Category: Teaching

Recording of teaching

08/01/2024 / Rob Parker

Routine recording

The routine recording of teaching is something which the university allows if a department or programme wishes to do this, but with the recognition that whether teaching “can be routinely recorded depends on a number of factors, including the type of session it is.” In the case of the Lancaster DClinPsy there is a range of sensitive teaching content and small group discussion for which no online synchronous or asynchronous alternative is available, meaning that in most cases viewing of a recording of teaching provides much diminished (if any) learning compared to attending the session.

However, we also know that some trainees value access to recordings of teaching when these can be made available. Based on programme staff’s academic and clinical judgement, teaching sessions where it is appropriate are routinely video recorded by the programme using the MS Teams system.

Trainees with learning support needs

We recognise that some trainees may have an ILSP statement suggesting that the recording of teaching they are attending will be of benefit for them. Trainees in this position are permitted to individually audio record the didactic portion only of any teaching which the programme is not due to routinely record (i.e. not any group discussions or other exercises due to the aforementioned sensitive nature of these). Audio recording devices are available to loan from the programme for this purpose. It is the individual trainee’s responsibility to make their recording and to ensure that only the didactic sections of teaching are recorded (they should not ask teachers to do this). These recordings are for the trainee’s personal use only, and there may still be sessions where due to the sensitive nature of personal information or for copyright reasons recording will not be permitted. In such cases trainees will be informed of this.

Use of bookable extra study (BES)

02/01/2020 / Rob Parker

Full time trainees

Trainees from the 2018 intake onwards are entitled to a total of 30 days of bookable extra study (BES) to use for work on the thesis in addition to regular study days. These are normally taken from third year placement time. However, up to six in total may be taken from core placements in the (placement three or four). All BES days must be taken before the thesis submission date. Please note that there will be a minimum number of days that trainees will need to spend on their third year community placement and so BES cannot be used in a way that would take a trainee below this minimum.

There is flexibility in how a trainee uses their BES, depending on factors including the timing and nature of their thesis work, the nature of the placement, and preferred study routine. However, BES should be consistent in pattern and easy to understand, for example, once a week for x number of weeks, or 3 short study blocks. It should not consist of days taken inconsistently from one week to the next across an extended period.

All BES days must be scheduled in advance of the placement starting wherever possible, and only with the agreement of the individual clinical tutor, research tutor and placement supervisor(s). The spreadsheet at the bottom of this page must be used to document plans for BES days, as well as regular study days, placement, and teaching throughout the third year, and can be adapted for use during core placements year if BES days are taken then. The spreadsheet should be shared and agreed with the clinical tutor, research tutor, and placement supervisor(s).

3rd year placement days

Part time trainees

Trainees from the 2018 intake onwards on a part time route are entitled to a total of 30 days of BES to use for work on the thesis in addition to regular study days; this is the same amount as full time trainees. For part time trainees, most will normally be taken from final placement time, which begins in Nov of the 4th year of the part time route, however, up to six in total may be taken from core placements (placements three or four – April of yr 2 to Oct of yr 4).

All of the above rules for full-time taking BES days also apply to part time trainees.

A getting started guide: curriculum

04/07/2019 / Rob Parker

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 failure sections of the handbook.

Programme structure

Learning, teaching and assessment strategy

Curriculum guidance, strategy and aspirations

Learning outcomes and assessment methods

Learning and teaching on the DClinPsy programme

Other learning structures

Learning structures outside formal teaching

Teaching Timetables

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

All teaching timetables are kept on the Moodle virtual learning environment which is accessible to trainees and staff. Any updates are reflected in the documents available there.

For any queries regarding the teaching timetables, please contact c.pedder@lancaster.ac.uk.

Moodle
Brief description and key to strands of teaching

Teaching, learning and assessment strategy

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

Curriculum Guidance

The curriculum is informed by a wide range of guidance, which includes the following:

HCPC Standards of Education & Training
HCPC Standards of Proficiency
Standards for the accreditation of Doctoral programmes in clinical psychology (BPS document)
BPS accreditation through partnership handbook
BPS accreditation through partnership additional guidance for clinical psychology training programmes: The Ten Essential Shared Capabilities
BPS Generic Professional Practice Guidelines
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Professional Practice Guidelines
Clinical Psychology – a quick guide to the profession and its training
Clinical Psychology: The core purpose and philosophy of the profession (BPS Division of Clinical Psychology)
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Good Practice Guide :Service User and Carer Involvement within Clinical Psychology Training
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Good Practice Guidelines: Training in Forensic Clinical Psychology
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology Training Providers for the Training and Consolidation of Clinical Practice in Relation to People with Learning Disabilities
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology for Training Providers – Training and consolidation of clinical practice in relation to children and young people
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology Training Providers for the Training and Consolidation of Clinical Practice in Relation to Older People
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology Training Providers. Training and Consolidation of Clinical Practice in Clinical Health Psychology.
BPS Division of Neuropsychology Competency Framework for the UK Clinical Neuropsychology Profession.
NHS National Service Frameworks
NHS Knowledge & Skills Framework
QAA Benchmark statement Healthcare programmes – Clinical Psychology.
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, ‘Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education’
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, ‘A framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland’
National Qualifications Framework in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Human Rights Act 1998
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and associated regulations
The Children Act 2004
Selection of Clinical Psychologist Trainees Job Analysis Final Report
Lancaster University DClinPsy programme vision statement
Input from stakeholders (including local employers, trainees, service users and carers, Health Education England) through the programme’s stakeholder events, and stakeholder representation on programme policy groups.
Current NICE guidance. In relation to Risk, teachers are required to explicitly teach the NICE Guideline on Self harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence.

