DClinPsy Handbook

Author: Rob Parker

  • Responding to and Reporting Racism Guidance

    This document is designed to help guide trainees, staff, and placement supervisors in what to do when they experience or witness racism whilst working on the Lancaster Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). It has drawn on the “Teesside University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Guidance on Responding to Racism in Clinical Practice” document (Teeside University Doctorate…

  • Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility statement for ‘DClinPsy Online Handbook’ (WordPress) This accessibility statement applies to the ‘DClinPsy Online Handbook’ hosted by WordPress (https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/dclinpsy). This website is run by Lancaster University. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to: zoom in up to 400%…

  • Vision, Values, and Strategic Priorities

    Vision The Doctorate in Clinical Psychology endeavours to equip trainees with the experiences and competencies required to maximise the psychological (and physical) well-being of the communities they, and we, serve. Central to that service is to uphold the NHS Constitution.​ We value every person as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in life, and…

  • Programme Forum

    Overview The Programme Forum was established in 2024 as part of a new governance structure of the programme in response to rapid expansion in training numbers and significant changes in learning delivery and training standards. The aim of the programme forum is to enable the strategic priorities of the programme. Forum members must adhere to…

  • Recording competencies in the ePortfolio (OneFile)

    As part of the programme’s accreditation, the BPS require us to have a clear system of recording competencies within their Standards for the accreditation of Doctoral programmes in clinical psychology. We provide this in electronic form via the OneFile system. We expect that trainees make use of the ePortfolio throughout training, and this is why…

  • Anti-Racism Accountability Group (ARAG)

    The Anti-Racism Accountability Group (ARAG) was set up in 2020 in response to events within the profession and wider society, which once again, brought into focus the continued pervasive and damaging impact of structural and systemic racism. We wanted to ensure that on the DClinPsy there is a group that is embedded in the course’s…

  • Use of bookable extra study (BES)

  • Guidance on the use of social media by clinical psychologists

    This information is available in the following location: – BPS Supplementary Guidance on the Use of Social Media HCPC Guidance on the use of social media

  • University student complaint procedure

    This information is available in the following location: – University student complaint procedure

  • A getting started guide: assessment

    This page is designed to guide you through the key sections of the online handbook which relate to assessment. You can use it as an index to read key assessment related sections of the handbook in a logical sequence. More detail on most areas will be contained within the full sections of the online handbook.…

  • A getting started guide: trainees

    This page is designed to guide you through the key sections of the online handbook which relate to trainee resources and issues. You can use it as an index to read key trainee related sections of the handbook in a logical sequence. More detail on most areas will be contained within the full sections of…

  • A getting started guide: curriculum

    This page is designed to guide you through the key sections of the online handbook which relate to the curriculum. You can use it as an index to read key curriculum related sections of the handbook in a logical sequence. These are core pages – more information is available in the Teaching and Assessment and…

  • A getting started guide: placements

    This page is designed to guide you through the key sections of the online handbook which relate to placements. You can use it as an index to read key placement related sections of the handbook in a logical sequence. These are core pages – more information is available in the placements section of the handbook.…

  • Programme structure

    There are four main programme committees; the Programme Board, the Examination Board, the Operational Management Group and the Directors’ Committee. There are also eight Development and Implementation Groups (DIGs) which inform the programme committees, and the Anti-Racism Accountability Group (ARAG). Trainees are represented at the ARAG, on most DIGs and the Programme Board. How the…

  • Passing and failing the DClinPsy programme

    This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024. Full details of the Assessment schemes and criteria can be found in the programme specification. An overview of this process is provided in the programme completion and failure processes document. Scheme of assessment…

  • Support for trainees with disabilities

    Often, even before entry to the programme, potential trainees may contact the office in regard to any special requirements they may have. Where any trainee has a registered disability, and a need for particular equipment or special procedures to be followed to facilitate training, office staff (usually the Programme Administrator) liaise with staff and the…

  • Trainee travel and expenses

    Trainees are expected to commute from home to their practice placements which may include for some distance across the North West region. This may also include staying away from home. If travelling from home to the university would be a shorter distance, the extra mileage is funded. Travel during work time is also often required,…

