POSTGRADUATE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAMMES
INFORMATION SHEET FOR
APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURES
This programme is restricted to New Zealand and Australian citizens/residents.
Applications open 1 September 2015 and must be received
before 1 November 2015.
The dates for the selection processes and interviews are set for
18th, 19th and 20th November 2015.
The Clinical Psychology programme in this department consists of four years:
st
1 year
2
3
4
nd
rd
th
year
year
year
Honours
Doctor of Clinical Psychology year 1
Doctor of Clinical Psychology year 2
Doctor of Clinical Psychology year 3
To gain entry into the three year Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree programme students must first
complete an Honours year, which includes compulsory Clinical Psychology courses.
Students who already have a postgraduate Psychology degree (such as Honours or Masters) would, if
selected, undertake only those compulsory courses they have not already passed.
Selection into the Honours Programme for Clinical Psychology
in 2016
Please note that you will need to complete the enrolment process on the Student Services Online
system on the University website as well as the Clinical Programme Application Form that is
posted on the Psychology website.
When enrolling on Student Services Online you will need to select either BA Hons or BSc Hons in
Psychology.
If you already have a higher degree in Psychology, please select a Bridging programme (most
commonly a Certificate of Proficiency). Please note that a CoP can only be done under the Science
faculty. If you are an Arts student, you are still able to apply under Science.
Instructions for enrolment will be available in the 2015 Psychology Handbook and on the web
(www.psych.auckland.ac.nz ). Please refer to this.
Doctor of Clinical Psychology Programme.
Information Sheet 2015
Academic Prerequisites for Entry into the Honours Programme for Clinical
Psychology Students with a Bachelors Degree
Applicants must have fulfilled the Faculty of Science or Faculty of Arts admission criteria for entry into
Honours and have a Bachelors degree in Psychology. For School of Psychology purposes the
requirement for admission is a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a B average or higher. Psychology
Honours degrees require students to have completed PSYCH 306 (Research Methods).
Entry to the Clinical Programme recommends completion of MĀORI 130 Te Ao Māori: The Māori World.
(or equivalent). This can be done as a summer school paper or a ‘General Education’ course.
BA Hons Arts Entry Requirements
Bachelor of Arts Hons – minimum requirements: B average or higher in 45 points at Stage III, and
approval from Head of School.
Derived from BA qualification in Psychology from The University of Auckland or approved equivalent.
(See page 81 of the University of Auckland Calender 2013 for the regulations) PSYCH 306 must be
included as a part of the major.
Note: Double Major students – two subjects above Stage II (45 points each). In Psychology the best
of your Double Major will count in the four course average.
BSc Hons Entry Requirements
Bachelor of Science Hons – minimum requirement: B average in 90 points above Stage II, including 45
points in the subject major and approval from Head of School.
Derived from a BSc qualification in Psychology from the University of Auckland or approved equivalent.
See page 295 of The University of Auckland Calender 2013 for the regulations)
Psychology requires PSYCH 306 to be included as a part of the major.
Note: Double Major students – two subjects above Stage II (one major requires 60 points and the
other must include 45 points).
If you have already met all the requirements for Clinical Honours and are accepted into the DClinPsy,
you would ‘stand down’ the Honours year and transition into DClinPsy with the Honours group selected
in your year.
Consistent with the University’s policy on equal educational opportunities the department has adopted
an affirmative action policy for Māori and Pacific Island students. Affirmative action for students
requesting Māori or Pacific Island preference is effected by adding 1.0 GPA unit to their grade average.
Postgraduate students NEW to The University of Auckland
Applicants for postgraduate programmes who have not been enrolled previously at The University of
Auckland must apply for admission using the online application form. This application for admission
to The University of Auckland must be made before 1 October 2015. The application will be
acknowledged by e-mail, which will also provide a login and password to allow you to check the
progress of your application online. The letter will also list the certified documents the University
requires to verify your personal details and entrance qualifications.
Verification of your previous university qualifications is required before your application to
the School of Psychology for the Clinical Programme can be considered.
Information on Postgraduate Admissions can be found on The University of Auckland’s webpage at:
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/cir_prospective/index/cfm?action=display_page&page_title=studentadmin_postgrad_
general_pgradadmiss
A separate application to the School of Psychology must be made by 1 November 2015. The
application form will be available on the School of Psychology website under Supplementary
Application Forms. Applications can be submitted from 1 September onwards.