Curriculum Strategy & Aspirations

Overview

The programme strives to provide a holistic experience of training that enables trainees to develop an integrated set of skills that meet the programme learning outcomes. It aims to provide a balanced and developmental set of clinical, academic and research experiences throughout the three years of training.

Placements

The clinical component aims to produce clinicians with a breadth of experience and a range of transferable as well as some specialist skills. To this end clinical experience is gained in service delivery systems that offer a coherent clinical context, oriented towards a population defined by age (e.g. child, adult, older people), by special needs (e.g. learning disabilities, serious mental health problems, health-related problems, substance abuse) or by a service delivery focus (e.g. psychological therapy). In addition, clinical experience is gained in a range of service contexts (primary, secondary and tertiary care, in-patient, out-patient, community), with service delivery models ranging from independently organised work through to integrated inter-professional working. Placement experiences within third sector and other contexts where there is a focus on community mapping and engagement are also increasingly being developed and undertaken by trainees.

The programme aims to promote a diverse range of clinical psychology practice and give trainees exposure to a wide variety of therapeutic models. The programme encourages flexibility in approach, adapting working to meet the needs of individual clients and in integrating theory into practice. The programme aims to produce clinicians who have a keen awareness of context, diversity and power issues, who are able to collaborate and work effectively with colleagues but who are able to work as drivers rather than simply followers of NHS policy. The programme aims to produce clinicians who understand the relationship between clinical psychology and the wider health and social policy agenda whilst also having an awareness of the current needs and realities within the health service.

Academic

The academic component provides an integrated curriculum supporting the training. The research training has sufficient time devoted to it to enable trainees to conduct research at a doctoral level and to be in a position to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession.

The programme seeks to provide an environment that encourages the pursuit of knowledge that informs clinical practice. The body of knowledge and contexts within which clinical psychologists work is broad, and so the programme’s assessments aim to provide trainees with some degree of choice in terms of the subject matter they present whilst still ensuring that trainees who complete the assessed components of the programme will have shown competencies that indicate that they meet the HCPC Standards of Proficiency.

Service Users

Service user involvement is considered a vital aspect of the curriculum. Service users not only provide regular contributions to the teaching delivered, but are also involved in a number of other roles including acting as consultants as trainees develop their research project ideas, and, shortly, involvement in the planning and strategic development of learning and teaching as member of teaching strand teams.

Delivery of learning and teaching experiences

Teaching and learning on most of the programme is designed specifically for clinical psychology trainees. To ensure that teaching is as relevant as possible to current practice and is based on the most up-to-date evidence, much of the teaching is delivered by practising clinical psychologists. Teaching is also delivered by other health and social services professionals, as well as users of services and other experts by experience. The majority of teaching on communication skills, research skills and personal development and reflection is delivered by members of the programme staff.

Programme staff work in small teams to plan and co-ordinate teaching within the nine thematic ‘strands’ that run throughout the three years of training, and these staff liaise closely with external teachers to ensure the learning experience for trainees is coherent and consistent. Learning and Teaching activities are designed to work towards the programme’s Learning and Teaching Vision. The programme also runs occasional ‘good practice in teaching’ workshops for all those who teach for the programme.

The DClinPsy is approved by university as a programme using the ‘standard’ (face to face) mode of delivery, and for this reason and for reasons of best pedagogic practice given the content, the vast majority of teaching is delivered by face-to-face means only. Within this the format of teaching is varied, adopting a broad range of approaches, often within a single teaching session. Teaching is mostly delivered in ‘whole day’ (5 hours) or ‘half day’ (2.5 hours) sessions which will usually include a combination of delivery modes including such elements as didactic presentations, small and large group discussion, workshop exercises, role-play and use the use of audio-visual materials as appropriate. The programme issues guidance to teachers on the production of teaching materials to maximise their accessibility to any trainees with visual impairment or dyslexia.

Guidance on document and slide preparation

Learning and Teaching Development and Implementation Group (LATDIG)

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

The Learning & Teaching Development and Implementation Group (LATDIG) is a forum for planning, reviewing and developing all learning and teaching on the programme both on a block-to-block basis and at a broader strategic level. The DIG meets four times per year for two hours per meeting. The DIG comprises the lead member of each teaching strand, the Senior Clinical Tutor for Curriculum and their deputy, relevant administrative staff, and public and trainee stakeholder representatives.

Learning and Teaching Development and Implementation Group Terms of Reference

Structure of Teaching and Placements

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

2021 intake onwards

Full time route

This table gives a typical outline of the full-time programme as it develops over the three years for each student. The full-time programme structure normally follows this format, although more individualised training plans may become necessary for some trainees.

All Teaching belongs to both a ‘block’ which reflects the current placement and assessment activities the trainee is conducting at that point in the programme, and a thematic ‘strand’ that develops learning over the three years of training.

	Clinical Activity	Self-directed study time	Teaching ‘blocks’:
YEAR ONE
Sept – Oct	none	1 day per week	Induction teaching programme
Oct – Dec	Community Engagement block – trainee engage with local communities in groups	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at direct working – 2 days per week
Jan – Sept	Direct working focused placement	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at direct working – 1 day per week
YEAR TWO
Oct – Dec	Project block – trainees engage in group service development activity	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at indirect ways of working, consultation and supervision
Jan – Sep	Indirect working focused placement	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at indirect ways of working, consultation and supervision
YEAR THREE
Oct – Dec	Community Psychology activity block	1 day per week. From October until thesis hand in (March) there are 30 additional bookable study days which trainees may take in a flexible manner as best suits their research needs. This needs to be discussed and agreed in advance with research and clinical tutors as well as third year placement supervisors.	Mostly focused on advanced clinical skills and practice, influencing and leadership. 1 day per week
Jan- Aug	Influencing and leadership-focussed placement	1 day per week until the end of May, then one day per fortnight from the start of June through to the end of the training contract	Mostly focused on advanced clinical skills and practice, influencing and leadership. 1 day per week until the end of May, then one day per fortnight from the start of June through to the end of the training contract.
Teaching thematic ‘strands’: Teaching that forms part of each strand listed take place across the three years of training.	Assignment Preparation Therapy – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Therapy – Systemic Practice Therapy – Cognitive Analytic Therapy Professional Influencing Leadership Physical Health & Cognitive Development Quality Assurance Research Themes of Clinical Practice

Through the three-year training, trainees acquire core competencies that span the roles expected of a clinical psychologist. These not only relate to the ability to work individually and with other key professionals and carers, with clients across the life span, across client ability and in a range of clinical settings, but also include skills in leadership, consultancy and service development.

