Doctoral Training Programme in Clinical Psychology
Department of Applied Psychology
Canterbury Christ Church University
Salomons Campus at Tunbridge Wells
Broomhill Road
TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Kent
TN3 0TG
Telephone: 01892 507666
Joint Programme Directors: Jan Burns and Michael Maltby
Admissions Tutor: Linda Hammond
Lead Programme Administrator: Karen Elmes
Selection Administrator: Maciej Janowicz
Link to Canterbury Christ Church University website
The team at Salomons, Canterbury Christ Church University, aims to train clinical psychologists to work in the NHS in a way which ensures that they make a real difference to services. The three year, full-time taught Doctoral Programme seeks to integrate clinical, academic and research aspects of training to promote the highest quality of professional practice. The Programme fulfils the standards of education and training required by the Health Professions Council (HPC) and successful completion of the Programme ensures that trainees are eligible to apply for registration with the HPC as a Clinical Psychologist. Additionally, the Programme is accredited by the BPS; trainees are eligible to apply for Chartered membership of the Society upon successful completion.
The model adopted within Salomons conceptualises the clinical psychologist as a critical, reflective, scientist practitioner. This means training clinical psychologists who are both able to use the best available knowledge and skills, and able to reflect on and critically evaluate their own, the profession's and wider society's influence on services and practice. Such values are reflected by the staff team at Salomons, who are continuously developing the programme to take account of recent advances in the NHS, Clinical Psychology and Education.
The Programme reflects a variety of therapeutic models and will ensure that you receive the opportunity to understand the theoretical and research underpinnings, and the practical application, of at least six mainstream psychological models (life-span developmental, cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic, systemic and community). In addition, the Programme gives high priority to providing trainees with frameworks to help them work in multi-cultural communities and to use culturally sensitive ways of delivering psychological services. We seek to recruit trainees who reflect the wide range of diversity represented by clients using services. We want to especially encourage trainees from culturally, and economically disadvantaged and diverse groups, from all social classes, and those with disabilities. We believe that the Programme, the profession and services are strengthened by ensuring cultural, social and other kinds of diversity within the workforce. Priority is also given to enabling trainees to work in multi-professional/agency contexts so that they are able to work collaboratively and effectively in the NHS. Teamwork is essential to the organisation of services within today's NHS. However, in line with new opportunities and challenges raised by New Ways of Working in Applied Psychology, we aim to train clinical psychologists who are not only skilled in working within teams, but who will develop the capabilities to consult to, and lead teams, as well as to take up supervisory, management and organisational roles within the NHS.
The doctoral programme sits within the Department of Applied Psychology, which is located in attractive buildings and surroundings at the Salomons campus in Southborough, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The Department forms part of the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences of Canterbury Christ Church University. In addition to providing training programmes, the Department is involved in Practice Consultancy, Research, and Continuing Professional Development programmes. It also runs a portfolio of other mental health training, including CBT, Low and High Intensity Programmes, for IAPT. (Details of all these activities can be found on our website). The doctoral programme was subject to HPC, BPS and University formal scrutiny in March 2011. At this event it received full approval and accreditation with several commendations; notably for the design of the new programme, operational from October 2011, which was described as being at "the leading edge in relation to NHS priorities" and for providing an elegant framework providing trainees with flexible pathways through the third year of training. Additional commendations were received for service user involvement, which was seen as an example of national best practice.
The programme in Clinical Psychology has two Joint Directors who share responsibility for the management of the Programme with the Research Director, three Year Directors, one Senior Tutor, four Tutors and two Senior Research Lecturers. In addition, the programme is supported by several Trust Training Co-ordinators based in NHS Trusts within our catchment who further the development of placements and supervisors. There are excellent administrative support and library facilities. Trainees are represented and involved at all levels in the organisation of the Programme, including the selection of trainees.
