Psychology | DClinPsy | University of Lincoln

Welcome to DClinPsy Psychology

The DClinPsy Psychology at Lincoln is referred to as the Trent Programme, a multi-agency collaboration between Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust, Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, and the Universities of Lincoln and Nottingham.

The programme is designed to train students from diverse backgrounds to become resourceful clinicians capable of drawing on a broad range of psychological models and theories, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to inform their practice as Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered and British Psychological Society (BPS) Chartered clinical psychologists. Upon successful completion, the programme leads to the award of a DClinPsy doctoral degree.

The programme aims to develop the strengths of both scientist-practitioner and reflective-practitioner stances; skills in a variety of assessment, formulation, and intervention techniques; confidence in using research methods to answer clinical questions; organisational and service evaluation skills; and awareness of priority groups within the NHS. Students can develop the confidence required to perform as highly effective individual clinicians, and in the leadership and consultancy roles expected of the clinical psychologists of the future.

Applicants can apply at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/start.html

Accreditations and Memberships

This programme is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), and leads to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology (Doctor of Clinical Psychology - DClinPsy).

Trainee Experience

Students begin their training with a concentrated block of teaching, during which we can assess their baseline competences in a range of areas. We also aim to provide detailed and constructive formative feedback, and students can develop their own learning plan.

As students progress on the programme, they have increasing opportunities to reflect on their personal trajectory as a psychologist in training and discover their talents and interests. Central to students’ professional development is our practice-based learning approach to both teaching and assessment.

Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Models

As BPS-accredited training, this programme offers experience in cognitive behavioural therapy and other evidence-based practice models. During the first term of the second year, there are flexible options which allow students to study complementary and alternative evidence-based practice approaches. During the third year, there is the opportunity to consolidate special interest through the choice of the third year specialist placement.

How You Study

The overall purpose and philosophy of the programme is designed to meet the changing clinical, organisational, and training needs of the NHS.

The course begins with a focus on working with individuals, progresses to working with groups and families, before finally focusing on working at a societal level and on systems and in organisations. The programme is complemented by the opportunity to develop research skills and takes an evidence-based approach to clinical practice.

In accordance with the current Health and Care Professions Council Standards for Education and Training, and with current British Psychological Society accreditation criteria, teaching is based on HCPC Standards of Proficiency and BPS core competences. The academic programme has been designed to mirror the planned acquisition of competences on placements.

Year One

During the first year, the emphasis is on acquiring basic clinical skills and practising them in one-to-one settings. These skills are taught in the Professional Skills module delivered primarily at the University of Lincoln. Students also start the first research module and trainees have a year-long two-part Foundation Placement in their home Trust during the first year.

The first part of the placement focuses on assessment and formulation, and the second on intervention and evaluation. Clinical placement work is introduced in the first term and provides the opportunity to practise the skills students have developed, to work with longer term cases, and to become familiar with how a clinical psychology service operates.

During the second term, the Individual Client Interventions module is taught at the University of Nottingham on a day release basis, alongside the second research module in which trainees produce a systematic literature review. Throughout most of the programme trainees have one day per week for independent study, and during certain parts of the programme students also have a day per week for research.

Year Two

In the second year, students can consolidate their skills and begin to develop the competences required to work with people with disabilities, children and adolescents, and older adults. They are able to do this during two core placements of six months in a clinical area which differs from the Foundation Placement. These placement experiences are supported by two academic modules: Integration and Specialist Options, which emphasises evidence-based practice alternatives to cognitive behavioural therapy in Term 1; and Life-span Development in Term 2. During the second year, trainees also work towards completion of a research portfolio for submission early in the third year.

Year Three

The final year of the programme focuses on developing the skills needed to work with small groups and families, before shifting towards working with systems and at an organisational level. There are two taught modules: Families, Groups, and Indirect Work (taught at Lincoln during Term 1), and Systems and Organisations (taught at Nottingham during Term 2).

Students also undertake two more placements and may have the opportunity to choose one of these placements in a specialised area. The main purpose of theses placements is to ensure that any client groups, areas of work, standards of proficiency, and competences not addressed by the previous placements, but required by the HCPC and the BPS, have been achieved.

Contact and Independent Study

On Placement:

While on a placement, students receive one and a half hours per week of formal supervision and one and a half hours of informal contact with a supervisor. There is also a minimum of three meetings per placement with a clinical tutor. More meetings are available depending on individual student needs.

Academic:

There is a thirteen-week intense block of teaching at start of the course, followed by teaching one day per week for most of the first six months of the academic year. There is also a minimum of two meetings per term with a personal tutor (one individual and one group).