This competency acquisition is achieved through organising teaching so that it reflects the focus of trainee placements and assessed work activity at any given point of the programme. However, learning and teaching is also co-ordinated thematically in ‘strands’ to ensure a coherent developmental approach. More detail on the strands can be found in the document below.

The programme specifically enables students to develop academic and research competencies at a level commensurate with a doctoral level degree and related to those skills and abilities necessary to have the Standards of Proficiency (SoP) for a clinical psychologist as set out by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Within work during placements, as well as academic activity outside of placements, the programme fosters students’ ability to appraise evidence critically and modify practice appropriately.

Part time route

This table gives a typical outline of the part time programme as it develops over the 4 years and 4 months for each student. The part time programme structure normally follows this format, although more individualised training plans may become necessary for some trainees.

	Clinical Activity	Self-directed study time	Teaching ‘blocks’:
YEAR ONE
Sept – Oct	none	0.5 days per week	Induction teaching programme
Oct – Dec	Community Engagement block – trainee engage with local communities in groups	0.5 days per week	Mostly aimed at direct working – 2 days per week
Jan – Sept	Direct working focused placement	0.5 days per week	Mostly aimed at direct working – 1 day per week
YEAR TWO
Oct – Jan	Direct working focused placement	0.5 days per week	Mostly aimed at indirect ways of working, consultation and supervision
Feb – May	Project block – trainees engage in group service development activity	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at indirect ways of working, consultation and supervision
June	None	Thesis study 2.5 days per week	Mostly aimed at indirect ways of working, consultation and supervision
July – Sep	Indirect working focused placement		Mostly aimed at indirect ways of working, consultation and supervision
YEAR THREE
Oct – August	Indirect working focused placement	1-1.5 days per week	Occasional Professional Development and cross-cohort teaching
YEAR FOUR
Sep	None	Thesis study 2.5 days per week	None
Oct – Dec	Community Psychology activity block	0.5 days per week	Mostly focused on advanced clinical skills and practice, influencing and leadership. One day per week through to May, then one day per fortnight
Jan – Aug	Influencing and leadership-focussed placement	0.5 days per week	Mostly focused on advanced clinical skills and practice, influencing and leadership. One day per week through to May, then one day per fortnight
YEAR FOUR
Sep -Dec	Influencing and leadership-focussed placement	1 day per week	None
Teaching thematic ‘strands’: Teaching that forms part of each strand listed take place across the three years of training.	Assignment Preparation Therapy – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Therapy – Systemic Practice Therapy – Cognitive Analytic Therapy Professional Influencing Leadership Physical Health & Cognitive Development Quality Assurance Research Themes of Clinical Practice

Through the four-year 4-month training, trainees acquire core competencies that span the roles expected of a clinical psychologist. These not only relate to the ability to work individually and with other key professionals and carers, with clients across the life span, across client ability and in a range of clinical settings, but also include skills in leadership, consultancy and service development.

2020 intake and earlier

Full time route

	Clinical Placement:	Self-directed study time	Teaching ‘blocks’: From April of year one teaching takes place one day each week at University base.
YEAR ONE
Sept – Oct			Induction teaching programme
Oct – Mar	Children and families (3 days per week)	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with children and families.
Apr – Sept	Adult mental health (3 days per week)	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with adults with mental health problems
YEAR TWO
Oct – Mar	Older adults, health psychology or neuropsychology (3 days per week)	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with older adults and within health psychology
Apr – Sep	Learning disabilities (3 days per week)	1 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with adults with learning disabilities
YEAR THREE
Oct – Aug	One long third year placement (3 days per week until May, 4 days per week thereafter)	1 day per week until the end of May, then one day per fortnight from the start of June through to the end of the training contractFrom October until thesis hand in there are 30 additional study days which trainees may take in a flexible manner as best suits their research needs. This needs to be discussed and agreed in advance with research and clinical tutors as well as third year placement supervisors.	Mostly focused on advanced clinical skills and practice – 1 day per week until the end of May, then one day per fortnight from the start of June through to the end of the training contract
Teaching thematic ‘strands’: Teaching that forms part of each strand listed take place across the three years of training.	Assignment Preparation Therapy – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Therapy – Systemic Practice Therapy – Cognitive Analytic Therapy Professional Influencing Leadership Physical Health & Cognitive Development Quality Assurance Research Themes of Clinical Practice