  • Trainee resources

    Places to study The location of the DClinPsy programme is in HI One on the Health Innovation Campus.  There are open access breakout areas within the building and a study area on B floor available to students. Trainees also have access to bookable study spaces through the library, spaces with PC access are available. More…

  • Trainee Council

    The Trainee Council was established in 2024 as part of a new governance structure of the programme in response to rapid expansion in training numbers and significant changes in learning delivery and training standards. Trainees select up to 12 representatives to form the Trainee Council. The selection process is determined by the trainees. Ideally, each…

  • Programme staff

    The programme has a dedicated staff team. Staff are also stakeholders of the programme, along with local clinicians, experts by experience, trainees, representatives from the employing body (Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust), commissioning body (NHS England), university and faculty representatives, and regional special interest groups. The programme works with all stakeholders in an…

  • Programme Board

    The principal role of the Programme Board is to provide strategic advice, drawn from a range of perspectives, on the continuing development of the Lancaster Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme in accordance with the DClinPsy vision statement. Responsibility In order to deliver on its strategic remit the Programme Board will: – Provide a forum for…

  • Conference and CPD expenses

    Each trainee has a budget for the duration of training, which is to be used to cover CPD, such as attendance at conferences, research costs and also CAT formulation sessions (personal therapy). The budget depends on the year of entry to the programme. Once your application to attend a conference, online training or personal therapy has…

  • External examiners

    The programme has a number of standing external examiners who are appointed for a four year period. All standing external examiners are experienced clinical psychologists involved in training on other Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programmes and all are from the relevant part of the HCPC Register. The appointment process for external examiners is approved by…

  • Guidance on Assignment Submission

    This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024. This guidance relates to the preparation of all documents except the thesis General Guidance on submissions All written coursework for the programme needs to be submitted online via the University’s Moodle virtual learning…

  • Structure of Teaching and Placements

    2021 intake onwards 2020 intake and earlier Brief description and key to strands of teaching

  • Learning and teaching vision

    Our vision We aspire to have a teaching and learning programme where… There is constructive alignment between the assessments undertaken by trainees and the teaching and learning programme. Teaching on the programme should focus on the competencies assessed as part of the training programme, and be aligned to the assessment exercises on the programme. The…

  • Identifiers: words or phrases which identify individuals

    It is important that ‘identifiers’- words or phrases which identify individuals, institutions etc. without their explicit consent – are not present in assignments submitted for examination. Trainees should check their work carefully before submission to ensure that this does not happen and that, for example, ethics applications have such identifiers redacted. Where it is felt…

  • Programme Specification

    Contents Awarding Institution Teaching Institution Programme Approved & Accredited by Final Award Programme Title UCAS Code Subject Benchmark Date of Production Educational Aims of the Programme Required Programme Outcomes Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Assessment Strategy and Methods Reference Points Used to Inform Scheme of Study Structure and Features Support for Learning Criteria for Admissions Evaluation…

  • Examination of the thesis

    For the thesis, programme staff (or other members of the university such as colleagues in psychology, DHR or social sciences) who are not directly involved in helping trainees with the preparation of their thesis research and are not one of their individual tutors act as internal examiners. Each thesis is examined by a specifically appointed…

  • Examination board

    The Examination Board has the authority delegated to it by the University to reach decisions regarding the academic status (pass / fail) of students’ assignments and practice placements. The examination board comprises the programme staff and appointed external examiners, with the Vice Chancellor, the Assistant Dean for Teaching and the Head of the Division of…

  • Deadlines, extensions and exceptional circumstances

    Deadlines and extensions Trainees can find the fixed deadlines for all assignments with the  Submission deadlines page of the handbook. All assignments need to be submitted by the agreed deadline to avoid negative consequences. The consequences of late submission and the process for obtaining an extension is detailed on the following page: Policy regarding deadlines…

  • Tutor system and Individual Training Plans (ITP)

    Introduction to the Tutor Pair and Vertical Tutor Groups (VTGs) To ensure that trainees receive coordinated support and advice on their progression throughout their training, from staff who have a chance to get to know them and their learning needs, each trainee is allocated a pair of tutors (a clinical tutor and a research tutor).…

  • Service Improvement Poster Presentation (SIPP)

