Salomons - CCCU

Location

The doctoral Programme sits within the Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University. The campus is based in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, very close to the shops, cafes, and other amenities of this historic Kent town. There are excellent transport links, the Institute being close to both bus services and the mainline train station. There are frequent fast trains to London with a journey time of less than an hour. 
Trainees on the Programme can choose from a wide variety of urban and rural locations in which to live, including London, Brighton, Hastings, and the towns and countryside of Kent and East Sussex.  Many trainees travel regularly from Brighton and London, and car shares are common.

Trainee Support

The Programme sees the personal development of trainees as a vital element of their training as Clinical Psychologists. 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 have evolved as the Programme has developed, to provide opportunities for personal development and support.

All trainees are allocated an individual manager from the academic staff team who monitors and supports their progression throughout training and visits them on placements.  This continuity helps to establish the manager as an important source of guidance and advice.  Trainees have the opportunity for one-to-one discussions with their manager to address any difficulties that may arise.  This can occur at regular formal training review meetings, at mid-placement visits or on an “as required” basis.

An additional role of the manager is to signpost the trainee to relevant sources of support provided by the University and the employing trust.

Trainee Feedback

Trainees are represented and involved at all levels in the organisation of the Programme, including the selection of trainees.

Some quotes from current Salomons’ trainees as taken from the BPS Alternative handbook (2025-2026) include:

The course is great for staff support, the research team are fantastic, and the course really does promote being a reflective practitioner. Our cohort has also really bonded, and we have fantastic diversity among the course.

I feel that the course has lived up to the reputation of being reflective and inspiring deep thinking. I have really enjoyed being on a course that has elements of psychodynamic practice as this aligned with my own interests, and makes me a well-rounded practitioner in addition to CBT/Systemic and neuropsychology.

I like the course. The teaching gets you to think widely and the coursework makes sense (is mostly writing case reports). My cohort is very caring of each other, and I have made some friends for life.

I would recommend this course to someone looking for a course which will challenge them academically and clinically, but also provides space to be reflective and to find yourself as a clinician.

The quality of the teaching has been very impressive, very passionate experts in their field. The course is incredibly interesting and reflective, I have learned a lot about myself personally and as a clinician.