Placement Programme

Introduction

During training, trainees will gain experience and develop their clinical competencies by completing six [6] 5-month placements* in local health and care services. During these placements, trainees will work in common settings for between 2 and 4 days per week (with teaching and independent study on the remaining days) under the supervision of an experienced clinical psychologist who has undergone additional supervisor training.

Across their 6 placements, trainees will experience working in a range of settings, which will include work with both adults and children and involve working with a range of clinical presentations including working with people with intellectual and/or physical impairments who require adaptations to standard therapeutic approaches.

*Placements in years 1, 2 and 3 may take the form of a year long integrated placement or two separate placements.

Placement Administration

Placement monitoring and review is completed on a separate system called PebblePad. This includes all of the placement documentation and forms which will need to be completed during each placement and provides a portfolio of the trainees applied practice throughout their training and their ongoing demonstration of competence.

At the start of each placement trainees will complete a placement plan which identifies the learning objectives and requirements of each placement.

Throughout each of their placements, trainees will keep a log of their placement activities to ensure they are meeting the requirements of their training and demonstrating each of the competencies specified within their placement plan. 

At the end of each placement, trainees' placement supervisors will make an evaluation of the trainee's competence using the Assessment of Clinical Competencies (ACC) framework and make recommendations for future placement experiences and areas for trainee development.

Subsequent placements (including the option for a specialist or elective placement in year 3) will be informed by the individual learning needs of each trainee.

For further information about the placement planning process, please see the presentation below. 

NOTE: A separate website for placements is in progress and will be linked here once completed