Doctorate courses and approaches

Bangor - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Third Wave therapies, particularly
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
 Bath - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Systemic Therapy
 Birmingham – CBT, however, we have three other main therapeutic strands;
psychodynamic, systemic and behavioural
 Edinburgh - cognitive-behavioural approaches (CBT) and systemic approaches
 Essex – CBT, systemic, short-term psychodynamic
 Exeter - CBT, Cognitive Analytic Therapy and Systemic
 Glasgow - strong cognitive behavioural orientation other psychotherapeutic
approaches including systemic therapeutic and third wave CBT approaches
 Hertfordshire - CBT, systemic, psychodynamic, CAT and neuropsychology.
 Kings (IoPPN) - cognitive-behavioural therapy main therapeutic modality, also has
particular strengths in family therapy, neuropsychology, mindfulness-based
interventions, clinical health psychology.
 Leeds - cognitive-behavioural (including "third wave" models), family systems and
psychodynamic theory
 Leicester - CBT, psychodynamic, systemic and community psychology
 Liverpool - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT),
and Systemic Therapy
 Manchester – CBT, teaching is provided in psychodynamic interpersonal therapy,
systemic approaches
 Newcastle - cognitive-behaviour therapy and systemic therapy
 Oxford - Cognitive-Behavioural Therapies and Systemic (Family) Therapy.
 Plymouth - cognitive behavioural and the systemic approaches
 Royal Holloway - cognitive-behavioural and systemic teaching.
 Salomon’s - life-span developmental, cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic,
systemic and community.
 Sheffield - cognitive behavioural therapy, and at least one other model of therapy
 Southampton - cognitive behavioural and systemic theory
 South Wales - cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and systemic practice
 Surrey - cognitive/behavioural, systemic, interpersonal psychotherapy and
psychodynamic approaches
 Teesside - not founded on one theoretical position but adopts an open stance
through the presentation of a breadth of theories including: behavioural, humanistic,
cognitive, psychoanalytic, systemic, interpersonal, developmental and social
 Trent - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
 UCL - cognitive-behavioural (including third wave models), psychodynamic, and
systemic approaches. All trainees receive high quality training in cognitive behaviour
therapy (CBT).
 UEA - an emphasis in teaching and assessment on case formulation in CBT and
Systemic Therapies.
 UEL - that psychological problems are best understood in a social and cultural
context.
Things to consider...
1. Do you meet the criteria for the courses you apply for? Traditionally, most courses
require a 2:1 undergrad degree (some might accept a 2:2), evidence of further study
(Masters or PhD), experience as an Assistant Psychologist/Research Assistant for a
minimum of 1 year, paid or unpaid.
2. When writing the personal statement, the character limit is extremely stringent, so
put a lot of thought into demonstrating your suitability/skills without repeating what
experience/qualifications you have – this is all detailed elsewhere in your
application!!
On the Leeds Clearing House website there is an example of what the person
specification for a Trainee Clinical Psychologist is. It is important that it also reads as
personable, compassionate and human rather than a robotic list of all your skills.
This is just one way to write the personal statement and not necessarily the ‘right’
way.
3. Have you checked what the selection procedure is for the courses you are looking
for? Some select JUST on your application/references, and others invite you to a
pre-selection test. If a course has a pre-selection exam, it is more than likely going to
be assessing your research skills/knowledge – if this is not a strength, maybe
consider a course that does not assess this.
4. Consider the logistics of actually attending pre-selection tests/interviews. Bear in
mind that you will need to take days of work, have to travel potentially long
distances, maybe even stay overnight in places – so try to make sure that period is
relatively stress-free.
5. When choosing courses, if you are not constrained geographically by where you
end up, consider what programmes suit your specific interests. You can download
the ‘alternative handbook‘ from the BPS website which has lots of info on each
course programme through the viewpoint of current trainees on that course, to find
out more specifically what the courses are like to be on.
6. Ahead of exams/interviews, try to familiarise yourself with a whole host of topics:
research methods, design and analysis; therapeutic models, formulation, treatment,
mental illness; BPS code of ethics and conduct; NHS structure/organisation and
current issues; familiarise yourself with some latest research articles (the list goes
on, but you get the gist).
7. Ahead of exams/interviews, see if you can find on others’ blogs/forums what the
questions were last year, or what the structure was, as this might help you to better
prepare (assuming the structure/ethos doesn’t dramatically change!).
Are you confident, hardworking and organised? Do you work well with others?
Do you understand what the day-to-day work of a Psychologist entails? Would you
engage well with patients and others in treatment? This will be judged using your
application form and your references.
Are you committed to the profession and the health service? Are you motivated?
