Oxford Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology
Isis Education Centre
Roosevelt Drive
Warneford Hospital
Headington
OXFORD
OX3 7JX
Telephone: 01865 226431
Fax: 01865 226364
Course Admissions Secretary: Marianne Peedell
Admissions Tutor: David Dean
Director (Quality and External): Prof Susan Llewelyn
Director (Clinical and Professional): Dr Helen Beinart
Director (Academic and Research): Prof Paul Kennedy
Link to Oxford website
The Oxford Course has a 30 year history of excellence in training people to become effective Clinical Psychologists. Trainees benefit from having access to some of the best clinical and academic resources in the country via Oxford University, the NHS and other agencies providing health and social care. All trainees become members of Harris Manchester College on admission to the Course and can make use of the facilities that the College has to offer, including dining rights and leisure facilities. Successful completion of the three year full-time course leads to the qualification of Doctor of Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psych) from Oxford University and eligibility to apply for Chartered status with the British Psychological Society (BPS), as well as to apply for registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC). The only award that can be made is the D.Clin.Psych., no other exit award is available. The Course benefits from being fully funded within the South Central Strategic Health Authority and trainees also have an employment contract with the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. The Course values partnership between the University, NHS, practising clinical psychologists, service users and other key partners, including the trainees themselves.
The Course supports trainees to become highly skilled, flexible practitioners, who are confident in their own ability to meet a range of needs in health and social care contexts. This is achieved through a dynamic and progressive academic programme; high quality placements in a broad range of specialty areas; and excellent research support and supervision. The philosophy of the Course stems from both the scientist-practitioner and the reflective-practitioner models, and the Course is committed to drawing on a wide variety of theoretical orientations. Graduates from the Course will be equipped to practice at a high level of research and clinical competence, and within a reflective and ethical framework which will encourage further learning and development. These attributes are attractive to future employers and past graduates from the Oxford Course have gone on to occupy senior positions in clinical, academic and research settings. Most Course team members work clinically for part of the week and are able to use this experience to enhance the provision of clinical psychology training at Oxford. The Course has a substantial research programme in areas such as health psychology, eating disorders, neuropsychology, psychotherapy process and clinical supervision. The Course has close links with centres of excellence for cognitive therapy, neuropsychology and spinal injuries. Trainees are given the opportunity to develop competencies in a range of different models including cognitive-behavioural, systemic, life-span and psychodynamic and to deliver these in a variety of different ways. As training progresses trainees are supported to develop their own personal styles of working. The Oxford Course also places an emphasis on the importance and value of working with other professional groups.
The Course is based at the Isis Education Centre, located in the grounds of the Warneford Hospital, Oxford and has modern teaching rooms, seminar rooms, offices and other facilities. Trainees are on placement throughout the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire during the course of training. Some placements may involve a substantial amount of travelling, including within the placement itself. Appropriate travel costs are met by the employer. Car ownership and a valid driving licence are very important.
Throughout the three years of the Course, trainees are generally on placement three days a week and at the Isis Education Centre for teaching at least one day a week. The remaining day is allocated either to teaching, research activity, or private study depending on the stage of training. The academic programme is designed to synchronise with clinical placements in order to enhance and enrich the learning process.
The Oxford Course frequently updates the way in which training is delivered (eg increasing the level of service user and carer involvement). These changes reflect our commitment to remain at the cutting edge of clinical psychology training and to fully meet the requirements for approval by the HPC. We take pride in the overwhelmingly positive feedback from current and past trainees and have an excellent track record in listening and responding to trainee input in all areas of Course policy and procedure.
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All applicants must meet the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society. Normally candidates are expected to have obtained an 2.1 honours degree or better, prior to submitting their application, and to have obtained clinically relevant practical experience following graduation. Examples of relevant experience include working as an assistant psychologist, graduate mental health worker, research assistant, and some health care assistant/support worker posts. Relevant voluntary work is also taken into account. Candidates who obtained their first degree in a subject other than psychology and go on to successfully complete a relevant conversion course are welcome to apply. Additional relevant academic and research achievements are also taken into consideration. This programme does not recognise accreditation of prior learning (APEL/APL) as part of the admissions process. Current undergraduates are not normally considered and applicants should note that, if appointed, they should not simultaneously be registered for any other degree course (eg a PhD). Overseas candidates for whom English is not their first language will need to provide evidence of English language proficiency equivalent to Level 8 or above of the International English Language Testing system.
Applicants will be expected to have some understanding of the specific role of a clinical psychologist within the UK healthcare system and to be able to apply their knowledge of academic psychology and research in a clinical setting. In selecting candidates, the Course is looking in particular for people with a strong commitment to, and an interest in, working in the National Health Service and social care. A job description and person specification is available at our website.