The Programme forms part of the regional community of clinical psychologists and all contributors to the Programme (ie trainees, supervisors and tutors) are involved in its organisation and management. The Programme is sited in the South Thames region and covers a large geographical area comprising South London, the whole of Kent and East Sussex. Clinical placements are arranged throughout this entire area. On rare occasions placements may be arranged outside of this area. It is essential that those who accept places on the course are prepared to travel to placements, and to travel whilst on placement, as many involve community work. Trainees on the Programme choose from a wide variety of urban and rural locations in which to live, including London, the towns and countryside of Kent, Brighton, Hastings and the countryside of East Sussex. Many trainees travel regularly from Brighton and London (about 1-1½ hours). Car shares are common, and there is a regular University bus service to and from Salomons and Tonbridge Station.
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Salomons seeks applicants with proven high academic and clinical abilities. Applicants must obtain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) from the BPS and hold this at the time of application. Those who are unsure whether their degree confers eligibility must check this with the BPS prior to applying. An exception is made for those in the final year of their undergraduate degree. In these cases, candidates may apply, subject to meeting other minimum criteria (see below), and any offer of a place is made conditional upon achievement of the required degree mark. A 1st or 2.1 degree is essential for candidates who have an undergraduate degree only. This requirement also applies to candidates who hold a conversion qualification in psychology who have an undergraduate degree in another subject.
Applicants who hold a conversion qualification or who studied overseas are required to send transcripts for their UNDERGRADUATE degree directly to Maciej Janowicz, Selection Administrator at Salomons. For overseas degrees the transcript should be translated into English, where necessary. (Transcripts for GBC-accredited undergraduate degrees and GBC-accredited conversion courses will be provided through the Clearing House). An absence of a transcript will result in an applicant not being considered as there will be no means to verify the minimum requirements stipulated.
Applicants with a 2.2 undergraduate degree will be considered if they hold a completed relevant Masters level qualification with an average achievement at 65% or above, or a completed clinically relevant PhD. These applicants (except those holding a PhD) are required to send a transcript of their Masters degree directly to Maciej Janowicz, Selection Administrator at Salomons. Failure to provide this transcript will mean that your application cannot be considered.
All places on our Programme that are advertised through the Clearing House are NHS funded. (There will be a small number of self-funded places for 2012 for which applications will need to be made directly to Salomons. Please check our website for up to date details). For the NHS funded places we can only consider applicants who meet home (UK/EU) fees status and who have the right to work in the UK. Additionally, NHS funded places are only available to applicants who intend to work in the NHS and there is an expectation that, upon completion of training, trainees will seek work within our geographical area.
All overseas applicants applying for NHS funded places should please note the requirements above regarding degree transcripts, which should be translated into English where necessary. Salomons accepts the Clearing House requirements on standards of English language ability for those applicants for whom English is not their first language, and their university qualifications were not taught or examined in the English language.
Although many applicants will gain relevant clinical experience through familiar routes such as Assistant or Research Psychologist posts, many other pathways to gaining such experience are equally relevant, and are highly valued by the Programme. These may include experience gained within social services, nursing and voluntary sector employment related to psychology, whether in a paid or unpaid capacity.
It is not necessary for applicants to have gained extensive clinical experience in many different settings or with a wide range of clients prior to applying. Rather, we are looking for individuals who can make the most out of what they have experienced by:
Research experience is also highly regarded, especially within a clinical, medical or social care setting. However, applicants whose experience is restricted solely to academic research must ensure that they have also gained exposure to supervised clinical practice within an applied setting before applying. One full year (or its equivalent on a part-time basis) of such relevant work experience must have been undertaken by the time of interview; calculated to the end of March 2012 for the 2012 entry.
Personal and professional experience relevant to working with vulnerable, marginalised and undervalued people is strongly valued, as is the ability to be able to reflect on this experience and develop accordingly.
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Trainees are recruited annually and we are expecting to recruit approximately 33 applicants in 2012. (At going to press, commissioning figures have yet to be finalised and interested applicants are advised to consult the Selection Procedure section of our website where up to date information will be posted.) The Programme is strongly committed to Equal Opportunities and actively welcomes applicants from all groups and ages. It is Programme policy that no applicant will be discriminated against on grounds of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion.
Details of our Trainee Job Description and Person Specification are available in the Selection Procedure section of our website.
