(Part 1): my experience and some reflections Over the course of the last year I went from learning how to deliver therapy for the first time; to learning to delivering it remotely (i.e. on video and telephone call)… also for the first time. In this blog (part 1), I talk about my experience and some of the lessons I learned along the way. Part 2 (coming soon) will focus more on practical advice and tips. How remote therapy became the “new normal”* *Apologies, I know lots of people are a bit fed up with the “new normal” phrase (myself included), but I couldn’t think of another way to say it ..read more

Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com When I found out I had an interview for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) a few years ago, I remember feeling so excited initially. However, those feelings quickly gave way to sheer panic. I remember thinking “I have absolutely no idea how to prepare!” Two years, and three interviews later; I learned a lot about how to (and how not to) prepare. In my final interview, I was successful in getting onto the course! I wanted to create a resource to help people prepare for the interviews. I thought I’d take a bit of a different approach this time, and ..read more

The DClinPsy (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) course is the training route to becoming a Clinical Psychologist. The application process spans the course of (almost) an entire year (from September to as late as July/August). It can involve tolerating a lot of uncertainty, stressful selection procedures, bitter disappointments and (sometimes) gratifying success. It can feel like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at times. As someone who has been through the process twice (and who has seen friends and colleagues go through the process too), here are a few things I learned that might be helpf ..read more

This is part of a short series of blogs about applying for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). For context, I’m currently a Trainee Clinical Psychologist who began training in 2019. Through this series of blogs I’m hoping to share any insights I’ve gained that might be helpful for prospective applicants. This blog is going to be a guide to the other sections of the application that don’t include the personal statement (please see my personal statement blog for more information about that). Just a disclaimer that the information below is my own opinion, and that it’s important to ..read more

This is part of a short series of blogs about applying for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). For context, I’m currently a Trainee Clinical Psychologist who began training in 2019. Through this series of blogs I’m hoping to share the insights I’ve gained that might be helpful for prospective applicants. This is a guide to the personal statement section of the DClinPsy application. I remember finding it the hardest and most stressful part of the application. Summarising your reflections on such a broad question in 3000 characters (which works out to roughly 3-4 short paragraphs ..read more

This is part of a short series of blogs about applying for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). For context, I’m currently a Trainee Clinical Psychologist who began training in 2019. Through this series of blogs I’m hoping to share the insights I’ve gained that might be helpful for prospective applicants. This blog is going to be about a few things you might want to think about before you apply. I’ve based some of the headings on questions I’ve been asked previously. I’ll add a disclaimer: this is my own personal opinon of what might be helpful to think about for the application b ..read more

This is part of a series of blogs about applying for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). I’m currently a Trainee Clinical Psychologist who began training in 2019. I’m hoping to share some insights I’ve gained that might be helpful for prospective applicants. This first blog is going to be a bit about my own experiences of the applying. I applied twice for the DClinPsy courses and I waited until a year after graduating before making my first attempt. Through the process, I learned a lot about the application process, as well as Clinical Psychology in general and became a more refl ..read more

I’ve had a few people ask me if I have any advice for starting the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) course, or if there’s anything that might be helpful to do to prepare. Whether you’re starting a masters, the DClinPsy, or another course, here are some things I’ve found helpful: 1. Set up a nice home-office With the COVID pandemic and all the changes that it may continue to bring, you’ll probably be working from home at least some of the time. Setting up a nice home office could be something to think about. Some tips? A comfy desk chair, with a footrest, is a must (I need to invest ..read more

One year ago, I started the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, which is the course that trains you to become a Clinical Psychologist. I’ve learned so much, coped with all the changes COVID brought, and somehow made it through! This last year has felt like a bit of a blur. Before starting my second year, I’ve been looking back over the past 12 months. Here are some things I’ve learned: 1. Learning therapy is hard but it’s so rewarding Someone told me once that therapy is kind of like being a duck. On the surface, you’re trying to be calm, composed and empathetic. Underneath, you’re trying to re ..read more

When I started the Clinical Psychology Doctorate last September (2019), I had many grand ideas. I think I’d have said: “Sure, I’ll be a bit busy. Sure, it might be stressful. But I want to make sure I’ve got time for things outside of psychology. I’m going to find new hobbies. I’m going to do things I care about. I’m going to draw. I’m going to start a blog” I soon realised I had been optimistic. Like many new year’s resolutions before them, these plans mostly got put on the back-burner, and I got caught up in all the things the DClinPsy throws at you. Then COVID happened, bringing uncertainty ..read more