinical psychologists in Merseyside contribute to the delivery of the programme in some form - through direct teaching, clinical supervision, personal tutoring, or participation in intake/selection processes. Some have honorary university contracts in recognition of these contributions. There are expanding links with many Special Interest Groups which are now increasingly active in Merseyside and Cheshire, and wider links to post-qualification activities throughout the North West. Communication with these various sources of support is maintained through a number of channels, including working groups, and an Annual Review.
The University is located fairly centrally within Merseyside and whilst most placements can still be reached within an hour's drive, trainees are increasingly expected to be prepared to travel greater distances for their clinical placements. The three programmes in the North West (Lancaster, Manchester and Liverpool) developed a systematic, collaborative approach to the use of clinical placements, allowing greater flexibility of access across the North West region as a whole. Some are accessible using public transport but as with most programmes, it is strongly recommended that trainees have a car and a clean driving license. Travel expenses are paid for journeys to placement which exceed the distance from a trainee's home to the university and for travel within a placement.
The essential aims of the programme are to equip trainees with a theoretical understanding of a wide range of clinical problems, models and approaches; together with essential clinical skills and a variety of practical experiences such as would be required by a Band 7 clinical psychologist, a junior lecturer in clinical psychology, or a clinical psychology research associate. There is also a focus on the professional aspects of the clinical psychologist's role, and on the acquisition of research and communication skills. We consider an overall strength of clinical psychology as a profession to be its diversity reflected in the varied backgrounds, experiences, capacities and achievements of its members. We are therefore pleased to recruit people who have come to the profession through different routes and we aim to foster throughout the programme the individual personal and professional qualities that shape each practitioner's future role in the profession. The Liverpool Programme has historically valued and incorporated a wide range of theoretical approaches and encouraged trainees to explore how these can be integrated effectively to meet the needs and choices of clients who are themselves unique and diverse. The overriding theme is the application of theoretical concepts to clinical problems on an evidential basis, within a problem-solving, reflective approach. Substantial teaching and supervised practice are available in the major approaches used in clinical work (behavioural, cognitive, psychodynamic/CAT, systemic). A strong emphasis is placed on the development of clinical case formulations which are capable of informing subsequent interventions. Concern for empirically demonstrated effectiveness is cultivated alongside a broad conceptualisation of what constitutes evidence, and an appreciation of the complexity of understanding individuals' difficulties, alongside their aspirations and achievements.
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The Liverpool programme places particular emphasis on relevant practical experience which applicants are able to relate to psychological theory. This may be gained in a range of settings where psychological principles are applicable, including work as an assistant in a psychology service or in a post within a related service context, such as a mental health resource centre. Supervision from a qualified clinical psychologist substantially enhances the value of such experience. Similarly, work as a research student or assistant on a clinically-relevant research project would be well-regarded, although it is preferable if this has entailed a reasonable amount of direct contact with clients. An equivalent of one year whole-time equivalent paid experience in suitable settings is considered a minimum requirement at the time of application. Applicants who have not completed their undergraduate training will not be considered. The minimum requirements are an 2.1 honours degree in psychology or an equivalent combined honours degree if psychology accounts for more than 50% of the programme content and examinations. All applicants must be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society. In considering applications, short-listers and selection panels attach significance to the following:
If English is not your first language and your university qualifications were not taught and examined in English, you will need to provide evidence that you have an adequate level of English language ability.
It is vital that all those registered for higher degrees at the time of applying should be confident of ensuring they will have submitted any outstanding dissertation work well in advance of the date of commencement on clinical training. Regulations will not permit any student to be double registered for another higher degree whilst studying towards the DClinPsychol.
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The selection procedure is as follows. First, there is an initial screening of applications in order to eliminate candidates who do not meet the minimum requirements. A second, short-listing stage is then conducted in which groups of programme staff, local NHS clinical psychologists and representatives of the Mersey Care NHS Trust Carer/User Advisory Group are invited to rate the remaining applications according to pre-determined criteria for academic achievement and potential, relevant work experience and quality of references. This is followed by a moderation exercise to produce a list of applicants for interview. Candidates who are unsuccessful at this stage are informed with general feedback regarding the overall standard of applications.
