Clinical Psychology PsychD

Applicants are expected to:

1. Be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered membership of the BPS
2. Hold a minimum of a 2:1 degree in psychology (or suitable equivalent, please see below)
3. Demonstrate at least one year's (whole time equivalent) sustained, recent experience in clinically related areas (see pre-requisites section for additional details).

As the programme is training professionals for the NHS, applicants need to have the right to work in the UK and settled status.

Entry to this programme is conditional on a satisfactory check by the Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS), formerly known as the Criminal Record Bureau (CRB).

Applicants are required to hold a current, valid UK driving licence and have access to transport for work purposes.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from groups that are under-represented amongst clinical psychologists and from candidates who have followed non-traditional career paths.

Eligible for Graduate Basis for Registration

Applicants must be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) from the British Psychological Society. An exception is made for those in the final year of their undergraduate degree. In these cases candidates may apply and any offer of a place is conditional upon achievement of the required degree mark from a programme that confers GBC.

Qualifications

Applicants are required to have an honours degree (2:2 or better). This can either be:

• A psychology degree which confers eligibility for GBC (1st or 2i honours)
• A psychology degree (2ii) which confers eligibility for GBC plus a masters level degree (or above) in Psychology of at least 65% 
• A degree in another subject (1st or 2i honours) plus an accredited conversion qualification which confers eligibility for GBC
• A degree in another subject (2ii) plus an accredited Masters level conversion qualification which confers eligibility for GBC, of at least 65%.

Applicants who hold a conversion qualification or who studied overseas are required to send transcripts for their undergraduate degree directly to the University of Surrey’s Admissions team. (Transcripts for GBC-accredited undergraduate degrees and GBC-accredited conversion courses will be provided through the Clearing House). The absence of a transcript will result in an applicant not being considered as there will be no means to verify the minimum requirements stipulated.

Applicants who attained a lower second class undergraduate degree in psychology (2ii) will only be considered if they hold either a completed psychology masters qualification with average achievement at 65% or over, or have completed a PhD in a relevant area. These applicants (except those holding a PhD) are required to send a transcript of their masters degree directly to the University of Surrey’s Admissions team. Failure to provide this transcript will mean your application cannot be considered. Please contact the Admissions team for further discussion if you are unsure of the status of your academic experience. 

Experience

Applicants may either be graduates or those who are in their final year of an undergraduate psychology degree. In all cases, applicants must have at least one year's full-time (or equivalent if part-time) relevant experience at the point of application. This experience needs to have been acquired within the last three years prior to application. Applicants are not expected to have extensive previous experience in a range of settings. It is important that applicants can demonstrate that their relevant experience has allowed them to apply psychological principles in practice.  

It is not necessary for job roles to have been supervised by a clinical psychologist, but it is important to demonstrate how experience has allowed applicants to gain a realistic sense of what working as an applied psychologist in clinical or health settings means. Examples of relevant experience include working as an assistant psychologist, increasing access to psychological therapies (IAPT) worker, research assistant, and healthcare assistant/support worker posts in in-patient settings, the community or in schools and colleges where working with clinical populations and psychological thinking can be demonstrated.

Applications on the basis of clinical or health-related research experience will only be considered if this research experience involved direct contact with clinically-relevant groups involving the application of direct methods of assessment or testing (for example psychometric tests, diagnostic interviews, experimental designs, semi-structured interviews). Applicants may have attained their experience in either a paid or voluntary capacity.

Mature applicants or those with experience outside of traditional healthcare settings are strongly encouraged to apply if their experience is relevant.

When stating the duration and dates of your experience, this information must be complete and accurate. Any gaps of longer than four months from the start of your undergraduate degree should be accounted for on your form. 

Other

If applicants are not using their current employer as their clinical referee, they must explain why or their application will not be accepted. Where an applicant has more than one current relevant employer, they must indicate their reason for choice of clinical referee on the application form. Please make sure that you name organisations consistently in the References section and the Relevant Experience section to avoid any confusion.