Part time route

	Clinical Placement:	Self-directed study time	Teaching ‘blocks’: From Oct of year one teaching takes place one day each week at University base.
Sept Yr 1– Oct Yr 1			Induction teaching programme
Oct Yr 1 – June Yr 1	Children and families (2 days per week)	0.5 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with children and families.
July Yr 1 – March Yr 2	Adult mental health (2 days per week)	0.5 – 1.5 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with adults with mental health problems
April Yr 2– Nov Yr 3	Learning Disabilities (3 days per week)	0.5 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with adults with learning disabilities
Dec Yr 3 – Oct Yr 4	Older adults, health or neuropsychology (3 days per week)	0.5 – 1.5 day per week	Mostly aimed at working with older adults and within health psychology. No teaching March – Aug to allow for thesis study.
Nov Yr 4 – Dec Yr 5	One long third year placement	0.5 day per week until Aug, then 0.5 day per fortnight. There are 30 additional study days which trainees may take in a flexible manner as best suits their research needs; this includes the additional study time between March and Aug during the previous placement – see above. This needs to be discussed and agreed in advance with research and clinical tutors as well as third year placement supervisors.	Mostly focused on advanced clinical skills and practice – one day per week Aug until end of Aug the following year
Teaching thematic ‘strands’: Teaching that forms part of each strand listed take place across the three years of training.	· Assignment Preparation Therapy – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Therapy – Systemic Practice Therapy – Cognitive Analytic Therapy Professional Influencing Leadership Physical Health & Cognitive Development Quality Assurance Research · Themes of Clinical Practice

Through the four year 4 month training, trainees acquire core competencies that span the roles expected of a clinical psychologist. These not only relate to the ability to work individually and with other key professionals and carers, with clients across the life span, across client ability and in a range of clinical settings, but also include skills in leadership, consultancy and service development.

Brief description and key to strands of teaching

Quality assurance of teaching

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

Overview

The quality and appropriateness of teaching is monitored in several ways. When planning the teaching programme, strand teams and teachers agree a plan for each teaching session which takes account of the content and methods to be used, and indicates which learning outcomes each of these aim to focus on addressing.

Peer Observation

The programme uses a system of peer and stakeholder observation of teaching.

There are minimum requirements for permanent staff members to be peer-observed regularly, and staff are encouraged to discuss feedback they have received during their annual appraisal. A sample of teaching delivered by external teachers is also peer observed each year. Feedback from the peer review process is collated and disseminated by the curriculum tutor for the programme.

More information is available in the Peer observation guidelines.

Trainee feedback

Following teaching sessions, feedback is obtained in several ways, and is reviewed and acted upon by strand co-ordinators. Please note that the processes for trainee feedback are currently under review and that new processes will be put in place during the Michaelmas 2023 term.

Learning structures outside formal teaching

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

Supervision & learning on practice placements

Trainees must spend a minimum of 50 per cent of their time on clinical placement(usually between 50-60%), and are actively guided in their clinical learning and practice by their practice placement supervisors. The focus of the learning to take place is specified in the placement contract agreed between trainee and supervisor(s) at the beginning of the placement and submitted to the programme. Contracts are written using a proforma that is structured using the programme’s learning objectives; see the bottom of this page for the form.

Oversight of academic work (assignments and thesis)

DClinPsy assessed coursework assignments are not routinely draft read by staff prior to first submission. There are two exceptions to this:

A trainee’s individual research tutor will draft read and give feedback on the TPA assignment prior to submission.
A trainee’s individual clinical tutor will draft read and give feedback on a draft of the written component only of their PALS#1 assignment prior to submission.

For the thesis each trainee is allocated an academic supervisor early in the programme who also acts as their research tutor and usually remains with them throughout training. The programme’s research consistency framework outlines the typical level of support a trainee can expect from the academic supervisor with regard to thesis work, including details of the draft reading available.

Peer support and discussion groups

As part of the teaching curriculum, the programme organises self-facilitated thesis discussion group sessions where trainees are able to share thesis progress, challenges and best practice with their peers in small groups. These sessions are scheduled to take place every few weeks during periods of the programme when study days are most likely to be focused on thesis work.

In addition to these, the programme encourages trainees to meet in self-directed groups (which can be facilitated or un-facilitated) around specific issues. These groups should not impinge on placement or teaching time, and whilst trainees should arrange such meetings themselves, the programme is often able to book spaces, provide necessary resources and may be able offer occasional facilitation for such meetings on request.

General learning & pastoral support

In addition to the structures directly designed to support learning, the programme makes available to trainees a number of other more general support process to assist in their progress on the programme. These include a system of independent mentors, a ‘buddy’ system and facilitating access to the faculty’s student learning advisor who offers clinics and one-to-one session to help students develop generic academic skills. These processes are overseen by the programme’s Pastoral Policy Implementation Group.

Placement contract

Learning and teaching vision

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

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 teaching programme is coherent as a whole, well-co-ordinated and without unintended repetition.
The teaching and learning experience is flexible and personalisable, in a way that ensures the core elements required for competency development are present, whilst wherever possible allowing flexibility to allow different pathways and choices as to how the required competencies are developed.
The format of learning and teaching is primarily determined by best pedagogic practice relating to the topics being taught.
Taking account of the above, there is where possible a reduced amount of traditional formal contact teaching. This will allow more time for other forms of learning including problem-based learning, structured self-directed learning, and specific placement and other practice experiences.
The architecture of the programme fosters and requires a self-directed ‘adult learner’ approach from trainees
Learning sessions deal with content in general, and theory in particular, in a way that makes it clear how it is transferable across setting, research and clinical areas, and into placement and other practice contexts.
There are increased opportunities for cross-cohort contact and learning.
The learning programme is paced to create a varied learning experience which includes times when there is less contact teaching.
There are clear links and where possible a fusion between the teaching and learning of clinical and research skills.

We aspire to have trainees who…

Are adult learners, taking primary responsibility for their own learning throughout the programme.
Have time and space within the programme to plan and execute their own learning, self-direct, and also plan their self-care as part of training.

