University of Bath

Support

Training is a life-changing process, which can be life-enhancing, but which can also be challenging at times. At Bath, we are committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our trainees and we help trainees to develop resilience and a healthy work-life balance. A range of support options will be available for trainees in recognition of individual differences and preferences.

Support systems include:

• Buddies (other Bath trainees)
• Bath Mentor Scheme (BAME) 
• Clinical tutors (a member of the programme academic team)
• Research Supervisor (a member of the programme academic team or wider Psychology department)
• externally facilitated reflective practice sessions
• optional experiential mindfulness course 
• termly reflective sessions with the programme team. 

Trainee Led Inclusivity Group (TLIG) provides reflexive peer support One of the main supports for trainees is their own peer group so there will be an emphasis on facilitating team building within each year group.

The University also provides a range of support services and activities for postgraduate students including support for students with disabilities and access to well-being support. 

Trainee representation

Receiving feedback from our trainees is important to us and trainees are able to represent their cohort’s views and/or give direct feedback to the programme through the following routes:  

• trainee representation on all programme committees 
• termly reflective sessions with the programme team 
• regular contact with their clinical tutor 
• regular contact with their research supervisor 
• contacting one of the directors on the programme 
• regular teaching surveys 

More information about the programme

Our programme at the University of Bath started in October 2011. Our programme reflects recent advances in Clinical Psychology, adult learning strategies, supervision and inclusive processes. Our programme is well supported in this by the University of Bath and by local NHS Trusts.
Key features of the Bath course include:

• High quality taught programme incorporating people with personal experience, student-led and problem-based learning.
• Learning beyond the classroom including on placement and active involvement of local clinicians in teaching and assessment.
• A dedicated clinical psychology trainee base.
• Programme Advisory Group of people with personal experience (PPE) 
• Commitment to inclusivity and equality.
• Teaching consistent with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).
• BABCP Level 2 accredited programme (trainees are eligible for BABCP accreditation on programme completion).
• Foundation Level accreditation with the Association for Family Therapy.
• Enhanced individualisation of training from the outset and supported specialisation through Personal Planning and Training Needs Assessment (PPTNA).
• Excellent clinical placements in the region with access to regional and national specialist clinical services.
• Trainees can choose their final year, elective placements in areas of most interest to them (provided core competencies have been met)  
• Interesting range of research projects 

Our Programme ethos

We place a strong emphasis on recognising the importance of inclusivity in clinical psychology.

The Bath programme ethos reflects the core values of the NHS Constitution and we recruit individuals with the right attitudes and values who can work in a professional, respectful and compassionate way with a diverse range of people presenting with distressing psychological difficulties.

We are committed to improving lives through promoting quality interventions. Trainees learn the importance of theory-practice links and how psychological theory informs clinical practice. Training draws on the full range of empirically grounded psychological theory, including psychopathology alongside other areas of psychology such as social and developmental psychology. The emphasis of assessment and therapy is person-centred in the broad sense. The programme training and placements are based on an understanding of the importance of equality, diversity and empowerment.

Trainees are supported to develop high levels of competency in academic, clinical and research domains through a learner-led model of training. They will learn to become highly capable scientist practitioners, able to skilfully blend the scientific basis of clinical psychology ("clinical science") with reflective practice and personally adapted approaches ("clinical art"). Through the acquisition of meta-competencies, trainees will feel confident to extend their skills to work with clients with varied needs that they may not have encountered in training or for which treatment models do not yet exist.

Our programme is designed to foster enthusiasm for life-long learning, personal development, reflective practice and research. Trainees, supported by their course tutor and clinical supervisors, use a Personal Planning and Training Needs Assessment (PPTNA) from pre-training and throughout the programme to work towards the acquisition of skills and goals that are meaningful for them.

Specialisation in the third year allows trainees the opportunity to shape their career pathway to suit the evolving NHS. Accreditations with BABCP and AFT put our graduates in a particularly strong position in terms of employment opportunities.

