Coventry and Warwick

Academic

The taught programme is structured around the standard academic year of three terms (September to July). For each of these terms in the first year, trainees are normally scheduled two days a week in the university and three days on clinical placement. Outside of the academic sessions, trainees will spend three or four days a week on clinical placement with one or two days of each week allocated for study/research activity.

The course commences with a four or five week induction block. This block will provide an introduction to the academic modules and largely concentrates on preparation for going on placement. The induction block includes a substantial part of the Foundations of Personal and Professional Development module and an introduction to the other three academic modules: Psychological Approaches in Clinical Practice I, Theory and Practice in Clinical Psychology: Adult Lifespan and Research Methods in Clinical Psychology I. In addition, mandatory Trust induction will also be time-tabled. By the time they go on placement, trainees should have acquired an understanding of assessment interviewing skills and counselling skills, formulation skills and an introduction to the main psychological models. They will have begun their psychological presentations teaching which focuses on the adult lifespan. Trainees will also have covered core professional practice issues relevant to working in line with BPS/HCPC guidelines.

The timetable for second year trainees is similar but they are allocated some additional days of study leave (in place of university days) during term time.

The second year of the programme commences with a three-week block of study in the university. The purpose of this block is to provide trainees with an overview of the second year of the programme and launch the second year modules to ensure adequate preparation for the next two placements. There will also be an additional block of teaching at the beginning of the summer term.  The following academic modules will be studied during the second year of the programme: Personal and Professional Development in Context, Psychological Approaches in Clinical Practice II, Theory and Practice in Clinical Psychology: Developmental Difference, and Research Methods in Clinical Psychology II.

In Year 3 the main focus of coursework is the completion of the doctoral thesis research. In addition to the research thesis, trainees will be required to attend a minimum of 20 one-day workshops from the guest speaker programme of workshops.

Clinical Experience

In the first year of training trainees will normally carry out two core placements, which may be within "Adult", "Older Adult", “Physical Health”, “Neuropsychology” or “Neurorehabilitation” services. In the second year the two core placements will normally be in the areas of "Child" and "Intellectual Disabilities" services. In the third year of the course trainees will be able to choose two placements in specialist areas, subject to placement availability and completion of course competencies.

Research

The research training comprises two modules studied during the first and second years of the course. The assessment for these modules requires trainees to write a critical evaluation of research and a literature review proposal in year one and in year two a research project proposal and a service evaluation project. In their second year trainees are required to submit a full research proposal for their empirical research project. The empirical project will be individually chosen and is begun towards the end of the first year. There will be a choice of academic supervisors from both universities and local clinicians. The research thesis (maximum 20,000 words) is submitted in April/May of the third year. The above submission schedule will differ for the part-time programme.

Assessment

The degree of D.Clin.Psych. is awarded after three years full-time on the basis of clinical supervisor ratings, written and oral assignments, case studies, personal and professional development and the research thesis. The assessments include the following: reflective professional practice report, critical appraisal presentation, a range of clinical practice reports, service evaluation project, literature review and research proposals and the research thesis. Placement supervisors provide ratings of clinical competencies on all placements. The research thesis is marked by an external examiner and one internal examiner who will both conduct a viva examination.

Personal Development

Personal development is regarded as an extremely important aspect of the learning experience in enhancing self-awareness and underpinning the development of a therapeutic use of self in clinical work. Trainees are encouraged to take responsibility for their personal development throughout the course. They will keep a journal in which they are encouraged to record experiences, observations and concerns, together with self-reflections. Each trainee will be assigned an appraisal tutor from the course team who will be their main point of contact over the three years. The appraisal tutor will monitor the trainee's progress throughout the course and provide feedback, guidance and support.  A range of optional and mandatory opportunities are available to support trainees with their personal and professional development.