We aspire to have teachers who are…

From a more diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, including not only practising clinical psychologists but also a wider variety of other professionals and non-professionals, including service users and other stakeholders, including trainees themselves.
Are conversant with the programme’s values and vision for teaching
Produce teaching plans in collaboration with the strand teams relating to their session(s).
Skilled and knowledgeable in terms of available methods of teaching and learning and can make use of and / or access technological tools such as Moodle
Are familiar with current best practice in pedagogy.

We aspire to have learning sessions where…

There is a conscious awareness of the process as well as the content of learning experiences, and there are learning outcomes targeting both of these elements.
In contact teaching there is a focus on skills in the process of practice rather than primarily on developing declarative knowledge.
In contact teaching and other group activities there is a focus on action and ‘learning in motion’.
The ethos of learning sessions is grounded in the values held by the programme.
It is clear how the skills and competencies learned can be transferred to a range of contexts.
It is clear how the learning experiences relate to the broader competencies the programme aims to develop in trainees.
The experiences trainees have had in practice to date are made best use of within the learning session.
There is the potential in as many cases as possible for the learning experience to be used as part of a formative or summative assessment process.
There are regular reviews and development of the learning experiences by a range of stakeholders including service users.

Some example features of teaching that we consider may help with meeting this vision.

The intended learning outcomes the programme identifies and trains towards needs to be consistent with what is required in the current and future job role and match with the vision held by trainers.
A mechanism needs to be in place that facilitates clear and explicit linking of the programmes’ overall learning outcomes and competencies to the aims of individual learning experiences.
Building into the system information about teaching sessions and other learning experiences where the learning outcomes for both the content and process of session is identified, and it is made clear how the learning will be transferable.
Considering the use of a portfolio approach to assessment
Include teaching on ‘life skills’ and on working as an adult learner early in the programme, and having systems in place to monitor and direct self-directed learning throughout the programme.
Embed an expectation of adult learning into the architecture of the programme. For example, if learners have been asked to study a specific text prior to a contact teaching session, design the session such that they will not be able to make good use of or engage in the session if this task has not been completed first.
Increase the amount of structured reading / and learning outside of formal teaching, creating protected times for this, directing trainees to specific sources, and making more resources available online (including audio and video sources). Identifying content or knowledge-heavy areas of the current teaching and changing this so that it can be delivered by such non-contact methods.

Content of formal teaching

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

A brief description of each of the nine conceptual strands and its function, as part of the overall learning and teaching programme, can be found in the programme specification. There is a general reading list for the programme as a whole, which can found in the appendix below.

The actual teaching timetables for the year are available to trainees via the Moodle virtual learning environment.

Strand definitions
General reading list

Consent for participation in clinical teaching

03/07/2019 / Rob Parker

Background: Possible stresses linked to clinical teaching

For the most part trainees tell us that their teaching programme is stimulating and interesting. However, because of its aims and its focus, training in Clinical Psychology as a whole can present personal challenges to trainees and it is widely recognised that clinical teaching itself can be, at times, personally demanding. At some point in their training it is quite likely that trainees will feel uncomfortable or upset by material to which they are exposed. While this is often a transient experience, some trainees may experience a more sustained impact. The “triggers” for this upset might occur when:

trainees recognise some aspect of themselves in the clinical material
teaching makes them more uncomfortably aware of long-standing personal issues which they had previously managed well
some of the issues being discussed echo current dilemmas or life-events (such as bereavement, or relationship difficulties)
some of the content of teaching is at variance with the trainee’s personal, cultural or religious beliefs or values

Teaching on the programme is not restricted to passive listening; it also involves active participation in exercises which trainees can find rather demanding. For example, most people find it somewhat exposing to role play in front of their peers, to disclose personal feelings, or to discuss their personal viewpoints; such things which can occur in experiential sessions, or in sessions where the focus is on feelings about professional work and career development.

Focusing on the ways in which teaching could be stressful is not intended to indicate that there is any intent to make it so. When planning training, the programme staff take into account the potential impact of the teaching content and the teaching method, especially when the topic is a sensitive one. We know that learning is inhibited by high levels of stress, which means that there are powerful educational reasons for keeping any stresses contained and manageable. We support our teachers in facilitating this within the sessions they provide.

Support for trainees

Although we expect trainees to be appropriately robust in relation to the issues which they encounter in training, we also expect them to be able to reflect on and to talk about their feelings. On the other hand, for all of us there may be times – maybe when we can no longer be as robust as we would like – when seeking support from others is the most appropriate action. Although it can be very hard to draw the programme’s attention to difficulties, not communicating is unhelpful, and is not a good model for a professional career. There are, therefore, professional competencies that we expect you to develop during your training – resilience and reflective ability – that we would want to support you in developing, in the face of any of these challenges, stresses and demands that you experience within your participation in teaching (as well as in all other domains of your training).

Your consent to participation in clinical teaching

It is a requirement of the Health and Care Professions Council that when students participate as service users in clinical teaching they have given informed consent to this. Whilst you would rarely be “service users” within teaching, we want to expand this to include consent for all personally challenging activities within the taught curriculum. For this consent to be meaningful it is important to set out the programme’s expectations, and the rights of trainees.

Programme expectations in relation to clinical teaching

The programme expects that trainees will actively participate in all aspects of the academic programme, including:

Lectures
Experiential exercises which take place as part of lectures
Workshops on clinical topics
Seminars (including clinical seminars, academic seminars, reflective practice seminars and modality specific clinical seminars)
Role-play as part of the above activities (including taking the role of both therapist and client)

Where a trainee finds participation difficult they are entitled to withdraw, but the programme expects them to do this in an appropriately professional manner. If their level of personal distress is very high and results (for example) in prolonged withdrawal from specific areas of teaching, it is expected that the trainee take appropriate action. Trainees will be required to discuss this with their Individual Clinical Tutor at the earliest opportunity, who can then arrange for them to be exempted from teaching activities, and who will also discuss the most suitable strategies for managing the situation.