Applicants will not be disadvantaged in the selection process because of race, religion, age, disability, gender, social class or sexual orientation. Please see the Equal Opportunities policy on our website for further details. Applicants are asked to disclose any disabilities that might affect training or future registration under the Health Professions Council (HPC). The Course makes reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of trainees with disabilities. Offers of places made to successful candidates are conditional on occupational health clearance (including the possibility of a health check) and enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks. Trainees are strongly encouraged to live within the geographical area covered by the Course (ie the three counties stated above). Overseas applicants who intend to return to their country of origin after completion of training will not be considered, as all places on the Oxford Course are fully funded by the NHS to meet workforce needs in the UK. We normally only accept candidates who are already eligible to work in the UK on a permanent basis. There is no requirement for applicants to have home fees status.
All general enquiries should be directed to Marianne Peedell (Course Admissions Secretary) in the first instance.
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Trainees are recruited annually and all applications are assessed by a team of Course staff and clinical supervisors. We expect to short-list approximately 50 candidates for interview through a two-stage process. Each stage involves at least two independent raters. Short-listed candidates spend half a day at the Isis Education Centre, during which time they are observed participating in a group task and are given an individual interview (comprising academic, research and clinical elements and an assessment of personal suitability). New interview questions are provided annually by members of the Course team and the Service User and Carer group. The interview is conducted by a panel composed of Course staff and local supervisors. The group task additionally has a service user or carer as one of its panel members. During the selection days candidates have the opportunity to meet with current trainees, who are not involved in the formal selection procedures but who are available to provide information and support. Following completion of this process, candidates are either offered a place, placed on a reserve list or informed that they have not been successful. The number of places for the 2012 intake has yet to be confirmed by our commissioning body.
Due to the large number of applicants, we are normally unable to offer feedback to individual candidates who are not offered interviews. Candidates who are offered interviews but not a place are provided with the opportunity for individual feedback. Candidates who are placed on the reserve list for a place are also offered feedback if they are not subsequently offered a place.
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All trainees are employed as trainee clinical psychologists on a fixed term contract for three years. Trainees will be appointed at the first pay point on Band 6 of the NHS pay scale and progress on annual increments. The employing authority is Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, which is an Equal Opportunities employer. University and college fees are paid in full by the Course. The Course does not accept self-funding candidates and is fully funded by South Central Strategic Health Authority.
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The Course comprises four strands: academic, clinical and research (described in more detail below), and personal and professional development (described in the Trainee Support section).
The academic programme is carried out over three 10-week terms in each year of the Course. Following a four-week induction block, academic teaching closely parallels the clinical experience of trainees on placement, taking a developmental and life-span perspective. Teaching modules include: adult mental health; children, young people and families; learning disability; older people; health psychology; neuropsychology; substance abuse; psychology and the law; professional issues; and research in clinical settings. Clinical skills and a variety of theoretical and therapeutic models including cognitive-behavioural, systems, psychodynamic psychotherapy and group work are taught and opportunities are available to encourage trainees to integrate these into their clinical work. Year 1 teaching focuses on adult, child and life-span issues. In Year 2 the teaching focus is on ageing, chronic conditions and disabilities, whilst in Year 3 attention is given to professional themes and advanced interventions.
The Course aims to encourage creative self-directed learning and where possible the academic programme provides workshops, seminars and interactive sessions, rather than formal lectures. Teaching is delivered by Course staff, clinical supervisors working in the three counties, external lecturers and service users. The academic curriculum is regularly revised to incorporate new ideas and equip trainees with the necessary skills to work effectively in the changing NHS culture. Recent innovations to the academic programme include a new health and behavioural change module and the enhancement of professional reflection in the programme.
There is an excellent choice of placements in the area covered by the Oxford Course. These cover a wide range of specialty areas and theoretical models. Clinical placements enable trainees to develop a comprehensive portfolio of clinical skills, so that by the end of training they should be well prepared to start working in the area of their choice. Trainees will normally complete five placements over the three years of the Course. Four of these placements are usually in the areas of adult mental health; children young people and families; people with learning disabilities; and older people. These placements are approximately 5½ months in duration and trainees will normally spend between 60 and 70 days on each placement. Placements are fully integrated with the academic programme. Over the course of training, trainees may express preferences for the opportunity to develop particular clinical competencies. These preferences are considered by the trainee's clinical tutor alongside the availability of supervision and their individual training needs. At regular intervals, there are scheduled individual discussions with the trainee's clinical tutor about future learning needs. In the third year of the Course, trainees will normally complete one 12-month placement which will cover a wide range of clinical competencies. A further aim of this placement is to equip trainees with additional skills such as leadership, consultancy, supervision and effective team-working to meet the needs of the modern NHS. Placements are carefully monitored and clinical tutors visit three times over the course of each placement. To help facilitate the effective development of clinical and professional competence, trainees normally keep the same clinical tutor throughout their training.
