University of Essex

The programme is responsible for ensuring trainees' fitness to practise and therefore, applicants' conduct throughout the selection process is taken into account. This includes all correspondence and communication with the programme as well as conduct at interview.

Initial screening

Applications are screened against the Entry Requirements to determine initial basic eligibility.

Short-listing

Following initial screening, applicants meeting the Entry Requirements are independently rated and ranked by a panel of programme staff and local clinical psychologists. All applications are fully anonymised. At this stage, we aim to ensure that applicants offered interviews meet essential criteria for employment in the Person Specification for trainee clinical psychologists, in addition to rating applicants on the basis of criteria such as clinical experience and demonstrated academic suitability.

Interview

Interviews and related selection processes are held at the Colchester campus of the University of Essex. Generally, we offer about three times as many interviews as the number of places offered on the programme which is dependent on the number of commissions. On the day of the interview, the programme team provides applicants with further information on the programme and there is also an opportunity to meet with current trainees. The interview process includes a formal timed assessment.

We continually review and refine our selection procedures and will provide further details about the interview process to all applicants who are invited to an interview.

Offers of training places

All offers of a place on a programme are dependent on satisfactory enhanced DBS and occupational health checks. Applicants are required to disclose any information that might affect fitness to practise or future registration under the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).

All applicants who are offered a place will be expected to start in October 2024. Places cannot be deferred.

Equal opportunities

The University of Essex and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) offer equal opportunities with regard to race, religion, age, disability, gender, social class and sexual orientation. 

The programme is committed to recognising, accommodating, and embracing diversity. This is reflected in the recruitment and selection of trainees and throughout the training, which emphasises the importance of developing cultural and diversity-related competence in research and clinical practice. See Clinical Psychology Forum April 2022 issue for a report of our most recent audit of equality and diversity in recruitment and selection procedures.

Disability Confident / Applicants with disabilities

We encourage applications from candidates who have a disability and will make reasonable adjustments for trainees with disabilities. EPUT is a Disability Confident organisation and we endeavour to interview all applicants under this scheme who demonstrate essential criteria (as per the person specification) at short-listing.