In practical terms, trainees who find themselves distressed during a lecture or a workshop are entitled to leave, but should do so as quietly as possible, returning if they feel able to, and if possible discussing their absence with the lecturer or workshop leader. Trainees who feel that a workshop task is too personally demanding are entitled not to participate, but should do so in an appropriately negotiated manner, discussing this with the workshop leader and notifying a member of the administrative staff (the withdrawal from teaching will be noted and may be discussed subsequently within the programme team in order to enhance support of trainees as well as review the teaching programme).

Disclosure of personal information

During academic teaching there should be no pressure on trainees to disclose personal information which they feel uncomfortable revealing and especially personal information which they do not see as relevant to the task of training. However, the nature of the programme means that discussion of personal feelings in relation to professional development is often appropriate and necessary, and there is an expectation that trainees will be open to discussion of these feelings if these are relevant to their clinical work and professional development.

Where there is a potential for, or an expectation of, discussion around personal feelings, responses or actions (for example, Personal Development and Reflection sessions, or Professional Issues Review and Reflection sessions), workshop leaders will ensure that appropriate ‘ground rules’ around the disclosure of personal information, and the confidentiality of this, are discussed and agreed with trainees.

Consenting to participate in clinical teaching

At the end of this page is a formal consent form. Completing and returning it means that you acknowledge and accept the expectations set out above. Because these make it clear that there may be circumstances where you might wish to withdraw from clinical teaching, it should be clear that while you are consenting to participate in teaching this consent is not absolute, and includes the right to withdraw if there are good grounds for doing so.

You are not obliged to sign this form, but it may be a condition of your employment to do so, please check your contract with your employer. If you have any queries about it, you are free to discuss it and its implications with one of the directors of the programme.

Consent for Participation in Clinical Teaching form

Inclusive teaching

02/07/2019 / Rob Parker

Introduction

All education programmes should include and represent people with varied life experiences, belief systems and backgrounds. However on our programme, we believe there is an additional imperative to do this, not only for the benefit of learners, but because we are training health professionals who need to be able to engage with difference in their work with clients and wider professional activities.

We are trying to develop our own practice around this, through staff CPD and training for external teachers, many of whom are practising clinical psychologists in the region. We also ask trainees in teaching feedback to reflect on how inclusive each teaching session was, and to give additional feedback in relation to this question. Teaching feedback is shared with teachers allowing discussions and learning to take place.

Anti Racism Strategy

The Lancaster DClinPsy is working to address structural and individual experiences of racism within the programme and clinical psychology as a profession. When gathering teaching feedback, we ask our trainees to comment on whether the teacher included, or was sensitive to, issues of social justice, such as anti-racist practice, or not. Trainees also reference the wheel of power and privilege when answering this question.

You may find it helpful to engage with and reference our critical reflection tool when preparing your teaching.

Hints & Tips for Inclusive teaching

Tutors and LUPIN members have compiled a ‘Hints and Tips’ document below, for all teachers on the programme to read. The aims of this document are to provoke thought and develop skills in teaching in an inclusive way.

We hope you find it helpful, please feel free to give comments and additional suggestions to Clare Dixon, Chair of the Inclusivity Development and Implementation Group (IDIG) via c.dixon3@lancaster.ac.uk. If you would like more support in this area, please do get in touch with Clare, initially by explaining what you would find useful (e.g. discussion of your material, someone to peer observe you and provide feedback, ideas for developing the programme). She will pass on the request to the relevant person on the course team.

Hints and Tips for Teachers

We request all teachers to send in their slides in advance of their session so these can be made available to all trainees online. A number of trainees have specific learning difficulties and recommendations include that teaching material is available prior to the day to enable them to read this in advance and/or utilise specialist software or equipment to access the material as a reasonable adjustment.

Ensure that all your handouts, presentations and online course materials are accessible. This means, for example, using high-contrast text/ background colours, legible fonts, or ensuring the text you write can be read correctly by screen-reading software. Legislation requires that all online material, including our teaching content, is accessible; for Microsoft Office documents, you can check the accessibility of your existing documents by clicking on File, Check for Issues, Check Accessibility. Where teachers have an honorary contract with the university, they can also access the training available for staff. Please contact Christina Pedder c.pedder@lancaster.ac.uk or Clare Dixon c.dixon3@lancaster.ac.uk for further information on accessing this training.

From September 2020 it has been a legal requirement for all video used in teaching to be accessible, i.e. to be captioned. Teachers may find the following resources useful in adapting teaching content:

Creating accessible resources, creating accessible videos and Accessibility & Inclusion

Also, MS Teams enables participants to turn on live captioning while accessing a live remote teaching session using this platform. All recordings via Teams are added to MS Stream. MS Steam can also automatically generate captions.

More information is available in the guidance in relation to understanding new accessibility requirements for public sector bodies.

The following are some ideas around being inclusive of different experiences and backgrounds in your teaching sessions.

Assume that the cohort you will be working with is diverse

Any group of trainees will be made up of people who ‘differ’ from each other and from the teacher in many ways- for example in their socioeconomic background, their cultural beliefs or their learning needs. As humans we can tend to focus on ‘difference’ that we can see (such as ethnicity or gender), rather than remaining aware of other less visible differences which are just as influential. We can make assumptions about what is ‘the norm’ based on our own life experience or on a ‘majority view’, which can exclude the many people who would not identify themselves with this.

