Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)
Our three-year full-time Clinical Psychology doctorate integrates clinical, academic and research practice to achieve the highest quality of professional training. We offer one of the largest and longest established Clinical Psychology training programmes in the UK.
The team at the Salomons Institute, Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), aim to train clinical psychologists to work in Health and Social Care settings in a way which ensures that they make a real difference to services. The three-year, full-time Doctoral Course seeks to integrate clinical, academic and research aspects of training to promote the highest quality of professional practice.
The model adopted within the Salomons Programme conceptualises the clinical psychologist as a critical, reflective, anti-discriminatory, scientist practitioner. This means training clinical psychologists who are both able to use the best available knowledge and skills, whilst also being able to reflect on and critically evaluate their own, the profession’s and wider society’s influence on services and practice. Such values are fully reflected by the staff team who are continuously developing the programme to take account of recent advances in Health and Social Care, Clinical Psychology and Education, to ensure that the Programme remains cutting edge, and responsive to NHS and service user, family and carer needs. In line with these core values, experts by experience and carers are fully involved in all aspects of the running and delivery of the programme, including teaching, assessment of academic submissions, programme management, selection, and research.
The Course places significant importance on the value of exposing trainees to a diversity of therapeutic models (lifespan developmental, cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic, systemic and community) to best meet the needs of the communities and teams they serve. In addition, the Course has a specific accreditation from the Association of Family Therapy, so trainees who would like to, can achieve a Foundation Level in systemic therapy over the course of the training.
“Salomons feels like home. It has shaped me personally and professionally. I feel not only equipped to work well in the profession, but that Salomons helped me to develop my own professional identity within this.” Salomons Trainee, Alternative Handbook for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology 2022
“I really love being part of Salomons – all the staff, trainees and placements have been so friendly and it’s a comfortable environment to study in. I also really like the university being a standalone psychology community, rather than being in a huge university.” Salomons Trainee, Alternative Handbook for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology 2022
Our values
Our core values are fundamental to the development of the course, and aligned with those set out in the following codes:
The values embodied in these codes are reflected at all stages, and in all aspects of the course– through its application and selection processes, in the content and delivery of the teaching and research programme, in clinical placements and in the professional and personal support offered to its students.
The Course gives high priority to providing trainees with frameworks to help them work in multi-cultural communities and to develop culturally sensitive ways of delivering psychological services. We welcome trainees who reflect the wide range of diversity represented by service users. We especially want to encourage trainees with disabilities, those from culturally, and economically disadvantaged and diverse groups, and from all social classes. We also welcome applications from trainees who are parents, or have other caring responsibilities. We believe that the Course, the profession and services are strengthened by ensuring cultural, social and other kinds of diversity within the workforce.
The course ethos is explicitly anti-racist and, as a staff team, we are firmly committed to anti-racist practice throughout all aspects of programme delivery.
High quality professional training
Students are supported by experienced staff including clinical psychologists with extensive clinical and educational experience in a range of therapeutic modalities, psychological applications and client groups.
Training draws on various therapeutic models. You will learn about the theoretical and research underpinnings, and clinical application, of at least six psychological models: lifespan developmental, cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic, systemic and community.
“Good emphasis on experimental based learning to complement theoretical, research, clinical skills, and service-user and carer perspectives.” Salomons Trainee, Alternative Handbook for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology 2022
“The teaching is very multi-disciplinary and covers a range of models, so it’s possible to explore your interests.” Salomons Trainee, Alternative Handbook for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology 2022
Professional Registration
Our training meets the requirements of the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British Psychological Society (BPS). Once you have successfully completed the doctorate in Clinical Psychology you are eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC as a clinical psychologist, and for chartered membership of the BPS.
We are proud to lead a programme which brings together the knowledge and experience of a large network of academic staff and supervisors to develop Clinical Psychologists of the future.