Research:

Students are able to meet with their research tutor a minimum of ten times per year. More meetings are available depending on individual student needs.

Independent Study:

Students are generally expected to spend one day per week in independent study. Larger blocks of independent study and 'study days' are expected around the thesis and other submissions. The amount of independent study required will vary depending on the individual needs of each student.

An Introduction to Your Modules

† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.

B - Research Portfolio 2025-26PSY9229MLevel 82025-26This module provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to conduct and report on a doctoral level research project which makes an original contribution to knowledge in the field of clinical psychology. Students are expected to learn to scrutinise data appropriate to their enquiry, analyse the data using suitable quantitative and/or qualitative methods, discuss and present their findings in a scholarly style, reflect on their research experience in a structured format, and condense their research into an academic paper intended for submission to a named peer-reviewed journal. Trainees also develop broader dissemination skills and are required to create a conference style poster.CoreCore Professional Skills 2023-24TBCLevel 72023-24This module is designed to introduce students to the theoretical foundations and key skills that will be needed for the first clinical placement. There is a particular emphasis on establishing an understanding of, and competences in, assessing and formulating clinical casework from a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) perspective and introducing students to alternative Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) models.CoreEarly Research Assessments 2023-24PSY9230MLevel 82023-24This module aims to lay the foundation for the research component of the programme by introducing students to: the most influential study designs used in clinical psychology, theoretical and practical aspects of systematically searching relevant literature to answer specific clinical and research questions, and conducting applied research in healthcare settings. In the first part of the module, students develop a defensible plan for a doctoral-level research project, acquire the skill of writing formal research proposals for university and/or NHS ethics committees (taking due account of the principles of ethical research and the requirements of the HCPC, BPS and other bodies as appropriate) and develop their literature searching and synthesis skills. In the second part of the module, students further their research project by undertaking a systematic review of the literature in their chosen area of interest. Successful completion is designed to result in a publication-ready paper which becomes a component of the final research project portfolio (BRP). This module is the first step students take toward the completion of their research project portfolio and submission-ready journal papers.CoreFoundation Placement A 2023-24PSY9232MLevel 82023-24This module is designed to establish the transferable skill of forging close theory-practice links and developing the core competences of assessment, formulation, communication in a professional applied setting. By observing clinical assessment, formulation, intervention and evaluation students have the chance to develop an understanding of the breadth of work in clinical psychology and the structure of the services in which it is delivered. Before proceeding to individual client interventions, students are expected to develop competence in basic clinical psychology assessment and formulation strategies, mainly from a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) perspective through practice, feedback and supervision.CoreFoundation Placement B 2023-24PSY9233MLevel 82023-24This module is designed to consolidate the transferable skill of forging close theory-practice links and adding the core competence of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention to those of assessment, formulation and communication. The module is closely linked to Foundation Placement A and would normally occur in the same service with the same coordinating supervisors and typically with some of the same clients. The emphasis shifts from assessment and formulation to applying their results to individual client interventions.CoreIndividual Client Interventions 2023-24PSY9231MLevel 82023-24This module is designed to provides students with the theoretical foundations to understand the phenomenology of problems commonly referred to clinical psychology services. In this module students develop the key skills for planning and delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) interventions with individual clients, based specifically on models of engagement and change of CBT and other psychological Evidence-Based Practice models.CoreLifespan Development 2024-25PSY9234MLevel 82024-25This module introduces a developmental perspective that tracks an individual across the lifespan, taking account of the diversity of different developmental trajectories, and looks to consolidate knowledge and skills acquired in previous modules by framing these within the evolving challenges faced by individuals as they progress from birth to old age. The module is designed to complement the adult focus of PRS and ICI by emphasising common clinical problem presentations of infants, children, adolescents and older adults.CoreMulti-Person Placement A/B 2024-25TBCLevel 82024-25The focus of this module is the development of skills and applying clinical psychology expertise across the human life span and spectrum of diversity, thereby complementing the taught Lifespan Development module. During second year placements trainees normally work in two different service settings and have the chance to extend the knowledge and competences