{"id":49,"date":"2023-11-20T21:59:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T21:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2023-12-04T15:15:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T15:15:01","slug":"things-i-wish-i-knew-before-applying","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/things-i-wish-i-knew-before-applying\/","title":{"rendered":"Things I Wish I Knew Before Applying"},"content":{"rendered":"

–<\/strong> <\/span>Clinical work is very different to understanding the theory of psychology. If you feel out of your depth during your first clinical role, don\u2019t let it put you off, it\u2019s a natural part of the process. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>You don\u2019t need to know about every model of therapy and psychological theory to get a place on the course, just be confident with one or two models\/theories and prepare to reflect on your experience<\/span>s.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>It\u2019s absolutely okay to get things wrong; that\u2019s how we learn and progress.\u202f\u200b<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>When considering applying for the DClinPsy course,\u202fread about each university in depth.<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/b>Every university has\u202fa different ethos, entry criteria, course structure and interview process. You\u2019ll find the ones that fit your\u202fvalues and beliefs.\u202fIt can make it much more difficult to gain a place if you apply to courses that aren\u2019t the right fit for you, so choose wisely.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong><\/span> Try to keep some life balance while progressing your career. Many people put their lives \u201con hold\u201d while preparing and applying for the DClinPsy. This can lead to burnout and extra stress\/disappointment if you don\u2019t get a place straight away. We have all reflected on the fact that we missed out on important life events in our pursuit of a place on the course and that now we are here we regret some of those decisions. Try to enjoy and get the most out of pre-training jobs \u2013 it\u2019s a journey not a race! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>Be yourself! It\u2019s important to stay true to who you are in becoming a clinical psychologist, rather than trying to be the clinician you think others want you to be. If you do things differently to other people, that\u2019s okay.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

–<\/strong><\/span> If you get a rejection for a job or the DC<\/span>linPsy cours<\/span>e, try to remind yourself that\u202fit isn\u2019t necessarily a reflection on you.\u202fOn\u202fthis occasion, there might have been someone with a little bit more experience than you or someone who\u202fworded their application differently. It can be really hard not to take it personally or let it get to you, but see if there are any opportunities to receive feedback to further understand the decision.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong><\/span> Getting an Assistant Psychologist post isn\u2019t the be all and end all.<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/b>They can be really competitive and other jobs can be just as valuable (e.g. support worker, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), researcher or teacher). Lots\u202fof people don\u2019t go down the \u201cconventional\u201d route. It is more valuable that you are able to reflect on your experiences, show what you have learnt and ways that you can develop.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>The DClinPsy application process can be really hard. Different people can get on to the course at different points within their journey. It is not unusual for people to apply for the course more than once, but it\u2019s also not uncommon for people to be offered a place on their first time of applying. Whatever outcome you experience, use it to reflect and learn from it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>You don\u2019t have to have it all figured out.\u202fIt\u2019s never too late and, if you really want it, then go for it!\u202fMany people come onto training from different backgrounds and at different ages, so don\u2019t let that put you off.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

–<\/strong><\/span> You can overprepare for interviews or overwork your application. It is important not to lose your own voice and what is important to you throughout the process. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/strong> <\/span>Being a clinical psychologist isn\u2019t the only route to take in your career \u2013 some people with an interest in psychology prefer to work in other areas such as becoming psychotherapists, social workers and counselling psychologists. Sometimes people focus so much on getting a place on the DClinPsy that they forget to consider whether or not it\u2019s the right path for them. It\u2019s okay to change your mind! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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–<\/strong><\/span> It can sometimes feel as though other people who work in different fields are progressing faster than you, which can be disheartening. While it takes a bit longer to build up pre-training experience, you\u2019ll soon catch up!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

– Clinical work is very different to understanding the theory of psychology. If you feel out of your depth during your first clinical role, don\u2019t let it put you off, it\u2019s a natural part of the process. \u00a0 – You don\u2019t need to know about every model of therapy and psychological theory to get a… Continue reading Things I Wish I Knew Before Applying<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1730,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","without-featured-image"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1730"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":242,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions\/242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/dclin-critical-applicant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}