Our programme also has strong links with Bristol University Clinical Neuropsychology courses. Our programme neuropsychology curriculum has been aligned with some of the taught content for the Bristol Diploma in Theoretical and Practical Neuropsychology. This provides the opportunity for our graduates to reduce the time and cost of specialist Neuropsychology training post qualification.

BABCP and AFT Accreditation

Our programme at Bath has both Level 2 accreditation with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and Foundation level accreditation with the Association of Family Therapy (AFT). Both accreditations are highly prized additions on our programme. However, eligibility for BABCP and AFT accreditations are not requirements for passing the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

A trainee who passed all DClinPsy programme assessments yet did not meet all the requirements for BABCP Level 2 and/or AFT Foundation level accreditations, would still pass the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

In such rare circumstances the trainee would be included in the DClinPsy pass list sent to HCPC but would not be included in the pass list sent to BABCP nor issued with a Foundation in Systemic Family Therapy Training certificate.

As a fully accredited BABCP programme (Level 2) all trainees are expected by the BABCP to be registered as student members of the BABCP for the duration of the programme. The course will seek evidence of membership at the start of the programme. Further information about costs can be found on the BABCP website.

Training at the University of Bath

Our Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is one of a number of well-regarded postgraduate programmes offered by the Department of Psychology at Bath. Other programmes here include MSc programmes in Applied Clinical Psychology; Health Psychology; Forensic Psychology and an MSc in Research Methods.

The undergraduate degree in Psychology is well subscribed with high entry requirements and excellent ranking in UK league tables. The Psychology Department has a very strong record in academic achievement with excellent performance in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).  You can find out more about the Department of Psychology

Further information about the University’s rankings and reputation can be found here.

Personal development, reflective practice and inclusivity

A core part of our programme focuses on enabling every trainee to become the type of clinical psychologist they want to be. Everyone comes on to training with different life experiences, interests and aspirations and we aim to support the flourishing of each individual. It is also very clear in the evolving NHS that the role of the clinical psychologist is becoming ever more diverse and, to be fit-for-purpose, programmes need to have the capacity to support a degree of specialisation.

Throughout all three years of training the Personal and Professional Development Unit supports trainees in developing:

• reflective practice, 
• leadership skills,
• awareness of inclusivity
• awareness of professional practice 

This unit includes an optional eight-week mindfulness course, not to qualify trainees in delivering mindfulness but, to provide a first stage in working towards such competencies.

The mindfulness course is an opportunity to experience the psychological processes and effects that support the delivery of evidence-based mindfulness interventions. It also offers personal skill development in stress management, self-awareness and reflection. Mindfulness is one part of our broader commitment to supporting trainees' health and wellbeing.

With all this in mind, our programme has developed a Personal Planning and Training Needs Assessment (PPTNA) to enable our programme to work collaboratively with trainees, from pre-training through their entire training experience, to shape their clinical experience to meet their specific needs, career plans and aspirations.

The PPTNA includes sections on skills and experiences prior to training, a personal development plan to meet future aspirations, core and advanced skills and also professional practice. The PPTNA is cumulative and will be an important tool in identifying the suitability of placements and priorities within placements.

Living and working in Bath and the wider region

The University of Bath campus is situated about one mile from Bath city centre, with regular buses to and from the University. Bath is a spectacularly beautiful city. Among attractions in the region are countless art and music activities spread over the year, including the prestigious annual Bath Festival and Glastonbury close by. The majority of trainees choose to live in Bristol, which is approximately 10 minutes from Bath by train. Bristol is one of the largest UK cities, renowned for its cultural diversity and inclusivity as well as a thriving art, music and social scene. Bath and Bristol are both surrounded by beautiful countryside with the Cotswolds to the north, the Mendips to the south-west and, just across the Severn Bridge, the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. The coast at Weston-super-Mare or South Wales is also within easy reach as is London which is only an hour and a half by train.

Further information about the city of Bath and the university can be found at the University of Bath website.