Applicants who satisfy the minimum criteria in terms of academic requirements, work experience and GBC, will be invited to sit a written test and will receive notification of this invitation by 10 FEBRUARY 2012. All communication to applicants about the written test and some of the subsequent information about interviews will take place by email. Therefore, applicants are asked to regularly check the email address used for their Clearing House application, including their junk folder, throughout this period, to avoid missing any important communication from Salomons.
The written test is being conducted jointly with the University of Surrey programme. The test for both programmes will take place on Saturday 18 February 2012. Due to the Salomons and Surrey courses operating different minimum entry requirements, applicants applying to both courses may be eligible to take the test for one course but not the other. The test locations for those who meet the minimum entry requirements will be as follows:
| Course Applied To | Entry Requirements Met? | Test Location |
|---|---|---|
| Salomons but not Surrey | Yes | Salomons Campus, near Tunbridge Wells |
| Both Surrey and Salomons | Yes for both courses | University of Surrey, Guildford |
| Both Surrey and Salomons | Only meets Surrey's entry criteria | University of Surrey, Guildford |
| Both Surrey and Salomons | Only meets Salomons' entry criteria | Salomons Campus, near Tunbridge Wells |
| Surrey but not Salomons | Yes | University of Surrey, Guildford |
A copy of the 2011 written test used by both Salomons and the Surrey programme is available to view on the Selection Procedure section of our website.
Copies of written tests used in previous years by the Surrey programme are available to view on the website of the Surrey Clinical Psychology Programme.
Applicants with disabilities will be given all appropriate support to sit the test. Extra time will be given to those with dyslexia in accordance with University guidance. Following completion of the written test, an interview short-list is compiled by the Programme team, primarily based on written test scores. Short-listed candidates will then be invited for interview. Our interview process is multi-faceted and seeks to assess academic, clinical, professional and personal learning and aptitude. This is achieved by inviting candidates to be interviewed by two separate panels.
Interview panelists currently consist of Programme staff, Clinical Psychologists from our region, and third year trainees. It is planned that service users and carers will also join interview panels in 2012. A formal presentation about the Programme is given by academic staff to all candidates prior to the interviews. In addition, before and after the interviews, trainees from the Programme and the administrators are available to welcome candidates and answer questions. These trainees and administrators do not participate in selection decisions.
Following the interviews, all interviewees are telephoned by a member of the Programme Team who was involved in their interview, and given the outcome of the interview. They are also provided, if they wish, with some brief feedback on their performance at interview. The Programme is not able to offer feedback to applicants who are not short-listed for interview. We intend to invite approximately 116 candidates for interview in 2012.
All offers of a place on the Programme are made subject to Occupational Health screening and enhanced CRB checks. These procedures are handled by our employing Trust, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which covers any costs incurred. The purpose of the occupational health assessment is to screen students in line with Department of Health guidance for healthcare workers with regard to immunity and immunisations for infectious diseases. An additional purpose is to assess current health status with regard to any additional support individual students may need to assist them throughout the programme with a view to future fitness to practice. Those candidates who are offered a place are also required to complete a University criminal records disclosure form, which asks for details of any convictions, cautions or bind overs, "spent" or otherwise. Disclosure of such information does not automatically act as a bar to enrolment on the Programme. However, should any criminal record be disclosed, this would require further investigation and discussion, prior to possible acceptance on to the Programme.
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All places on our Programme that are advertised through the Clearing House are NHS funded. Successful applicants are employed as Trainee Clinical Psychologists by the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust who formally manage all aspects of their contract of employment. Trainees are paid on Band 6 of the Agenda for Change pay scales. Travel expenses are available for journeys concerned with clinical placements, with Salomons acting as the physical base. Where travel to placement is routinely over 1½ hours each way overnight accommodation may be negotiated for which some funding may be available. Registration and examination fees are paid by the Programme. We recognise that many trainees are often under financial pressure during training and to help with this we provide fortnightly re-imbursement of placement travel expenses.
There will be a small number of self-funded places for 2012 for which applications will need to be made directly to Salomons. Please check our website for up to date details.
