Newcastle University

The DClinPsy programme is an attendance-based programme and is principally delivered face to face at the Newcastle City Campus and associated clinical locations. Although some teaching and structured guided learning may be delivered online, due to the clinical and integrated structure of the programme, sessions planned for face-to-face delivery cannot be substituted by other forms of delivery, including blended, online and remote.

Academic

In keeping with HCPC guidance (e.g. Standards of Proficiency – Practitioner Psychologists and Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics; see www.hpc-uk.org) and the recommendations of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Partnership and Accreditation Team, the academic curriculum is organised around the competencies identified as necessary for a generic training in Clinical Psychology and follows the BPS guidelines for training programmes.

The Programme delivers a curriculum which is informed by the evidence-base and social contexts and takes a developmental approach to scaffold learning and progression across each stage of training. The aim is that trainees will develop the requisite academic knowledge and research evidence necessary to complement that achieved during clinical placements.  

The teaching programme aims to combine theoretical understanding with skills training and clinical practice by using a range of evidence-based teaching and learning strategies including lectures, self-directed learning, workshops incorporating experiential learning exercises and role play, small group sessions and debates. 

Clinical psychologists and psychological therapists currently working within the NHS provide much of the teaching to ensure good theory-practice links. Experts by Experience are also involved in providing teaching. Teaching sessions usually take place at the University base in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. 

In year 1, teaching days initially are Monday - Friday until the end of October. Trainees then attend teaching on Mondays and Fridays until the end of December in year 1, and then every Monday during term time for the remainder of the programme. There are also occasional five-day teaching blocks. 

Starting at the beginning of term 2 in year 1, and then for the duration of the programme, trainees typically have one study day per week to facilitate the completion of academic and research work. 

Attendance at all teaching days is mandatory. Trainees are therefore unable to take annual leave from scheduled teaching days and permission must be sought from the Programme Director to be absent from teaching for exceptional circumstances (except in case of illness).

Clinical

Trainees undertake four six-month ‘core’ placements to ensure they acquire and demonstrate the competences that are required to successfully complete clinical psychology training, as outlined by the HCPC and BPS criteria. 

These competences can be demonstrated in a broad range of clinical contexts, so trainees can expect to work with different groups of clients in different settings, gaining experience of different therapeutic models and approaches. 

A 10-month elective placement of the trainee’s choice in third year allows for specialisation and a chance to pursue interests regarding future career pathways. The region is able to offer a considerable choice of elective placements available in specialist services and regional centres (e.g. neuropsychology, physical health, psychosis, forensic, or specialist therapy settings). 

The usual order of placements is as follows: 

• Core Placement 1 - Adult Mental Health or Child and Adolescent
• Core Placement 2 - Adult Mental Health or Child and Adolescent
• Core Placement 3 - Learning Disability or Older Adult
• Core Placement 4 - Learning Disability or Older Adult
• Elective Placement 5 

Placements are organised by the clinical tutor team and monitored by them during placement reviews, during which feedback is sought from trainees and supervisors regarding progress through the placement. 

To pass the clinical requirements of the programme, trainees are required to demonstrate and evidence competence in:

• Generic and therapy-specific competencies in assessment, formulation, and psychological intervention
• Neuropsychology
• Indirect intervention and consultation
• Digital competencies
• Professional behaviour and communication
• Supervision and reflection
• Working with difference and diversity
• Leadership and service development

Days on placement:

Trainees are usually on placement from Tuesday - Thursday 

During breaks from teaching (i.e. Christmas, Easter, and August), teaching days become placement days, which means that placement time extends from three to four days per week

Leave can be taken from placement with agreement of the placement supervisor. No more than 15 days may be taken from each of the core placements, and no more than 30 from the elective. 

Research

The core aim of the research training programme is to enhance proficiency in research as an integral part of the scientist practitioner role of the clinical psychologist.

The research component of the programme has four main parts:

1. The Research Models and Methods teaching module, which provides an introduction to basic research skills and the different types of research carried out in various clinical settings, including both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. A developmental approach is taken, whereby across each year sessions primarily focus on:
   1. Year 1 – Development and consolidation of research skills, from generating new knowledge that informs cutting edge developments in clinically relevant theory and future therapies, through to the systematic evaluation of the application of current knowledge and existing practice in service settings
   2. Year 2 – Refining the large-scale research project and developing systematic search and critical literature review skills
   3. Year 3 – Skill-based sessions to support the completion, write-up, and examination of the large-scale research project
2. The Empirical Paper, which aims to provide the opportunity to carry out a single, clinically related project from conception to conclusion, including both written and verbal presentation
3. The related Literature Review is an opportunity to develop skills in analysing, synthesising, and evaluating a relevant sample of empirical papers related to the Trainee’s individual project 
4. The Service Based Project (SBP) provides the opportunity to address a service-related research question, with supervision provided by the Programme team and NHS colleagues. The aim of the SBP is to enable trainees to develop their practice-based evidence skills, in parallel with their other research skills. This is usually carried out within one of the clinical placements, but it may be done in other contexts or settings 

Assessments

Trainees are required to pass all assessed pieces of work as per the Programme Regulations

The Programme uses a range of assessment methods, formative and summative, as appropriate to assessing the learning outcomes related to clinical, academic and research competences

Assessments include:

• Supervisor reports and structured observations from clinical placements
• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE’s) and other in vivo demonstrations of clinical competencies
• Case Studies
• Presentations
• Essays
• Reflective writing assignments
• Research projects and Viva Voce Examination

Involvement of Experts/Educators by Experience (EBE)

Engagement and involvement of EBE is co-ordinated through our Lived Experience Exchange (LEE) workstream within the EDI sub-committee.

We have an open-door policy for flexible engagement with LEE and disseminate information about opportunities for involvement across several channels, with the aim to support engagement with our course in a way that is genuinely inclusive and self-determined.

We are committed to continue building wider networks of involvement with diverse community and service user groups in collaboration with the Anti-Racism, LGBTQ+ and Disability workstreams within our EDI sub-committee.

We have ring-fenced budget for EBE involvement with transparent pay rates and reimbursement of travel expenses. LEE have co-produced a certificate that is given to all EBE teaching contributors. Trainee feedback is collected for all teaching sessions and fed back to EBE teachers to reinforce that their input is valued and meaningful.

Via LEE projects and attendance at course committees, EBEs are invited to take various roles (e.g. consultant, co-developer, critical friend) in influencing curriculum planning and development. An example of this is the inclusive research task force, which is developing good practice guidelines for co-produced DClinPsy research projects.

EBE involvement in selection is a co-produced endeavour run by EBEs in liaison with the LEE workstream. EBEs participate in shortlisting and interviews, independently designing and scoring a dedicated question according to their own criteria. An experienced EBE collaborator co-ordinates this process and provides training to EBEs new to the role.

We strive to increase EBE involvement in trainee learning opportunities via EBE led sessions and co-facilitated sessions with NHS clinicians. A range of teaching sessions are co-developed and delivered (e.g. Working with EBEs, Sexuality and Gender, Health Inequalities). We have staff and trainees who are EBEs and a teaching session on Clinician Lived Experience is also delivered.

The LEE workstream supports different levels of EBE involvement additional to teaching delivery, including EBE review and feedback on teaching materials and development of a resource bank of EBE written materials and video narratives. We are building a repository of diverse EBE collaborators and their skills, interests and experience via LEE and our outreach work.