In order that your teaching reflects the real diversity of life, and includes all trainees, we would ask you at every stage of teaching (from planning through delivery and to review) to hold in mind that there will be a wealth of different experience and backgrounds in the room. You can welcome and engage with this, to foster a rich learning environment that includes and is relevant to all, for example:-

Avoid treating certain ideas or behaviours as ‘the norm’, this can often be done just in the implicit messages which we give about what we assume or expect, the examples we choose, our discussion about life in general. For example, a teacher who always chooses examples from Christian festivals assumes this is the ‘normal’ religion; always asking about a person’s ‘Mum and Dad’ presumes heterosexuality; referring to gay people as ‘they’ assumes ‘we’ must be straight.
Strive to give examples (in your presentation/lecture, in the case studies you use, in the literature you draw on, in small group discussion topics or when answering questions) that relate to a wide range of human experience. For instance, when providing case examples of family work, you could use vignettes representing people from varied ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds, or with different configurations rather than just a heterosexual nuclear family.
When you are planning your teaching, run through it and imagine yourself listening to the teaching, as a listener who would class themselves as ‘differing’ to yourself (e.g. in sexuality, socioeconomic status, life experience, belief system, experience of using mental health services and more). Ask yourself, what assumptions have I made here about the world? How can I increase representation (or at least acknowledgement) of diverse views and experiences?
Promote discussion and critique about the theories/models/research you are teaching about, how may it be representative or unrepresentative of a broad range of life experiences, cultures, beliefs etc.
Consider service user input in some form, (e.g. co-presenting, on video, in a verbal account, or in an exercise to consider other perspectives). This can be one of the richest and most memorable ways of hearing about experiences which may or may not be familiar to learners.

Perfection is not possible (or necessary).

We so often feel scared to ‘get things wrong’ in this area; we are silenced by political correctness (e.g. not knowing the ‘right’ words to use, not wanting to cause offence) which stops us having genuine debate and learning about difference, and conversations become bland or avoid difference altogether. We believe that most people can sense when a question or discussion is respectful, open and interested and that this is more important than perfectly diplomatic language.

At the start of a session, explain that you are striving to represent a range of life experiences, beliefs and behaviours, but you recognise that there will be times when you inevitably fail in this. Ask trainees to help you by pointing out times when they don’t feel that difference is being included or represented, or your material jars with their own experience.
At the start, talk about a culture of open discussion, it being OK ‘not to know’, that we can help each other learn about difference with an open and respectful attitude.
Don’t feel that you have to be perfect, it can be useful to present both successes around inclusivity in your work, as well as challenges/failures. We want to acknowledge that we can only strive towards inclusivity, rather than be perfect at it.

Bring Diverse Experience into the Classroom. Life Experience is Welcome!

If we present teaching about mental health problems as being about people external to ourselves or the profession, it can foster a sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’, where service users are the ‘other’. In reality, all of us will have experience of challenge and difference, and most will have encountered mental health difficulties in ourselves or our friends and family, which can give us a sense of shared experience and empathy, as well as existing knowledge and competence to build on as mental health practitioners.

Self-disclosure is potentially threatening but provides a great opportunity for inclusivity, acknowledgement of experience or difference, and acceptance of different perspectives. We want trainees to be able and feel safe enough to risk being themselves and sharing their life experiences, in order to make a diverse, stimulating and representative classroom. To do this, it can be helpful to make sure you encourage and prepare for self-disclosure: –

Acknowledge throughout a session that the material may be familiar to people NOT just in their working life but also in their personal experience and assume resonance. Model self-disclosure about this, and explicitly encourage trainees to discuss examples and issues from their personal and professional experience, if they wish to do so, e.g. using the question “who has experience of this (in life generally)?” rather than “who has come across this in their work?”
Consider sizes of groups (or give chance for individuals to work alone at times), think about what you ask for in feedback, set ground-rules for safety, offer support to trainees in asking questions or discussing experience – while making clear there is no obligation to disclose.
Build in opportunity to share personal experience in a planned, predictable way, so trainees know it will happen, when and where (e.g. in plan of the day: “After the break, we will do an exercise around our own experience of this”).
Consider the message you give to trainees about times when teaching resonates with them, encourage them to stay in the room and discuss their feelings and experiences, if they feel able, rather than giving an initial (often implicit and well-intentioned) message that they should leave the room if they get upset.
Consider the option of sending an email prompt to get people in the ‘space’ (e.g. that the session is experiential, reflective), and that you would like them to consider their own personal experience, how things may differ according to peoples’ different beliefs, experiences and lives. You could provide quiet space at the end of the session (perhaps with some prompt questions) to allow people to consider their own position and learning in relation to the topic in hand.

Please let us know of any comments or additional suggestions that you have found helpful in your own inclusive practice, or any feedback for us as a programme. Please email Clare Dixon (c.dixon3@lancaster.ac.uk).

Thank you for your interest.

Useful resources

There is more information available about Lancaster University’s aim to make our courses as inclusive as possible, including helpful information on how to do this.

The Higher Education Academy have published a report on inclusive teaching in Higher Education which may be of interest.

Sheffield University have produced a helpful resource The Inclusive Learning & Teaching Handbook. The Plymouth University inclusivity resources may also be useful.

Specific therapy teaching

02/07/2019 / Rob Parker

The Lancaster programme is approved by the HCPC and accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). The BPS requires all programmes to teach CBT and at least one other approach over 3 years. At Lancaster, we offer CBT, neuropsychology, cognitive analytic therapy and systemic practice. Within the systemic practice teaching there are also specialist teaching sessions on narrative therapy. Teaching on other models is also part of the curriculum.

Clinical experiences are shaped to provide clinical skills development in the trainees’ preferred approach(es) wherever possible. Trainees record their experiences in a portfolio and can consolidate their relevant experience after the programme ends. The programme is currently developing pathways via which trainees can obtain the necessary the experiences to obtain membership of specific therapy model professional bodies leading to accreditation with UKCP.