Applications are expected to be well written, demonstrating a good grasp of the English language.

Note

If you are currently enrolled on any other degree (for example a PhD or masters programme) or have any outstanding requirements from another programme, you may be required to withdraw from that programme in order to take up a place or to continue your studies on a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

If you started any Health Education England (HEE) funded training programme after 1 April 2022  you will not be eligible to apply for Clinical Psychology training until two years after the qualification has been awarded. Please see the HEE website for more information.

When you accept an offer of a place on the programme you have to also hold an employment contract with Surrey and Borders NHS Foundation Trust as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist. If you are refused a contract or have a contract rescinded you will not be able to gain/retain your registration on the programme.

IELTS Academic: 7.0 or above (or equivalent) with 6.5 in each individual category.

All applicants whose first language is not English and who did not receive their undergraduate degree from a university in the UK  must send evidence of their ability to communicate in the English language, to the Clearing House, with their application. Failure to provide this evidence will mean your application cannot be considered. Please see our English Language Policy for further details of what we can accept.

Selection is based on applicants:

1. Meeting the expected entry requirements
2. Being shortlisted through the application form screening process
3. Completing a successful interview
4. Providing suitable references

This course promotes the NHS values which are enshrined within the NHS constitution. We are dedicated to recruiting graduates whose individual values and behaviours align to those of the NHS.

These NHS values are aligned with the programme's values:

• Integrity, honesty, compassion and empathy
• Inclusive practice across the lifespan and across settings
• Commitment to innovation, improvement and creativity
• Reflexive, interdisciplinary, evidence based practice
• Public and patient involvement in learning
• Commitment to adult models of learning with an ongoing pledge to excellence
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

The programme at Surrey is commissioned by two specific HEE regions: South Central and London, and successful applicants are employed by the NHS. As such, the demands of the commissioners regional services, alongside the demands of the registrant body, Health and Care Professions Council, and the British Psychological Society’s curriculum organise our workforce training.

Owing to having the Foundation level of systemic training embedded within the programme the Association of Family Therapy requirements are also adhered to. The British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychology have also accredited the programme for a Level 2 pathways and where relevant their requirements are observed.

Application form screening

Application forms are examined by the programme staff team and are assessed against the values of the programme and the person specification for the role of Trainee Clinical Psychologist, provided by our partnership NHS Trusts. The team are interested in an applicant’s authentic reflection on their experience and career progression to this point and an awareness of the relevance of this journey to the profession of Clinical Psychology.

View the person specification for trainee clinical psychologist (PDF).

Points are not awarded for A-level results, the university of previous study, publications or qualifications that are in excess of our eligibility requirements (see Qualifications), in line with our intention to widen access to the profession and increase the presence of individuals from under-represented groups.

Forms are scored and ranked to identify a shortlist of applicants for interview. Where joint rankings occur, principles of positive action will be used.

Interview days

Following the shortlisting process candidates will be identified for an interview. Shortlisted candidates are invited to attend a selection procedure that will take place on either the 27^, 28, 29 or 30 March 2023. This will comprise one interview that will assess academic, clinical, research, professional, personal and communication skills. All contact with the course will be seen as providing potential information relating to these. Interview panels consist of NHS applied psychologists, programme team members, and service user and carer representatives.

All applicants must possess a full valid driving licence by the date of the interview (subject to reasonable adjustments for disability). All applicants are required to present their photocard licence on the day of the interview. This will also be used to demonstrate photographic proof of identity. If applicants cannot present the required document they may not be eligible to complete the interview.

If a candidate is unable to drive and meets the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) criteria they are required to show their passport as proof identity.

Places

Successful candidates will be offered places dependent on DBS and occupational health screening checks.

The programme offered 60 places in 2022 (numbers for 2023 intake are unconfirmed at the time of going to press). 

Find out more

For details of applications please refer to the Clearing House website.