acquired in the Foundation Placement modules through work with services dedicated to different age groups, clients with divergent developmental pathways and those with disabilities. In addition, students can develop competences in relation to people who present with more complex clinical problems and/or circumstances where greater consideration has to be given to intervening with couples, families, groups and indirectly through others. This module aims to provide students with opportunities to work in the NHS and in other complex organisations, such as schools, social services, residential care and institutions to develop proficient knowledge of specialised interventions for targeted client groups.CoreOrganisational Placement F/S 2025-26TBCLevel 82025-26This module looks to complement the taught Integration and SIM module in the second year with an emphasis on acquiring skill in an evidence-based approach other than generic Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The aim is for students to select a specialist area in which to further their skills, knowledge, and experience. Students on this placement have the chance to develop expertise either in a specialised approach and/or a new area, or with a specialised client group or service setting that they intend to work with once qualified. In addition, this module aims to ensure that students have acquired all the skills and competences needed to complete the requirements for registration with the HPC and eligibility to be a Chartered Clinical Psychologist.CoreResearch Activation and Delivery 2024-25TBCLevel 82024-25In this module students undertake a small-scale research project (SSRP), such as a service evaluation, audit, single-case design report, or other small-scale research project related to clinical psychology research and practice. Trainees demonstrate their ability to effectively disseminate their findings by creating and presenting a research poster based on their SSRP. Trainees will gain the experience of disseminating research at a knowledge-exchange event, to an audience of invited professionals, peers, and members of the public. The SSRP poster is subsequently included as an appendix in the main research project portfolio (RAP ).CoreSpecialist and Integrative Modalities 2024-25TBCLevel 82024-25Knowledge and understanding of: Different models of integration. Change mechanisms: why people change or do not respond to intervention Trans-theoretical and common factors in assessment, formulation and intervention. Specialist application of an alternative therapeutic model (non-mainstream CBT). Generic, model-specific, problem-specific and meta competences in therapeutic practice. Intellectual skills the ability to: Use a doctoral level understanding of the core principles of clinical psychology to integrate theory and practice. Create new knowledge out of this integration which can be effectively communicated to other professionals. The ability to reflect critically on the new knowledge generated so combining the skills of the reflective practitioner and the scientist-practitioner. Professional and Practical skills the ability to: Apply a theoretical approach alternative to mainstream CBT in all aspects of clinical practice. Shape practice combining CBT, alternative, integrative and trans-theoretical models to extend the range of services to people hitherto excluded. Approach novel situations creatively so moving beyond specific guidelines and protocols. Develop new assessment, formulation and intervention skills. Transferable skills the ability to: Use doctoral level written skills to communicate complex alternative, integrative and trans-theoretical models effectively to colleagues and other professionals. The ability to discern the active ingredients and common factors in models of change. Critique, synthesise and generate alternative, integrative and trans-theoretical models which can be applied across settings and client groups.CoreSystems and Contexts 1 2025-26TBCLevel 82025-26This module changes focus from the individual to the individual within a couple, family or other small group system and aims to introduce students to the theoretical foundations of working with larger modules, such as families, couples and groups. Students develop advanced skills in assessing, formulating and intervening using secondary and indirect resources i.e. family members, care staff and multi-disciplinary teams. The main problems for which such interventions may be carried out will be considered. Students consolidate and develop their ability to critically apply the integrative and trans-theoretical frameworks acquired in previous modules to work with clients in more complex contexts (such as multi agency work) in order to shape practice and provide services to people hitherto excluded because direct or individual interventions are less effective or make less efficient use of resources. By building on skills developed over the course of the programme so far students further strengthen their skills as reflective scientist-practitioners grappling with the challenges offered by a range of learning methods / ways of working. Students are encouraged to draw on their own experiences of working in small groups and in clinical practice to enhance their critical and reflective thinking.CoreSystems and Contexts 2 2025-26TBCLevel 82025-26This module changes focus from the individual to the individual within a couple, family or other small group system and introduces students to the theoretical foundations of working with larger modules, such as families, couples and groups. Students consider the nature of problems for which multi-person interventions are most appropriate. The module progresses to the application of clinical psychology theory and practice to develop the skills of assessing, formulating and intervening indirectly through third parties such as other family members, care staff, and multi-disciplinary teams.Core

