Doctor of Clinical Psychology

Entry requirements

Please see the course page on the University website for full details.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course is a three-year, full-time programme accredited by the British Psychological Society. When you graduate, you’ll be eligible for Chartered Clinical Psychologist status, allowing you to practise as a Clinical Psychologist within the NHS.

This programme offers clinical placements throughout the year, an academic course and an opportunity to undertake your own research work and dissertation.

Local NHS clinical psychology services on Merseyside offer a particularly rich variety of specialist placements at facilities such as Ashworth High Secure Hospital, the Windsor Clinic (Addictions), the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery

You will also have the opportunity to work with many esteemed practitioners in their fields such as; family therapy, paediatric liaison, brain injury rehabilitation and eating disorders.

Alongside clinical placements, time is also devoted to the major theoretical paradigms in clinical psychology (e.g. cognitive-behavioural, cognitive analytic therapy, psychodynamic, and systemic), that continue to inform and influence clinical practice.

As you progress in your programme, the time devoted to the formally taught component in Year one with an intensive teaching block reducing through Years two and three as your own research and clinical practice provide the hands-on experience needed for registration to practice.

You will gain in-depth knowledge in the field of clinical psychology and contribute to the development of the mental health care services relating to the elderly or children and young adults from poor households.

In recognition of the challenging and, at times, demanding nature of the programme, your training is underpinned by a range of support structures.

You’ll have regular access to an Academic Advisor(a member of the core team) who’ll support your clinical, academic, research, personal and professional development. You’ll also have regular contact with a Mentor, a qualified clinical psychologist working in the NHS who’ll help you navigate personal learning and career objectives. In addition there’ll be regular Personal and Professional Development (PPD) sessions where you’ll meet with the same group of colleagues to discuss and seek support for personal, ethical and professional issues. You’ll have support from a specialist DClinPsych. support librarian during the programme.