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Throughout 2009/10, the Programme team initiated a review of the content and structure of the Doctorate, in order to enable it to be as responsive as possible to changing external needs within the social and health care sectors, and to best equip trainees to practice within a rapidly changing external environment. This has increased the flexibility of the Programme so that it can respond to these changing needs: for example by further developing teaching and learning opportunities relating to supervision, consultation and leadership, in-depth clinical skills and increasing existing service user participation. This review was undertaken in consultation with all our major stakeholders and the Programme was revalidated by the University and approved by the HPC and the BPS in the spring of 2011. From September 2011 trainees will undertake a Programme which, while maintaining the traditional breadth of the curriculum, also allows opportunities for specialism (including specialist teaching options) in the third year.
Salomons seeks to produce capable practitioners; that is, clinical psychologists who can adapt their skills and use them effectively in unique and complex situations. To achieve this we believe that a core foundation of basic competencies needs to be established; these are then re-visited and expanded throughout the programme. Underpinning the development of all these competencies is a fundamental commitment to a biopsychosocial understanding of human development, and its challenges, across the life-span. This model is seen as a helpful contextual framework for understanding psychological difficulties and their relationship to biological, social, cultural and spiritual factors. This perspective is seen as complimentary to traditional nosological frameworks and is viewed as an important aspect of person-centred psychological formulation.
The training programme is divided into three year-long stages. In the first year, trainees work with adults from a variety of backgrounds and access a range of adult primary, secondary and tertiary services. During this year the focus is on developing the foundation competencies required to work with individuals. In the second year, trainees work with children and families, and also with people with learning disabilities. During this year the focus is the development of advanced competencies in working with families and systems. In the final year, competencies will be consolidated and expanded through working with older people and within a specialist area. During this year the focus will be on developing more advanced clinical competencies and further development of competencies in working with teams and organisations. A particular feature of the revised Salomons/CCCU Programme is the opportunity to undertake particular teaching options in the third year. These allow the development of specialist skills either in a chosen therapeutic approach (eg CBT) or in other areas (such as working with organisations). The options available in the final year are reviewed yearly, building in considerable teaching flexibility, in relation to the changing needs in the NHS workforce. Exposure to other specialist services will occur throughout the three years.
The educational programme comprises four components: the academic programme; clinical experience through year-long multifaceted placements; the research programme; and the assessment process. The programme is organised in such a way as to enable the trainee to draw together their learning from these four activities so that each informs the other. This is achieved by close integration and co-ordination of each component such that each is aimed at developing the competencies pertinent to each year of training.
Teaching is mandatory and is undertaken by academic and clinical staff from within and outside the region, as well as by Programme staff, other professionals and service users. There are a few teaching days across the three years on which it is not possible to take annual leave. The academic programme is co-ordinated and planned by a Year Director in conjunction with specialist Academic Tutors, drawn from the Programme Team and regional psychologists. It is arranged so that its content relates closely to the clinical placements to facilitate the integration of the academic, clinical and research aspects of training. Teaching sessions are based on an experiential learning model, drawing on trainees' own experiences and are usually interactive. A variety of teaching methods is used including large and small group work, problem-based learning, team working, as well as didactic teaching. Web-based learning methods are also being increasingly integrated within the programme.
At the start, and during each year of training, blocks of teaching are introduced which temporarily replace the routine weekly pattern of clinical, teaching and study days. University accommodation at Salomons, at a minimal charge, is sometimes available to trainees during the teaching blocks.
The teaching is organised around six central strands as shown.