    Introduction The SIPP assignment involves groups of trainees recording videos of themselves working together on a service development project during their project block, and producing a poster and 500 word summary of the project. This is followed by the group delivering a 30 minute presentation on the project. At the end of the process, each…

  • Placement Assignment – Service Evaluation (PASE)

    Introduction The PASE is a report based on a piece of audit or service evaluation work carried out on placement. For trainees in the 2020 cohort and earlier, the work outlined in the first submission of the assignment can be from any one of the second, third or fourth core placements. Following the other three…

  • Placement Assignment – Live Skills (PALS)

    Introduction Over the course of the programme, trainees are required to submit three pieces of work for Placement Assignment: Live Skills (PALS), in addition to one Placement Assignment: Service Evaluation (PASE). Trainees in the 2021 cohort (and subsequent cohorts) will submit PALS #1 and #2 from work completed on their direct skills placement, and PALS…

  • Assessment of learning outcomes

    This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024.

  • Assignment suite overview

    This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024. Assignment submission dates

  • Assessment general principles

    Assessment on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is guided by a number of different frameworks including the Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC’s) standards of education and training and standards of proficiency, the British Psychological Society’s (BPS’s) standards for the accreditation of Doctoral programmes in clinical psychology and Lancaster University’s manual of academic regulations and…

  • Public Involvement on the Lancaster DClinPsy programme (LUPIN)

    Experts by Experience’s (EbEs) vital contributions to clinical psychology training is recognised in position statements and accreditation criteria (BPS, 2019; DCP, 2018), as well as in wider professional standards and NHS policy (DoH, 2011; HCPC, 2017). LUPIN The Lancaster University Public Involvement Network (LUPIN) aims to increase public involvement in the Lancaster Doctoral Programme in…

  • Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE)

    Introduction The Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE) is designed to help trainees identify what their strengths are and what their areas for development are from the beginning of their training. It enables trainees to become active and engaged participants in their own learning and development and provides an opportunity to engage in different exercises to understand themselves…

  • Placements Overview

  • Placement information for supervisors

    For any clinical placements, the Programme Office ensures that all supervisors, once the allocation has been made, are sent the key information such as placement dates and trainee contact details in an email within a week of the programme placement allocation meeting. The key information provided to supervisors will include: – the name of the…

  • Placement documentation and assessment

    Placements are planned so that trainees have the best opportunity to achieve the learning objectives that relate to acquisition of clinical competence, which meet the HCPC’s Standards of Proficiency for Practitioner Psychologists and the standards set out in the BPS Accreditation through Partnership Handbook; Guidance for Clinical Psychology Programme. Placement Contract For each practice placement,…

  • Placement difficulties

    Difficulties on placement fall into three broad categories – concerns expressed by trainees, those expressed by tutors and those expressed by supervisors (these might also include the concerns of other professionals or service users on placement). Although the concerns of all do often overlap, these concerns will be considered separately in the interests of clarity.…

  • Placement availability and selection

    Services within the Northwest area which are considered able to provide successful practice placements are contacted in good time prior to the start of the placement to seek offers of placements. Approaches for placement offers are coordinated with the other two north west programmes who also seek placements within the same geographical area. When a…

  • Criteria for placement failure

    Introduction The criteria for failure reflect the requirements of the profession, as set out in the following standards produced by the regulatory body (Health and Care Professions Council – HCPC) and the professional body (British Psychological Society- BPS): Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics See document link below Health and Care…

  • Key information about the structure and content of training

    Programme delivery The vast majority of the DClinPsy curriculum is delivered via face-to-face methods at Lancaster University, which will also be the employment base with Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. In-person attendance at both teaching and placements is a requirement. The programme cannot be attended online ‘live’ from a distance due to the…

  • Previous thesis topics

    Graduating year 2024 Oliver Baldwin Experiences of chronic pain Rebecca Bennett The impact of games on wellbeing in autism Suzy Berry The moral distress and posttraumatic growth of the ambulance workforce: A systematic review and meta-synthesis Amy Breed The psychosocial impact of living with adult cyclical vomiting syndrome: An interpretative phenomenological analysis Katy Brooks Self-compassion,…

  • Guidance on the thesis process for trainees

  • Framework for Ensuring Consistency in Research Work

    This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024.

