Our Vision and Goals
At the end of training, UEA clinical psychology trainees should be able to draw on a broad range of psychological models, theories and research to inform their clinical work and be confident in using a variety of research methods appropriate to clinical research questions.
We train clinical psychologists to be fit for purpose in the changing landscape of the NHS. This means we guide our trainees (and qualified staff) to appreciate what clinical psychology can offer in the context of multi-disciplinary work, to understand the need for leadership either directly or through influencing others and to accept that as psychologists we will frequently be called upon to make difficult decisions about the use of limited resources. To do this we encourage our trainees to use the evidence-base and to draw upon scientist-practitioner competences when the evidence-base is lacking.
Our Philosophy
The UEA Clinical Psychology Programme, which started in 1995, will support you to become one of the next generation of leaders for our profession, equipping you to thrive at a time of great change within the NHS. We will enable you to become conversant, knowledgeable and confident in applying evidence-based practice through the integration of clinical, academic and research skills, recognising the wide ranging role of the clinical psychologist in the modern NHS.
Our clinical psychology Programme, which is approved by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the British Psychology Society (BPS), is informed by partnerships in training to deliver highly competent, robust and resilient trainees. Embodying and upholding the values of the NHS Constitution, our trainees are enabled to deliver better care at the level of individual, service and population need. The Programme works jointly with clinicians in the region to support research activity linked with the mental health research strategies of local Trusts and is in tune with clinical priorities of local services. The Programme understands clinical psychology to be a reflective, caring and compassionate profession where we act with integrity to make a difference to people at times of vulnerability and distress, reflecting the NHS values and constitution. At the heart of the Programme, underpinning and informing it, are the NHS values of working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives and a recognition that everyone counts.
The programme aims to support trainees in the development of core competencies across the three years of training. All trainees gain experience of working across the life-span, of working in residential and community settings, and with people who have severe and/or enduring problems.
How Are Placements Monitored?
Trainees will be visited at least once per placement by a member of the programme team.
Clinical supervisors offering placements are expected to provide supervision in line with BPS guidelines. We provide training events to support them with this. We also gather feedback on supervision from trainees to monitor this.
Initial Placement Meeting
The advisor meets with the supervisor and trainee at the beginning of the first placement to agree a placement contract. This discussion will cover arrangements for work particularly related to the specialty, identifying particular aspects of work that the trainee needs to develop and supervision arrangements.
In subsequent placements, the responsibility for agreeing the placement plan rests with the trainee and supervisor (unless this is the first time that a supervisor has provided a placement on the Course, in which case the advisor will join the initial placement meeting). The trainee will be expected to contact the supervisor before the placement starts, to discuss the practical arrangements and initial ideas for the placement plan. The trainee will be expected to complete the standard Placement Contract form with the supervisor, within a fortnight of commencement of the placement. The contract should be copied to the programme by the trainee within two weeks of the start of the placement so that the content can be monitored.
Half way through each placement the trainee's advisor meets with the supervisor and trainee for a mid-placement review. The advisor meets with both the supervisor and the trainee alone, and then all three meet together. These discussions provide opportunities to discuss general progress, identify areas of strength, areas for development, further targets, and any additional work that needs to be carried out. Within this, both supervisor and trainee feedback are sought and considered. A record of the mid-placement review is made and sent to the supervisor and trainee.
End of Placement Arrangements
At the end of the placement, the supervisor completes the Supervisor's Assessment of Trainee Form and discusses this with the trainee. Trainees are also asked to provide feedback about the placement and supervision on the forms provided. This should be done after the Supervisor's assessment is completed. Trainees also need to keep a log of their clinical work. All the forms need to be returned promptly to the programme.
If at any stage during the placement either the trainee or the supervisor is concerned about any aspect then contact is made, as soon as possible, with the trainee's advisor or the year tutor to discuss the matter. Potential difficulties can then be tackled at an early stage
International Training Opportunity
In July 2016 the Department of Clinical Psychology at UEA undertook its first International Training Opportunity (ITO). Two ClinPsyD trainees successfully applied to complete this, as part of their final clinical placements. Download their presentation (4Mb)
This was supported by a small bursary designed to cover travel and basic accommodation costs. The ITO is open to all of our students in their final year of training as long as they have successfully completed all assignments to that point.