Those successful applicants invited for assessment are seen by two panels. For one they are asked to make a short presentation involving a critical analysis of a published paper. The second is a more "standard" interview format. Panels also include carer/user representatives. Ratings are then produced which are converted to standard scores and used as a basis for offering places. In practice, this procedure, although complex, is a fair one and has resulted in people with a range of experiences and qualities being offered places. All procedures are conducted within the framework provided by the University's and NHS Equal Opportunities policies. The selection procedure is carefully reviewed on an annual basis. It is Mersey Care NHS Trust policy that any candidate who declares a genuine disability and meets the essential short-listing criteria will be offered an interview. In practice, and in agreement with both The University and Mersey Care, this means an interview will automatically be offered to any candidate who declares a genuine disability and who meets the criteria at the short-listing stage to be placed on the reserve list for interview.
All offers of a place on a course are dependent on satisfactory criminal record and health checks.
On completion of the selection process, those candidates who attended for interview but were unsuccessful in securing a place at Liverpool, or elsewhere, are offered the opportunity for optional feedback concerning their performance in the presentation and interview sessions. The feedback will be provided by a member of the programme team.
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For 2011-2012 the NHS (North West) has provided funded places for 24 trainees, paying programme fees, travel expenses and salary. In terms of Agenda for Change, all trainees are placed on Band 6, starting on point 21 and progressing to point 23 in the third year (irrespective of previous salary level). The programme cannot accept applicants with funding from other sources, nor self-funding candidates. The programme is only able to accept applications from individuals who are current citizens of either EU Member States or European Economic Area States.
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The academic content of the programme is organised with a series of teaching units which provide detailed coverage of the theoretical and research bases of clinical psychology. Programme teaching units can be grouped into six sets as follows. (a) Professional issues including ethics and social and contextual factors affecting clinical work. (b) Models of individual distress; behaviour, cognition and emotion in therapy; psychodynamic therapy; and family and systems therapies. (c) Clinical assessment methods, including clinical interviewing, psychometrics, observational approaches, ideographic and qualitative assessments. (d) Teaching units covering the principal areas of application related to service placements and specialisms, including: child and adolescent clinical psychology; learning disabilities; adult development and human sexuality; clinical psychology of older adults. (e) Other areas of application including clinical neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; clinical psychology of addictions; health psychology; and forensic clinical psychology. (f) Research methods (see below). Concurrent with these teaching units and running throughout the three years of the programme there is a clinical skills development unit, which includes inter-related components of teaching and practice sessions on clinical interviewing skills; and case presentation sessions by trainees working in small groups. A third set of curricular activities, running throughout the three years, focuses on personal and professional development of trainees. This comprises a number of seminars and workshops, providing opportunities for trainees to reflect on various aspects of the interface between our personal and professional lives. Each trainee is allocated an individual tutor from amongst the staff team, who will support their learning and development for the duration of their training, and the trainee-centred annual review process provides a further opportunity for reflection on general progress and personal achievement across all aspects of the training programme.
The programme begins with an introductory academic block of five weeks' duration, designed to equip trainees with the basic skills necessary for their first placement experience. Academic teaching continues on two days a week during the university terms of the first year, reducing to one day in the second and third years. Terms are approximately ten weeks long. At the beginning of each six-month placement, there will be a two-week teaching block, during which experience on the preceding placement will be reviewed; and preparatory work, including coverage of relevant teaching areas, undertaken for the forthcoming placement.
In accordance with the regional arrangements described earlier, there are six clinical placements in the programme. The sequence of placements for all trainees is shown in the following table.
| Cohort | Placement |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Adult |
| Older Adult | |
| Year 2 | Learning Disabilities |
| Child and Family | |
| Year 3 | Specialist 1 |
| Specialist 2 |
Local NHS clinical psychology services offer a particularly rich variety of specialist placements, and trainees are encouraged to gain experience within the various specialised facilities on Merseyside such as Ashworth High Secure Hospital, the Windsor Clinic (Addictions), and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, as well as the expertise of individual practitioners in other areas including family therapy, paediatric liaison, brain injury rehabilitation, spinal injury, early intervention for psychosis and eating disorders. Trainees have the option to undertake two 6-month or one 12-month elective placement in Year 3.