The development of clinical competence takes place on placement and through workshops and teaching blocks organised throughout the Course. Workshops are provided in a variety of therapeutic approaches (eg cognitive, behavioural, systemic, psychodynamic), and in various aspects of working with priority NHS groups. Trainees are encouraged to work wherever possible with staff from other professions. Trainees normally receive a minimum of one hour formal individual clinical supervision each week whilst on placement in addition to less formal supervision and support.
Trainees are taught the skills to carry out clinical research in a professional context by Course team members who are actively involved in research themselves. Trainees are encouraged to carry out research and audit projects on placement and are supported by their clinical supervisors and Course staff to do this. Formal teaching is provided on research design and methods and on applied statistics and analysis of qualitative data. Some of this teaching takes place in the Oxford University Department of Experimental Psychology, where trainees are able to take advantage of state-of-the-art computing laboratories. Trainees also have good access to statistical and computing resources at the Course base. Trainees complete a dissertation during the second and third years of training. There is a wide pool of experienced research supervisors in the three counties; these include Course staff, local clinicians and researchers based in local universities. Potential topics for dissertations include those related to the research interests of Course team members which include health psychology, eating disorders, neuropsychology, psychotherapy process and clinical supervision. Submission of research conducted whilst on the Course for publication is encouraged, and many trainees have gone on to have papers accepted in peer-reviewed journals. Trainees also benefit from an individualised approach to research tutoring, which is designed both to increase confidence in carrying out research and to develop the necessary skills. As with clinical tutoring, trainees normally keep the same research tutor throughout the three years of training.
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Trainees are required to complete three (5,000 word) essays and these are normally linked to placements. One of the essays will relate to a clinical topic, one to professional issues and one will take the form of a critical review. Trainees also complete two research projects during their training: one Service Related Project (4,500 words) in the first 18 months of the Course, and a Dissertation (15,000-25,000 words) in the second and third years, drafted in a journal paper format. The dissertation is a substantial piece of empirical work, which must make a significant and substantial contribution to the field of knowledge in clinical psychology and can lead to publications in peer reviewed journals.
Clinical competence is assessed in a number of ways. At the end of each placement, supervisors carry out an evaluation of the trainee's clinical competence and trainees submit a log-book summarising their clinical experience. The latter includes a section on reflective practice and self-assessment of clinical competence. Trainees also submit for formal assessment five (6,000 word) clinical studies (Integrated Clinical Reports), two each in Years 1 and 2 and one in Year 3.
To complete the Course successfully trainees must pass all these assignments. Additionally, in order to proceed to the third year of the programme, trainees must have passed a mid-Course Review in which progress in completing placements and assignments in Years 1 and 2 is assessed. They must also have gained approval for their third year dissertation proposal.
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The Oxford Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology facilitates the personal and professional development of trainees through supporting reflective practice in a variety of ways. Recent developments include enhancing the support provided through the appraisal system, and increasing the integration of professional reflection within the academic programme.
Within the appraisal system trainees have six-monthly confidential appraisal meetings with one of the Course staff, and receive support with reflective practice and personal and professional development. Trainees are encouraged to self-monitor and develop their own individual training plans, and to use appraisal meetings to reflect upon their individual professional developmental needs. Each trainee has access to a personal tutor, who is not a member of Course staff and whose role is kept separate from any evaluative component. There is also a buddy system, whereby each trainee is paired, before the start of the Course, with a "buddy" from the year immediately above them. Course staff offer support and advice, either informally in response to individual requests from trainees, or through the Year Tutor system, where one Course tutor takes responsibility for each cohort of trainees.
Trainees attend annual Course away-days and provide representatives to attend Course committee meetings. This provides opportunities for professional development and ensures that trainees influence decisions that are made about the Course
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The core staff with day-to-day involvement with the Course are:
Prof Susan Llewelyn - Director (Quality and External), part-time
Dr Helen Beinart - Director (Clinical and Professional), part-time
Dr Nigel King - Clinical Tutor and International Route Support Programme Leader, part-time
Dr David Dean - Clinical Tutor and Admissions Tutor, part-time
Dr Sue Clohessy - Clinical Tutor and Supervisor Training Lead, part-time
Dr Helen Jenkins - Clinical Tutor and Personal & Professional Development Lead, part-time
Dr Kathryn Evans - Clinical Tutor, part-time
Dr Ailsa Stuart - Locum Clinical Tutor, part-time
Prof Paul Kennedy - Director (Academic and Research) and Professor of Clinical Psychology, part-time
Dr Myra Cooper - Senior Research Tutor
Dr Alexis Berry - Research Tutor, part-time
Dr Ian Barkataki - Research Tutor, part-time
Dr James Macdonald - Academic Tutor, part-time
Vacancy - Academic Tutor, part-time
Mrs Maxine Pribyl - Course Manager, part-time
Mrs Marianne Peedell - Clinical & Admissions Secretary, part-time
Mrs Angela Fox - Course Secretary to the Academic/Research Tutor Team
Dr Paul Griffiths - Statistical Advisor, part-time
Mr Jonathan Boucard - IT Consultant, part-time
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