University of Glasgow

Structure and Content

The programme follows a modularised structure, which integrates academic teaching, clinical practice education and research training. This process underpins the commitment of the Programme team to maximising the synergy between the clinical, academic and research components of training and reflects explicitly our commitment to an integrative educational process. One initiative to develop from the process of modularisation has been the creation of integrated courses. For example, in the first year there are two integrated Adult Mental Health clinical-academic modules which combine learning outcomes embedded in academic teaching and clinical practice education.

Modular Structure

Year 1 Modules

• Foundations of Clinical Psychology
• Foundations of Clinical Practice 1
• Foundations of Clinical Practice 2
• Foundation Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

Year 2 Modules

• Children/Young People and Families Theory and Practice
• Learning Disability Theory and Practice
• Research Methods
• Research Practice 1
• Advanced Professional Practice 1

Year 3 Modules

• Advanced Practice 1
• Advanced Practice 2
• Psychology and the Law
• Research Practice 2
• Advanced Professional Practice 2

Satisfying the requirements for modules is evaluated through a mixture of clinical placement feedback and assessed academic pieces, including exams, presentations and essays. This work is delivered across the timespan of the programme and trainees are expected to balance these demands amongst their research and clinical development.

Clinical Placements

Throughout their time on the Programme, trainees will contribute to a range of clinical services where they will work with clients across the age span.  Clinical placements generally consist of three days per week over a six-month period, however this can vary depending on individual pathway. Across most of the year, trainees will also attend teaching on one day per week along with one study day.

Placements will all take place within the employing board.  Trainees on the three-year training pathway will have two placements during year one, running from November until April and then from May until September. Often these placements will be with the same supervisor and in the same setting, but both will involve a placement visit and a summative end of placement evaluation.

Year two will consist of two placements of six-month duration.  Settings may vary for individual trainee, but generally they will involve working within Children and young peoples’ services or learning disability services.

During year three, trainee will complete a further two placements of six-month duration.  These specialist placements may be carried out in two separate locations consecutively or simultaneously (split placement) or may both be carried out in the same setting.

Trainees on the APL pathway will follow a similar, but shortened, pattern.

Clinical placements will vary in duties but typically involve managing a caseload of patients, involving completion of patient-related administration, written correspondence, preparation and delivery of sessions, working with and seeking input from wider stakeholders, and effective working with a broad range of colleagues. Placements can also involve other forms of delivery of therapeutic work (eg groups) and service development activities. Over the course of clinical placements trainees are expected to become increasingly autonomous and show the ability to manage varied work demands via effective organisation and planning as well as dealing with unpredictability. Clinical contacts can involve working with highly distressed individuals and exposure to highly emotional circumstances.

Trainee will work closely with clinical supervisors, developing the range of competences laid out in the BPS accreditation standards and required learning outcomes and the HCPC Standards of Proficiency by the time of completing the programme.

Research

The Glasgow Programme encourages trainees to develop a range of high quality research skills that will support their clinical and research practice following qualification. At the end of three years trainees are required to prepare a research portfolio, which reflects a variety of research methodologies. Glasgow is fortunate in having a very high proportion of senior NHS staff with PhDs and active research interests. The Unit of Mental Health and Wellbeing provides a dynamic research environment and staff research interests cover a very wide spectrum. Trainees are required to integrate their research project with staff expertise.

The research component of the course involves carrying out work to form a two-chapter thesis that meets the standards of publishable work, together with a smaller scale quality improvement project. Research forms a substantial element of the programme and candidates hoping to join should have an aptitude and enthusiasm for research to help them be able to meet these doctoral-level expectations.