- Trainees undertake two placements per year. In Year 1, they complete adult and older adult placements. In Year 2 they complete learning disabilities and child placements. This enables trainees to choose specialist placements in their final year. These may be completed concurrently or consecutively across the year depending on the specialism chosen. There is rich variety of specialist placements available, for example forensic, neuropsychology, specialist centres for brain injury, clinical health psychology, social services, leadership skills and specific therapeutic modalities including CAT and CBT.
- The number of days trainees are required to spend on placement varies across the three years. Trainees can be on placement for up to 4 days per week. They are also allocated research and study days to help them manage the varying demands of the programme, for example, thesis research.
- Placements are typically allocated within a trainee’s base location or a location geographically close to this base.
- In the third year, trainees are able to indicate their preferences for specialist placements from our database of specialist placements available. Trainees can opt for specialist placement preferences outside of their base location.
OVERVIEW OF OUR TEACHING AND CURRICULUM
Teaching is a key part of the Programme and is organised into modules to provide a coherent framework and developmental progression, whilst also supporting the development of the HCPC Standards of Proficiency and BPS Standards for Accreditation. Teaching is organised in order to prepare trainees for clinical placements and research assignments.
There are 4 over-arching areas of teaching:
Evidence and Values Based Practice
Trainees will learn the fundamentals of clinical psychology practice in these Modules, developing an understanding of theoretical and evidence bases to inform clinical practice. Core competencies will be taught and a number of models will be introduced. Trainees will gain knowledge of the psychological needs of a range of client groups related to: mental health and physical health presentations, presentations of infancy, childhood, youth, adulthood, older adulthood, those with physical and intellectual disability and specialist clinical presentations, including forensic. As Trainees progress through training, teaching will address how to work with individuals with increasingly complex presentations, applying over-arching competencies and using multi-modal interventions.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Systemic Therapy and Neuropsychology
A wide range of assessment, formulation and therapeutic approaches are taught with substantive teaching focussing on the development of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Systemic and Neuropsychological competencies, with the CBT Modules being led by BABCP accredited therapists.
Leadership and Consultancy
Whilst developing core therapy skills is an important aspect of training, the role of the clinical psychologist involves more than this. To reflect core psychological skills, and to encompass the broad role of the clinical psychologist within the evolving the NHS, the Programme includes teaching on leadership, consultation, supervision and service development skills.
Research
The Research Modules are designed to take trainees through all aspects of the process of conducting doctoral level research from: planning, design of protocols, methodologies, to analysis and writing-up over three years. It provides trainees with an understanding of both qualitative and quantitative applied research methods and how to apply research skills in clinical settings.
The degree of ClinPsyD is awarded after three years on the basis of satisfactory completion of the research thesis portfolio, written assignments, clinical presentations and clinical practice reports. These include a case report, an open-book statistics test and the thesis proposal (Year 1); a report of the service related project (Year 2); and a second case report and the Thesis portfolio (Year 3). All work, other than the Thesis, is assessed on a pass / fail basis with marks accorded to each piece of examinable work. Trainees are provided with learning objectives for each assignment
In each year there are two sets of ratings of clinical work on placements and an annual oral presentation of clinical work (one of which is replaced by a recorded process report). During the third year of the Programme each trainee has an oral examination conducted by an external examiner and an internal examiner on their research thesis (viva).
We have also introduced formative assessment as part of the Programme to promote reflective practice and clinical skills development in the form of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). These occur prior to placements in years one and two to identify individual learning objectives to be addressed on clinical placements. Formative research assessments including research presentations and service related project proposals are designed to facilitate the development of research skills.
All components of the assessment scheme must be passed separately.
The teaching programme includes a mixture of didactic lectures and practice-based workshops which draw on trainees' clinical and research experience. It also makes use of teaching in small groups that meet together for clinical case conceptualisation and formulation skills, organisational, contextual and ethical issues. Teaching is carried out by Programme staff and local experts, primarily clinical psychologists working in the NHS, with contributions from Experts by Experience.
