Last Updated on 16/01/2024
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 the programme, to meet the Standards of Proficiency (SOPs) as outlined by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, 2023). Supervisors are also asked to contribute to an evaluation of the trainees’ competencies thus playing an integral part in the programme’s overall assessment process.
There are various means by which the programme ensures that supervisors have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to both support and evaluate trainees on placement. The programme confirms that all supervisors have appropriate professional registration through the quality assurance visit process which is carried out by a clinical tutor when a new placement is offered to the programme. The vast majority of supervisors are clinical psychologists and are registered with the HCPC. However, in accordance with guidance from the British Psychological Society (BPS, 2017) supervisors can come from other professional backgrounds as long as they are appropriately qualified and registered. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis
The programme also provides a comprehensive supervisor training programme for both new and experienced supervisors. Details of upcoming workshops are circulated to our current and prospective supervisors. Please contact George Silverwood with any queries.
Routes into supervisor training
New Supervisors:
All new supervisors must complete the first three days of the four day Introductory Supervisor training prior to offering a placement. The fourth day is then completed at a later date to allow for practical application of the training. Supervisors can complete the training offered by Lancaster or the equivalent training offered by one of the other Clinical Psychology Doctorate programmes in the North West. The Introductory Supervisor Workshops at Lancaster run at least once a year. The training is aimed at supervisors intending to start supervising within 6 months of completion of the training.
Experienced Supervisors:
In order to fulfil the programme’s commitment to excellence as the standard, experienced supervisors can attend Advanced Supervisor Workshops to review their learning in relation to their supervisory practice and to enhance their current skills. Some experienced supervisors who have had a break from supervision or who are new to the area may also choose to attend the Introductory Supervisor Workshops as a refresher. In line with the HCPC conditions all experienced supervisors are expected to attend supervisor training at least every five years. Setting up placements, placement visits and end of placement reviews provide the opportunity for programme staff to discuss supervisors’ interests and needs in relation to supervisor training. Invitations to attend specific training can also be made. Advanced workshops are offered regularly and details are circulated around current and prospective supervisors. Additional supervisor workbooks have also been produced to complement this process and facilitate access to ongoing CPD.
Evaluation and Development of the Supervisor Training Programme
All training is evaluated by means of questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative feedback is requested regarding the content, format and whether the learning outcomes of the session were met. A report is compiled based on this feedback and is used to develop future sessions. Currently the Advanced Supervisor programme relies on attendees’ self-report to check that learning outcomes have been achieved. The Introductory Supervisor programme uses both self-report and feedback from supervisees. There is ongoing work to further develop a robust framework to assess the achievement of these outcomes and the development of associated supervisor and trainee competencies.
Inclusivity
The Lancaster DClinPsy programme is committed to inclusivity and as such is open to the development of individual training programmes to enable access by as broad an audience as possible.
Resources
We aim to make our resources freely available to supervisors to support development of their practice. Our Supervisor Workbook can be found in the appendix below.
Supervisor Workbook
BPS Introductory supervisor training
HCPC Standards of education and training
Supervisor’s guide to the e-portfolio