How you are assessed

The programme makes use of practice-based learning and associated assessments during the first and third years. Students are assessed using a combination of assessed role-play interviews and presentations, as well as written exercises. The programme also uses case studies, essays, oral presentations, and vivas to assess progress throughout the programme.

Assessment Feedback

Students will receive assignment feedback via email consisting of a provisional grade, detailed formative feedback (containing the comments of at least two markers), and a summary statement.

First Submissions

For anything other than the thesis, we aim to return marks and feedback on the Friday morning six weeks post-submission. If delayed, feedback will be returned the following Friday.

Extensions and Resubmissions

Normal turnaround time cannot be guaranteed for students who receive extensions or resubmissions of work.

Foundation Placements

These one-year placements aim to help students feel part of a team, establish a secure base, identify with a service, develop effective working relationships, and work with longer-term cases. Foundation placements are usually in adult mental health services with an emphasis on cognitive behavioural therapy based formulations and interventions. Other evidence-based practice models are also introduced to encourage students to make critical comparisons and develop expertise in their preferred approaches.

Practice-based Learning

One of the defining characteristics of being a clinical psychologist is the constant requirement to integrate theoretical knowledge and scientific methods of psychology with sound practical competences within a professional and ethical framework. To help with this challenge, we have designed a learning experience that is practice-based from the start.

Students joining the programme become members of a learning group of four trainees, collaborating to analyse and solve a range of problems that reflect clinical realities. Working as a group, they are able to tackle issues arising within individual, group, and systemic interventions using a variety of strategies and techniques. As part of this experience, students can consolidate their team-working skills, enhance their understanding of group dynamics, and reflect on their functioning in groups. Practice-based exercises are at the core of the intensive initial teaching block and aim to develop the confidence and skills needed to enjoy and make the best use of the learning opportunities on the Foundation Placement.

Trainee Support

The programme operates buddy and mentor schemes to support trainees. The buddy scheme aims to pair up first year students with those who have already progressed on the course to provide informal support and help build relationships between different year groups. The mentor scheme is designed to enable trainees to make contact with a qualified clinical psychologist in the Trent region for support throughout the programme.

Research Pathways

The research pathway is designed to increase confidence by building up students’ research projects through a number of stages, each of which attracts detailed formative feedback and contributes to the final research portfolio, which may provide students with two potentially publishable papers. Students will be asked to think about their thesis topic before the start of the programme, and are provided with a list of potential topics to choose from. It is also expected that students will have finished their thesis by the end of the first term of the third year of the programme.

Facilities

The Sarah Swift Building is the home of the Schools of Health and Social Care and Psychology. The building houses specialist teaching and research spaces for both Schools, as well as general teaching and learning facilities for the wider University.

Over the past two decades, the University has invested more than £350 million in its Brayford Pool Campus, with further plans to invest in additional facilities and refurbishments of existing buildings. Based on the picturesque Brayford Pool marina, everything you need is either on campus or a short walk away.

Career Opportunities

This programme is designed to train people from a diverse range of backgrounds to become resourceful clinicians capable of drawing on a broad range of psychological models and theories, including cognitive behavioural therapy, to inform their practice as HCPC registered and BPS chartered clinical psychologists.

Entry Requirements 2023-24

First or upper second class honours degree (or international equivalent) in Psychology recognised by the British Psychological Society as conferring Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, and a minimum of one year of relevant experience. Candidates with a lower second class degree (or international equivalent) may be considered if they EITHER have a postgraduate degree at masters level or higher OR meet specific contextual admissions indicators. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete the contextual admissions questionnaire.

Applicants should have previous supervised practical experience relevant to clinical training which demonstrates that they have the personal and intellectual ability, including writing skills, to pursue a challenging and demanding postgraduate training course.

Postgraduate research experience can be an advantage, and the capacity to be critical and analytical, to work in a self-motivated independent way, and to set personal priorities is essential. Innovative and entrepreneurial potential is also highly desirable. Candidates should have a long-standing interest in clinical psychology and a strong understanding and commitment to the positive and unique contribution psychologists can make to the NHS.

Excellent interpersonal skills at a level appropriate for dealing with people in distress and the ability to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines are expected. Candidates should note that with the Clearing House application the Relevant Experience Reference must be from your current employer.

The programme covers a large geographical area and teaching is provided at both the University of Lincoln and the University of Nottingham. A current driving licence or other means of being independently mobile is essential. Trainees should expect to travel for at least two and a half hours per day (between both universities and from base to placement).

Trainees whose first language is not English will be required to have a recognised English language qualification achieved no more than two years prior to admission:

- A British Council IELTS overall minimum score of 7.5 with no element below 7.0, achieved no more than two years prior to admission.
- Pearson Test of English Academic: 73 (minimum 67).
- Centre for English Language Education pre-sessional course final assessment of "Pass with High Distinction".

The selection procedure operates within the equal opportunities policies of the two universities and the NHS partners, and no applicant will be discriminated against on grounds of race, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation. Groups currently under-represented in clinical psychology are encouraged to apply, including individuals from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

The programme currently only accepts trainees who are funded through NHS training commissions, and successful candidates will be employed by one of the three partner trusts. All applicants are subject to the same selection process and criteria regardless of which NHS Trust employs them.

Entry to the programme is through the Clearing House application and subsequent selection procedure. All trainees must undertake the full programme. APL or APEL does not apply.

Fees and Funding

This programme currently only accepts trainees who are funded through NHS training commissions. Funding updates can be found on the Clearing House funding page:

https://www.leeds.ac.uk/chpccp/funding.html

Mark Gresswell - Programme Leader

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Key Information

DClinPsy Psychology