  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

    1. Values The Lancaster DClinPsy Programme is committed to celebrating the diversity of all those associated with it: trainees, staff, members of our Public Involvement Network (LUPIN), teachers, supervisors and assessors, the Learning Together Group and others. This commitment is underpinned by an emphasis on inclusivity and equity. Learning experiences provided and facilitated by this…

  • Admissions equal opportunities data

    Each year the Clearing House in Clinical Psychology provides data on applicant numbers for each of the UK Clinical Psychology Programmes and for the UK as a whole. They also provide a breakdown of applicants by gender, cultural background, age, disability, number of dependants etc. The programme compares its data to national patterns. Equal opportunities…

  • Personal and professional development and support for trainees

    TYPE OF TRAINEE SUPPORT PSYCHOLOGISTS AND OTHERS INVOLVED FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS WITH TRAINEES Tutor pair and individual training plan (ITP) Programme staff: one member of the clinical team oversees the training pathway in partnership with a member of the research team Meet with trainees at least monthly. Individual training plan meetings at least twice per…

  • Personal therapy & personal reformulation

    The programme supports trainees seeking personal therapy. Trainees considering personal therapy are encouraged to discuss this with either their tutors who will assist them as appropriate in finding personal therapeutic support (for example advising them where to search). Course staff would not have any direct contact with a trainee’s therapist, and trainees would not be…

  • Exceptional Circumstances Committee

    The remit of the programme’s Exceptional Circumstances Committee is to consider submissions by a trainee relating to events outside their control which may have resulted in them failing to complete assessed work to a standard of academic performance that might reasonably have been expected on the basis of their performance elsewhere during their study. The…

  • Moodle Virtual Learning Environment

    Moodle is a web based system which the programme uses to post teaching materials and allow trainees to submit assignments. Soon after being registered at the University trainees are able to access the information posted on Moodle relating to their teaching. To access the DClinPsy section of Moodle just click on the link below: https://modules.lancaster.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2503…

  • Peer observation guidelines

    The key elements of the DClinPsy peer & stakeholder observation system are outlined below. This should be used in conjunction with the peer/stakeholder observation feedback sheet. Ethos The peer & stakeholder observation system is based on the idea that anyone can observe anyone else. The aim of observation is to help develop the process of…

  • Training Review Interview

    The training review interview is a voluntary discussion between trainees and their clinical and/or research tutor which aims to do the following: – Consider the trainees’ development over the final few months of placement Gather feedback from trainees to use when considering improvements to the course: the working environment, culture, processes and systems, management and…

  • Trainee working pattern guidance

    Annual leave entitlement This will depend on your length of continuous service but will be at least 27 days a year, plus bank holidays (April to March). If at the start of or during training you accrue five or ten years’ continuous service within the NHS then your annual leave allowance will rise to 29…

  • Supervisor training

    At Lancaster the DClinPsy programme’s vision for trainees is that they become competent, confident, reflective and reflexive practitioners. Clinical practice placements and supervision play an essential role in this process. Placement supervisors are asked to support trainees in the development of their competencies and skills to a level which will enable trainees, upon completion of…

  • Trainee personal details

    If there are any changes to your personal details (e.g. address, contact details, name, next of kin) you must let the programme office know as soon as possible. For any address changes you will need to inform LSCFT. You can change your details via ESR on an LSCFT Laptop or complete the section attached to…

  • Fitness to practise

    Being fit to practise is a prerequisite for an applied psychologist to deliver a service to the public. The following extract is taken from the Health and Care Professions Council’s brochure entitled “The Fitness to Practise Process”: What is fitness to practise? When we say that someone is ‘fit to practise’ we mean that they…

  • Concern about trainee behaviour

    From time to time staff/service users who come into contact with DClinPsy trainees may have concerns about an individual trainee’s conduct and behaviour. There are already a number of formal DClinPsy, Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) and Lancaster University policies and procedures which can be applied in the case of serious concerns.…

  • Absence from work policy and annual leave procedure

    Absence reporting email address: lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk (this inbox is managed by a small duty team made up of the admin team and clinical tutors who check the inbox at the start of and during the working day) Annual leave email address: annualleave-nhs@lancaster.ac.uk Reasons for absence Absence is recorded in the following four categories: Annual leave Sickness absence Special…