Moodle Virtual Learning Environment

28/06/2019 / Rob Parker

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

When you click this link you may be asked to log in with your username and password. These details are the same as the details you use to log on to the University network and will have been given to you by ISS soon after your registration.

If you have any further questions relating to Moodle please contact Rob Parker or Christina Pedder

Annual plan

28/06/2019 / Rob Parker

Although the programme tries to use a set pattern of teaching, this is not always possible. The annual plan is used to track all teaching, meetings, placements, admissions processes, and holidays.

The plan, which is updated throughout the year, is available as an Outlook calendar which is shared with all programme staff and trainees. To view the plan, open your university email account in desktop Outlook, via the Office365 website, or the Outlook app and open the calendar for the account DClinPsy Annual Plan.

In Outlook you would do this by going into the Calendar view, clicking on the Open Calendar button and selecting From Address Book before selecting the DClinPsy Annual Plan user. The process for other email clients (and for different versions of Outlook unfortunately) will vary.

Organising Email and Calendars using Office 365 and Outlook

Peer observation guidelines

28/06/2019 / Rob Parker

The key elements of the DClinPsy peer & stakeholder observation system are outlined below. This should be used in conjunction with the teaching 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 learning and teaching (use of teaching aids, interactive/didactic style, and achievement of learning outcomes) and is not about advising on the content of the session.
The aim of observation is: to help individual teachers develop their skills and sessions; to help us develop a better understanding of teaching across the programme, and to share best practice.
Being observed during teaching is intended to be helpful development-focused process rather than something that should be seen as judgemental or anxiety-provoking.

Organisation of the peer observation system

Peer observation of teaching will be co-ordinated by the Curriculum Tutor and by the programme assistant for teaching.
Every member of the programme team engaged in teaching in a given academic year should be observed. In addition, at least 10% of external teachers should be observed every year.
If an external teacher requests to be observed, the course will do their best to facilitate this.
External teaching sessions are nominated for observation by strand team leads or others via the Curriculum Tutor. When selected, the teachers of those sessions should be informed with as much notice as possible and sent information about the peer observation process.
All programme staff are expected to conduct observations of teaching. The number of observations each staff member will be required to conduct will be calculated according to need, but is anticipated to be in the region of at least three observations per academic year for a full time staff member.
Other stakeholders of the programme are also encouraged to become observers, and the programme provides training in conducting observations to those interested. Newly trained observers will be invited to shadow and /or conduct their first observations in tandem with a member of programme staff.
Observations should last for a minimum of one hour.

The process of observation & feedback

Prior to the teaching session (on the day or beforehand) the observer and teacher should meet to discuss the observation. The observer should be given a copy of the teaching plan for the session. The pre-observation conversation should include
- A discussion about which section of the teaching it would be most helpful to observe,
- The overall context of the teaching and what the teacher is aiming to achieve (including the learning outcomes for the session or observed section), and
- Some information about what area(s) the teacher would most value feedback in.
The observer should use the information to complete the first part of the observation feedback sheet.
At the start of the observation, the observer(s) should introduce themselves to the trainees and explain why they are there.
During the observation the observer should not take any active part in the teaching session. They should make notes on the observation feedback sheet.
At the end of the teaching (or at a convenient break after the observation is complete) the teacher and observer(s) must meet so that the feedback on the teaching can be given, and to complete the final page of the feedback sheet.
The observer must then return the feedback sheet to the programme office.

Points to remember when you are debriefing:

Focus on behaviour rather than the person.
Be specific.
Give feedback as soon as possible after the event.
Feedback should be confidential unless otherwise agreed.
Give positive feedback first.
Be aware of the balance between positive and constructive feedback.
What is important is how and when you give feedback not just a matter of what you say.
Always allow those being debriefed to say something about their session first before you give feedback.
Make sure teachers have the opportunity to highlight problems and possible solutions first.
Effective feedback should be focused on the amount of information that the receiver can make use of rather than the amount you feel capable of giving.

Peer observation feedback sheet
Peer and stakeholder teaching observation guidelines

Trainee working pattern guidance

28/06/2019 / Rob Parker

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 or 33 days respectively. Please show the programme office a letter confirming your years of continuous service and they will update your leave record accordingly. Which days count as annual leave? Example: You wish to take five days of annual leave, Monday through to Friday, inclusive. On three days you would usually be on placement, one day would be private study, and one day in for teaching. Each day counts as a day of annual leave. You need to officially ask for five days annual leave, and ideally liaise with your year group such that not too many are away from teaching at any one time. You must inform (in advance of taking leave) the Programme Office of your requested leave days. Please see the Absence from work policy and procedure in the online handbook.

Days on placement

Full time trainees should generally be on placement three days a week. Following thesis submission trainees are expected to spend 4 days a week on placement. Where thesis hand in goes beyond the middle of March there is a grace period of 4 weeks where trainees can retain a study day per week, after that they will be expected to spend 4 days a week on placement. Where there are specific exceptional circumstances which have resulted in a delayed thesis hand-in then more study time may be agreed but this would be in discussion with the Directors. Part-time trainees are typically on placement two days a week with a negotiated increase after thesis hand in.

Teaching days

Generally, there is one teaching day per week. If, for some reason, there is no teaching, you should be on placement. For example, during the majority of August there is no teaching planned, so, if you are not on annual leave go to your placement.

Ill health

Please refer to the Absence from work policy and procedure in the online handbook.

Non-typical leave requirements

Should any trainee require prolonged special leave, for example, maternity leave, reasons relating to illness (in self or family members), extensive compassionate leave, then that is arranged on an individual basis in line with LSCFT’s policies following discussion with the Clinical Director. A trainee requesting such leave would need to discuss with their clinical tutor in the first instance.