| Year 1 Level 1 Foundation Skills Adult/Individual |
Year 2 Level 2 Advanced Skills Child/LD/Systems |
Year 3 Level 3 Consolidation and Specialist Skills Older People/Specialist |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Strand 1 Models and Skills of Clinical Psychology |
Introduction and positioning Life-span developmental psychology Basic clinical skills CBT Psychodynamic |
Systemic/family Community Integrative |
Psychology and society Critical psychology Integrative practice |
| Strand 2 Working with Clients |
Adult mental health Forensic Health Substance abuse Neuropsychology Psychosis and complex needs |
Learning, physical and sensory disabilities Children, adolescents and families |
Older people Complex clinical issues and therapy integration |
| Strand 3 Working with Groups and Organisations |
Public sector organisation: adult services Understanding and working with teams and groups |
Public sector organisation: child and disability services Understanding and working with teams and groups |
Public sector organisation: older people and wider issues Understanding and consulting: teams, groups and organisations |
| Strand 4 Clinical Research, Evaluation and Dissemination |
Essentials of design, methodology and practice-based research | Advanced research design and methodology | Integrating research theory and practice |
| Strand 5 Personal and Professional Development (Reflexive Practice) |
Risk and ethics Professional skills and identity Diversity issues Reflective practitioner groups |
Risk and ethics Professional skills and identity Diversity issues Reflective practitioner groups |
Risk and ethics Professional skills and identity Diversity issues Reflective practitioner groups |
| Strand 6 Additional Competencies |
Administrative inductions and mandatory training Ongoing staff/trainee liaison |
Ongoing staff/trainee liaison | Specialist options Ongoing staff/trainee liaison |
The teaching in each strand is arranged in a series of units across the three years, each organised by a small team of academic tutors. There is an excellent library at Salomons and trainees have access to a number of other libraries in London and the Region. Good online electronic search facilities, email and access to the Internet are available.
Services in the region are spread across a wide geographical area and are very diverse. They include well developed community-based services with effective multi-disciplinary team work. Placements are available in both urban and rural settings. There is an extensive and diverse range of placements potentially available in terms of therapeutic models, client groups, socially and culturally diverse populations and service settings.
Trainees' placement programmes are arranged by the Year Directors and Clinical and Academic Tutors in conjunction with the Trust Training Co-ordinators. A minimum of three days each week is spent in placements, outside of teaching blocks, amounting to a total of approximately 333 placement days across the duration of training. All trainees are normally required to receive a minimum of two hours supervision per week. Each trainee has a Manager assigned to them who has responsibility, throughout the three years of training, for monitoring and supporting the trainee's clinical, academic and professional development. Placements are regularly reviewed and monitored by the trainee's manager who makes regular site visits to oversee the trainee's clinical progress and the development of their competencies.
For each placement a contract is drawn up detailing how the experience needed to acquire the specified competencies will be accomplished. This could involve a variety of pathways, dependent upon the host services and supervisory arrangements. It will usually require the trainee to be attached to more than one service, either sequentially or simultaneously, and to be exposed to more than one supervisor throughout the year. Training needs and background experience are taken into account in the allocation of all placements. Trainees need to be aware that in applying for the programme they have accepted that they will have to travel required distances from their homes to placement locations across the region. Travel within placements is also frequently required. To manage this, possession of a current, valid driving licence and access to a car for work purposes is essential (see Person Specification on our website). The programme's expectation is that trainees will be responsible for making suitable transport arrangements to arrive at their placement base by 9.00 am and to undertake any travel required by their work while on placement. Distance to the placement from the trainee's home will only be considered if they live within our catchment area. If a trainee lives outside the catchment area, the time taken to reach the boundary will not be considered. Generally, trainees should expect to have to travel 1-1½ hours to placement. On occasion this could be longer. Payment towards overnight accommodation in these circumstances can be authorised by the trainee's manager.
The Department of Applied Psychology on the Salomons campus at Canterbury Christ Church University supports research projects in London, Kent and Sussex, as well as across the country and internationally, and seeks to attract trainees who are enthusiastic about enhancing their research and evaluation skills. The overarching aim of research teaching in the department is to forge links between clinical work, research and evaluation in order to ensure that trainees are capable of developing, carrying out and assessing applied health care research in a variety of settings and across different populations. The research skills teaching takes a problem-based approach and covers small and large scale design, quantitative and qualitative methods, statistics, ethics and dissemination strategies. We place a strong emphasis on encouraging publication/professional presentation of trainee work.
Trainees conduct a small-scale service evaluation project on placement during the first year of training and also begin development of a major research project (MRP) in the first year, which continues into the second and third years. The programme provides a Research Fair early in the first year to meet potential research supervisors and discuss project ideas. It is advised to develop ideas for the MRP early in the programme. All trainees receive individual research supervision from one of a large pool of experienced supervisors. In order for us to provide trainees with the best possible research training, we strongly encourage trainees to select an area of research where our staff and trust staff have particular strength and can therefore offer a high level of expertise. The staff team supports a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The course benefits from active involvement with our service user and carer group. Further details about the department's research clusters, staff research interests and expertise are available on our website.