The Research Methods teaching unit in Year 1 introduces trainees to a range of methods and issues arising in the conduct of clinical research. There is in-depth coverage of research design; of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis; guidance on the use of statistics; and on the process of planning research projects. Trainees are required to submit five Clinical Case Research Investigations (CCRIs) of 5,000 words each, one of which must be a service-related research report. Work towards the major research dissertation also commences in Year 1 with trainees submitting a research proposal outlining the work they wish to undertake for their major research dissertation, towards the end of their first year. This must be approved by the programme's Research Committee. One day per week in the second and third years is allocated to research, increasing to two days from January to June of the third year. A dissertation of up to 25,000 words is submitted in June of the third year.
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One 5,000-word essay is submitted in January, and one examination paper set in July of the first year, with a further essay and exam in the second year. These cover the academic portions of the programme and, in the event of difficulties they can be re-submitted or re-taken on one occasion in each year. Trainees will be required to submit a Clinical Case Research Investigation (CCRI) at the end of each placement. At least three must involve the careful evaluation of therapeutic work with one or more clients and at least one must involve some kind of service planning or evaluation. All assessed work is double-marked by internal programme staff and external NHS-based practitioners. The research project must be submitted (in June of the third year) for examination by one internal examiner and by one of the programme's External Examiners in a viva voce in September of the third year.
All documentation related to the programme as a whole, including an outline of the programme philosophy; information concerning the Division; details of syllabus teaching units, assessment and marking systems; and copies of relevant programme policy documents, are contained in a set of Programme Handbooks issued to trainees on their arrival and updated on an annual basis. These are also available via our website.
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The programme is open and supportive with a number of formal and informal systems available. A "buddy" scheme operates whereby current trainees offer support before new trainees start and maintain links throughout the programme.
Year Tutor groups comprise Academic, Clinical and Research staff with responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the programme. Liaison meetings take place, usually, once or twice per term, when trainees have the opportunity to provide feedback on all aspects of the programme.
Each trainee has a personal tutor from the programme team who will support their learning and development during the three years of the programme. The personal tutor and trainee meet twice a year formally to review the trainee's progress; however, trainees are encouraged to meet with their personal tutor informally at other times.
An NHS clinician is allocated for each trainee as a mentor who will provide confidential and personal support independent of the programme team. The programme also pays for personal therapy for trainees when this is considered necessary.
Trainees have an allocation of £150 per year for attendance at conferences and for the purchase of books.
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The core staff with day to day involvement with the programme are:
Professor James McGuire - Head of Programme
Dr Jim Williams - Clinical Director
Dr Laura Golding - Academic Director
Dr Joanne Dickson - Research Director
Dr Ian Fletcher - Lecturer/Research Tutor
Dr Gundi Kiemle - Senior University Clinical Teacher
Ms Susan Mitzman - Senior University Clinical Tutor
Dr James Reilly - Senior University Clinical Tutor/Admissions Tutor
Dr Julie Robinson - Senior University Clinical Tutor
Dr Bill Sellwood - Senior Lecturer
Mrs Susan Knight - Programme Co-ordinator
Mrs Amanda Harrison - Programme Secretary
Other members of the Division of Clinical Psychology contributing to the Programme include:
Professor Richard Bentall - Professor in Clinical Psychology
Dr Jan Bogg - Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology
Dr Peter Fisher - Senior Lecturer, Communications Skills
Dr Maggie Hammond - University Teacher
Professor Peter Kinderman - Professor in Clinical Psychology/Head of Institute
Dr Pierce O'Carroll - Clinical Psychology Advisor to Faculty of Medicine
Professor Peter Salmon - Professor in Clinical Psychology
Dr Helen Sharp - Senior Lecturer in Clinical Child Psychology
Dr Linda Steadman - Clinical Psychology Advisor to Faculty of Medicine
Dr Bridget Young - Senior Lecturer/Director of Communication Skills
Dr Kathryn Young - Communication Skills Liaison Teacher
Approximately 50% of the direct teaching on the programme is provided by the programme team and a contribution from members of the Clinical Psychology Division. The remaining 50% of the teaching is provided by a large number of NHS clinical psychologists or allied professionals in Merseyside.
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