Royal Holloway

Support

There are a number of different procedures in place to ensure that trainees feel properly supported throughout their training.

Internally, the course provides support through a number of mechanisms:

• Trainees are allocated a "Buddy" from the year ahead, who provides advice and mentorship during the first year. 
• Each year has a confidential Reflective Practice Group, with an external facilitator. 
• Each trainee has a Personal Tutor assigned from the teaching staff who will meet with them over the three years. This allows for continuity of support and also provides the trainee with a resource for personal support, should the occasion or need arise. 
• An Independent Personal Advisor from within North London is also available. The Independent Personal Advisor scheme has been established jointly by the three North London courses. Trainees can approach an Independent Personal Advisor for confidential advice, with a number of Independent Personal Advisors having expressed particular interest and competence in supporting trainees from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, those who identify as LGBTQI+, those who are parents/carers, and/or those who have disabilities or health needs. 
• There is no formal mechanism for organising personal therapy for trainees. However, counselling services are available through the University or the relevant NHS Trust, and a list of private therapists who trainees may approach is provided by the course.

Support for Trainees with Disabilities

Any disclosure of disability is treated with sensitivity and within the bounds of our confidentiality policy. We liaise closely with the Royal Holloway Disabilities and Dyslexia Services Team and with the relevant NHS Trust to ensure that an assessment of need and subsequent reasonable adjustments are made for trainees with disabilities. The course is committed to ensuring that all learning environments are accessible and supportive for every student and follows an inclusive by design principle. Guidelines have been developed for teaching staff to facilitate inclusive learning, emphasising the creation of equitable opportunities for participation and inclusive and authentic assessment practices with consideration for neurodiversity and the varied access needs of our trainees.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

We have an Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDIAR) Committee made up of course staff, external advisors and trainee representatives. This committee guides the course's strategic direction, setting development priorities, overseeing EDIAR objectives, and promoting best practices. It aims to foster a fair, equitable, and inclusive learning environment that supports excellence in teaching, research, clinical practice, and student experience, eradicating prejudice and discrimination based on protected characteristics and ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. There are EDIAR leads for every aspect of the course who work closely with trainees on embedding, reviewing and enhancing learning provision.  This group meets twice a year to discuss and improve all aspects of diversity on the training programme and is directly accountable to the Course Executive and the Course Management Committee.

To support all trainees in reflecting on and developing competencies for working with differences and diversity, we have externally facilitated confidential Reflective Practice Groups alongside other facilitated spaces (e.g. journal clubs, seminars) within the curriculum.

Furthermore, trainees from ethnically minoritised backgrounds can opt-into additional confidential reflective practice groups led by an external facilitator.

There are currently 10 trainee Widening Access Champions who are engaged in a range of activities aiming to widen access to a career in clinical psychology for individuals from under-represented backgrounds in the field (especially those from the global majority). Examples of their work include facilitating talks at secondary schools/sixth forms about pursuing clinical psychology as a career, contributing to the wider EDIAR work on the course, supporting aspiring psychologist events, working with the Valued Voices Mentoring Scheme (assisting with recruiting mentors and helping facilitate reflective workshops), and contributing to the annual London-wide “Is clinical psychology for me?” event (large scale widening access event). 

Physical Location

The College is based in very attractive surroundings just outside the M25 to the west of London in Surrey. Access by public transport is good (College Bus during term-times or 15 minute walk to Egham Station, 40 minutes to Waterloo). The College also has a central London base, in Bedford Square, which is available for trainees and staff to use.

Approximately half of trainee time on the course is spent on placement in the North London region. Approximately one fifth of trainee time is spent on teaching, some of which will be at College. The remainder of time is for private study and research.

Videos

Clinical Psychology with Dr Olga Luzon

The Psychology Debrief | Episode 13: What is a Clinical Doctorate? With Prof Michael Evangeli

The Psychology Debrief | Episode 14: Clinical Doctorate - Insider experiences

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