After submission of the MRP in April of the third year, trainees are required to disseminate their research work in appropriate ways (eg feedback to participants, professional conferences, Trust events, via peer-reviewed publication). The Programme provides excellent library support and computing facilities as well as statistical and qualitative software.
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All trainees register for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psychol.) with Canterbury Christ Church University. The Doctoral Programme uses a continuous assessment system, which includes the formal assessment of clinical, research and academic competence. The principal pieces of assessed work are:
The Programme does not use unseen examinations as a means of assessment. Guidance is provided on all assessment components through either individual or small group work, or online on the university's virtual learning platform.
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The Programme sees the personal development of trainees as a vital element of their training as Clinical Psychologists. To this end, the programme is committed to fostering a climate in which both professional and personal development is actively encouraged and enabled. It is recognised that the demand placed on trainees through the experience of training can be considerable and that it is necessary and appropriate for trainees to seek support. It is unlikely that any single system will meet all needs, but a variety of means has evolved as the Programme has developed, to provide opportunities for personal development and support. In addition to the twice yearly placement visits, trainees also meet once a year with their managers to review their development and learning on the Programme. This review enables all aspects of training to be appraised in an integrated way and helps trainees to identify clear development goals. The review also provides trainees with an opportunity to feed back individually about the Programme and, thereby, highlight issues which can then be addressed.
Reflective Practitioner Group meetings are held for each year group on a fortnightly basis facilitated by Year Tutors, who are also available to be consulted on an individual basis. The groups are an integral part of the Programme and provide a forum for reflection, dialogue, and personal experiential learning, throughout the course of training. The Reflective Practitioner Groups very much reflect the ethos of the Programme at Salomons and, although trainees often report finding them challenging during training, careful monitoring and follow-up into practice suggests that these groups are also seen as one of the most valuable learning experiences offered on the Programme.
The Programme does not formally require trainees to undergo personal therapy whilst in training. However, the ethos of the Programme strongly upholds the view that trainees should engage in processes that help them to reflect, manage their well-being, and learn from being in receipt of professional, health-focused attention. We see this as an essential aspect of continued professional development, and one that should occur throughout training and practice.
A "buddy system" is also in operation organised by the trainees, whereby each trainee will be paired with a trainee from the Year Group above to offer support. Programme staff and supervisors are well aware of the demands and challenges of training, and seek to create a culture in which they can be approached, if needed, regarding these.
Canterbury Christ Church University is an equal opportunities employer, as is Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. In line with the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), the Programme makes every effort to meet the needs of trainees with a disability. There is an identified member of the Programme staff with responsibility for issues relating to staff or trainees with a disability.
The Programme encourages applications from candidates who have experienced mental health difficulties. All successful applicants to the Programme undergo an Occupational Health screen to ensure that they are judged fit to work as a trainee clinical psychologist. The Programme has experience with trainees who have a range of disabilities. For example, there is an agreed procedure to screen, assess and support trainees with dyslexia. For further details, please see our website.
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Professor Jan Burns - Joint Course Director
Dr Michael Maltby - Joint Course Director
Professor Paul Camic - Research Director
Professor Margie Callanan - Practice Consultancy Director
Dr John McGowan - Year Director (First)
Dr Louise Goodbody - Year Director (Second)
Ms Anne Cooke - Year Director (Third)
Ms Linda Hammond - Senior Clinical & Academic Tutor/Admissions Tutor
Ms Angela Gilchrist - Clinical & Academic Tutor
Dr Daniel Salter - Clinical & Academic Tutor
Ms Celia Heneage - Clinical & Academic Tutor/Disability Officer
Ms Yvonne Shell - Clinical & Academic Tutor
Dr Susan Holttum - Senior Lecturer (Research)
Dr Fergal Jones - Senior Lecturer (Research)
Ms Lynda La Roche - Business Manager
Ms Karen Elmes - Lead Administrator
Mr Maciej Janowicz - Selection Administrator
Dr Sue Bridge - Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Robert Marx - Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Ms Alison Culverwell - Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
Dr Idit Albert - South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
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