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology Programme.
Information Sheet 2015
Other Criteria Used in the Selection Process
Communication Skills: the ability to communicate with a wide range of people in a non-judgmental,
accepting and genuine manner. This includes good listening skills as well as being able to express
yourself clearly.
Compassion: able to be warm, supportive and patient, and for this to be sufficiently overt for it to be
perceived by clients and colleagues.
Self-awareness: awareness of your own values, motivations, issues and limitations.
Cultural Sensitivity:
cultural backgrounds.
have experience with and level of sensitivity towards people from different
Ability to Contribute: ability to contribute in a group (staff team, student class), including
willingness to offer ideas, skills and knowledge, assertiveness, ability to be cooperative and supportive
of others.
Honours Programme
Successful applicants to the Honours programme in Clinical Psychology will be required to enrol in
Honours papers:
PSYCH
PSYCH
PSYCH
PSYCH
708
718
723
788
Clinical Neuropsychology (30 points)
Psychotherapeutic Assessment and Formulation (15 points)
Mental Health Problems, Aetiology and Assessment (15 points)
Honours dissertation (45 points)
In addition they must enrol in a further 15 to 30 points of Honours-level courses. PSYCH 707 Forensic
Psychology is recommended. Students accepted into the Honours programme, who wish to enrol in
these papers, will be given priority entry (see the School of Psychology Handbook for descriptions of
the Honours courses).
To be eligible for continuance into DClinPsy, students must demonstrate that they have the personal
qualities necessary to undertake a research oriented clinical course of study that satisfies the eligibility
requirements for registration to practice as a Psychologist. Students must also maintain a B+ average
in the Honours year.
Students who have already passed Honours or Masters Courses in Psychology
These students may also apply for entry to the Clinical Psychology Programme. For these students
minimum academic entry criteria will be either:
a Masters or Honours degree in Psychology with a minimum B+ average, or
a PhD in Psychology.
If selected, students will enrol in PSYCH 708, PSYCH 718 and PSYCH 723, if they have not already
been credited with these courses.
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology Programme.
Information Sheet 2015
Applications
Applications AND two supporting references, are to be submitted between 1 September 2015 and
1 November 2015. Early applications are encouraged.
Send Applications to:
Clinical Programme Administrator
School of Psychology, Tamaki Campus
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
AUCKLAND
Referees
You should ask your two referees to send ONE COPY of their confidential letter of reference directly to
the Clinical Selection Committee, c/- Clinical Programme Administrator, Department of Psychology,
Tamaki
Campus,
The
University
of
Auckland,
Private
Bag
92019,
Auckland.
Or e-mail directly to psych-admintamaki@auckland.ac.nz
We recommend one academic reference and one clinical/work reference.
It is your responsibility to check with your referees that these have been sent in time to meet the
nominated closing date (see Reference Form) – this is not a task undertaken by the DCP programme.
Letters of reference received after this date will not be considered.
Notification
You will not be notified when your application is received but you will receive a letter by e-mail, early
in November either informing you that you have been short listed or that your application has been
unsuccessful.
The Selection Process
There are three steps in the selection process.
(a) Applications will be reviewed to check that minimum academic criteria as specified above are
met.
(b) The Selection Committee will select for interview up to 30 applicants from those who meet
the criteria specified in (a). In addition we aim to select for interviews a group of students who
represent the social, gender and cultural mix of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Selection for
interviewing will be based on the information in the application and the two confidential
references. Details of the selection process will be provided to those short listed, at the time of
notification.
(c) The dates for the clinical interviews are set for 18th, 19th and 20th November 2015 and will
allow the Selection Committee to judge more accurately the suitability of applicants for the
programme. It is not possible to interview applicants outside of these dates.
Up to eleven applicants will be offered a place in the Honours programme in Clinical
Psychology
Every effort will be made to notify applicants by 3 December 2015 as to whether they have been
successful, unsuccessful, or placed on the short waiting list. Students who are offered a place in the
programme will need to contact us by Monday 7th December to let us know if they will accept or
decline. The University term begins on Monday 29th February 2016 and students are expected to be
available for orientation to the course on Friday 26th February 2016.
The Selection Committee consists of two School of Psychology staff members in Clinical Psychology; a
Māori Clinical Psychologist and a senior Clinical Psychologist from the community.