Personal Statement – Reflections on occupation/research experience
This is a key section, probably the most important. This is where you show how your
experience equips you to be a trainee clinical psychologist and show off your reflective
capacity. One rookie error is to end up talking about what you want from being a
clinical psychologist here - this belongs in the ‘What I hope to gain from training'
section. Try not to waste words on filler, and don't try to tick boxes or second guess
what short-listers might be looking for. Another common problem is applicants who try
so hard to squeeze in every last experience and end up with a form with no depth or
reflection that doesn’t flow. Again, less is more. This is not about clinical psychology in
general, it is about YOU and YOUR reflections on your journey; it’s a reflective
narrative of your journey. Have a nice strong opening sentence/paragraph about who
you are and why you are ready to start training. Bring it to life with examples and
sometimes link it to how your skills will help on training e.g. ‘...and I feel this will help
me when working with a range of client groups on training.’
Layout is important too, make sure you can see where your paragraphs are. Leaving a
line in between each is preferable or at least indent paragraphs. Layout is important
throughout the rest of the form as well, make sure you are not squashing parts
together, make it visually clear to the reader. Also, don’t try to list everything you have
done. Harping on that ‘I have used CBT, I have done this, my research project was
‘....’ is wasted words – they know all this from your occupation section, this is not a
descriptive section, it’s a reflective one.
Dissemination Section
People often panic if they don’t have publications but not many applicants come with
peer reviewed journal publications ready to list. It can also include conference
presentations, booklets or internal publications, or contributions to larger policy
documents (e.g. through the BPS). This section is not only for publications, but any
small projects you carried out and disseminated to an audience e.g. at a team
meeting. Keep it brief. Write the title, authors, where it was published/presented and
then a short description underneath.
What would you hope to gain from training?
This is where you get to show you understand your own motivations and learning
needs and express some opinions. There are two interpretations implicit in the
question - what you hope the 3 years will involve and teach you, and what you hope
gaining the clinical doctorate will allow you to do with the rest of your career. Both of
these are questions worth reflecting on. But if you don't know yet, many people go for
a mixture of including the appropriate information (e.g. assessment, formulation,
intervention, research skills, etc.) and personalising it so it doesn’t sound too robotic.
Don’t get too fixated with ‘buzz words’, just go with what you want, but at the same
time it needs to be appropriate for what training is generally about; get the right
balance.
Other interests
This is where you show you have a life outside of psychology! Tell them what makes
you an interesting and unique human being. Do not talk about liking volunteering work
or reading psychology books and trying to make it sound all 'psychological' as if you’re
desperate for your form to be boosted. This is about you OUTSIDE OF
PSYCHOLOGY, they want to see a bit of personality, to feel some sense of who you
are. If they know you have a life outside of work, they know there’s more chance you
will cope with the course, plus someone with a bit of personality tends to have good
engagement skills and engagement skills are key in this game. You can mention
things that are as obscure or mundane as you want. And as we have said earlier, don't
try to make out something you're not or try to sound all impressive, just be yourself.
Selectors like to get a sense of a real person behind the form.
Any other relevant factors
Again, don’t fill this up inappropriately harping on about how you’re an awesome
candidate and how brilliant you are, or with content that belongs in another section but
didn't fit in to the character limit. If this section is not relevant for you – leave it blank. If
you have had an interesting or atypical route to clinical psychology you might want to
mention your prior direction and why you changed professions here. If you feel that a
particular grade needs one line of explanation put it here. Again, keep it clear and
simple. And no elaborating on things!
Quick tips
1. Reflect, reflect, reflect.
2. Be honest about your experiences – if you volunteered 1 hour a week for a year
over-selling and over-exaggerating may put short-listers off.
3. Be concise, you don’t have enough characters to waffle!
4. Sell yourself, and be confident, not arrogant. If you claim you know everything,
then you don’t really need the course, do you?
5. Your language should sound smart – but don’t overdo it, sometimes simple is
best.
6. Use personal experience if it’s relevant – using a sad personal story may hinder
your application if it adds no value.
7. Give examples of how and where you have learned and used your skills.
8. Get a proof-reader! (and then maybe get another one…)
9. Once it’s finished and proof-read, SUBMIT it. Fretting over it won’t help.
If you notice a typo after you’ve submitted, it’s not the end of the world – if your
application is interview-worthy it’s doubtful that a misplaced comma will hinder your
chances. Remember to take care of yourself during this time. It’s a long and arduous
process, give yourself credit for putting yourself through it (especially if this isn’t your
first time). Once you have submitted, try not to let the next 6 months play on your mind
– there’s very little to be done on your part until shortlisting decisions are made!