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Additional Information
Doctor of Clinical Psychology Programme.
Information Sheet 2015
Applicants should be aware that if they are accepted into the DCP programme they may need to also
provide the following information:
Police Record Check: This is required as some clinical practicum placements require people
providing clinical services to undergo a Police record check (note: this is separate from the Record of
Criminal Convictions).
Immunisation: If accepted into the DCP programme, applicants should note that clinical placements
in hospitals and other health care settings require that people providing clinical services in these
settings are immunised against certain diseases.
Application for Honours
Students who are applying for the Clinical Psychology programme will also need to apply for the
general Honours programme. If a student is selected for the clinical programme, they will be enrolled
to complete the Honours degree (either in Arts or Science). If they are not selected, they will still be
eligible to be considered for a general Honours degree. There will be some extra places available in the
clinical courses:
PSYCH 708 Clinical Neuropsychology
PSYCH 718 Psychotherapeutic Assessment and Formulation
PSYCH 723 Mental Health Problems, Aetiology and Assessment
Our recommended elective is PSYCH 707 Forensic Psychology
Completion of any of these courses will be an advantage should a student apply to the Clinical
programme (via the above selection process) the following year.
If a student already has Honours in Psychology, they will enrol in one of the bridging programmes to
complete the pre-requisite courses. Selected students will be advised individually what is required.
Confidentiality
The information in the applications and the confidential referees’ reports will be read ONLY by the
Selection Committee members and in some cases by other members of the Clinical Psychology staff
who will treat all the material as confidential. After the selection process is complete, all applications
and referees’ reports of unsuccessful applicants will be shredded.
Please ensure you have read the information here, the Department of Psychology Handbook and the
University of Auckland Calendar before contacting the department
You are also invited to attend the Post Graduate Information Session. Check the website for details.
Demands of the Clinical Psychology Programme
The Clinical programme makes heavy demands on time, energy and personal resources. In addition to
high academic demands of learning theory, research and professional practice the process of becoming
a good clinical psychologist may challenge your existing behaviour patterns and beliefs regarding
yourself in interaction with others. If you have not already done so, please consider for yourself if any
of the following would seriously threaten your ability to undertake the programme at this time.
(1) Current severe stresses such as major financial difficulties, recent losses or major illness or
medical condition.
(2) Lack of social support networks.
(3) A “40 hour/week job” orientation. The nature of the training (and clinical work in general) is
that there are times of intense activity and times of lulls – you will sometimes need to work
longer than regular hours. Students will also need to remain active over semester breaks,
especially in regard to the Doctoral Thesis.
(4) This is an Auckland based University training programme. Applicants need to be aware that
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology Programme.
Information Sheet 2015
all clinical field placements and the Internship will be undertaken in the Auckland region.
Applicants need to seriously consider this prior to applying for this programme.
Financial Support
We cannot guarantee that all internships will be as paid employment.
The DClinPsy programme is considered a full-time activity. Upon consultation with staff, we do accept
that students may undertake limited outside employment.
Students completing the DClinPsy should also apply for grants and scholarships, the details of which
are available from the Scholarships Office.
Enrolment
Please note: In addition to this application form to the department, you must also apply on Student
Services Online (University on line enrolment www.auckland.ac.nz ) If you are a new student to the
University we suggest you start your application process early as it can take several weeks before you
obtain an ID number.
When applying on Student Services Online, apply for the degree programme only (e.g. BSc (Hons) or
BA (Hons) Psychology). Please do this no later than 1 December 2015. There will be a prompt for
you to then complete the ‘Postgraduate Worksheet’.
The courses you will expect to take for the clinical programme, should you be accepted, will be:
PSYCH 708A
PSYCH 708B
PSYCH 718
PSYCH 723
PSYCH 788A&B
And a 15 point
(15 points)
(15 points)
(15 points)
(15 points)
(45 points)
elective
You may have an opportunity to change the courses in which you are enrolled once they have been
loaded onto Student Services Online. Note the deadline to do this is the first two weeks in Semester 1
(for 15 point courses) or four weeks into Semester 1 (for 30 point courses). However, we recommend
you do not leave this until the last minute as classes fill up very quickly and we cannot guarantee a
place will still be available if you leave it too long.
If you are sent confirmation of your place in the programme, please check your enrolment online after
this.
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