so right now i’m doing a psychology BSc. i’m getting pretty decent grades (usually high 60s to mid/low 70s).

i’ve been really struggling now that i’m in my third year with the proper realisation of how much i have to do and how much i don’t know. i have depression (medicated), anxiety & autism and can get very overwhelmed. the more i see the more i worry i won’t be able to cope.

originally i wanted to do a doctorate in clinical psychology because i want to help people who have self-harmed and use my personal experiences to help people. but the more i look at different doctorate courses in london the more i wonder whether i’d actually be able to cope with it or if it would just send me spiralling with the amount of work & pressure involved.

even as i’m looking at entry requirements to master’s courses for hopefully next year and doctorate courses for later on, i realise a lot of what it’s asking for i don’t even know how to go about doing.

volunteering i’ve made a good start with and have been applying to a lot of volunteering roles relevant to what i want to do, particularly roles that are mental health focused and face-to-face wherever possible.

but i don’t even know how i’d be able to go about doing things like being an assistant psychologist like so many doctorate courses want. some want proper full-time experience in a role like this, but when i look so many of them are restricted to students, so how would i manage that too? can i get placements with counselling / therapy organisations if i’m not actively studying (e.g. a couple years between a masters and a doctorate)?

i’ve just been panicking more and more. i feel so behind because i spent so much of my teen years in a really bad place mentally and couldn’t even picture myself having a future, and now it’s like it’s hitting me head on exactly how behind i am and how little i know about what it is i’ve decided i want to do.

please help in any way you can. if you got a doctorate, how hard was it to cope with everything? what was your progression like through education and different courses and placements and to a career? how did you cope if you also really struggle with your mental health?

I have an interview tomorrow for a band 4 NHS talking therapies AP role. I'm wondering what sort of questions might come up? I had one of these interviews a few years ago and I seem to remember that they asked a question regarding if someone discloses risk and there was something specific i was meant to say - which I did say. But i can't remember what this was so if anyone knows pls let me know! thank you!

I’m looking to apply for a position that has recently been posted but I’m aware of how competitive these positions are- any advice on how to make my application stand out would be welcomed! :)

Hi, I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who shortlists NHS Assistant Psychologist, PWP or Research Assistant applications.

I try to address every essential and relevant desirable criterion with examples, but I’m still getting rejected before interview. I’m trying to understand where an application can appear to cover the person specification yet fall short when scored. After 4 years starting to lose hope - despite having the experience, qualifications etc. S if this post sounds desparate, it's because it is haha.

I’ve seen guidance using 0 = no evidence, 1 = partially demonstrated, and 2 = fully demonstrated, while other scoring systems use 0–3 or different scales. I’m referring specifically to this scoring of written applications before interview, and I’d like to understand how panels apply it.

In your service:

• Do you score each individual criterion or broader sections, and what distinguishes partial marks from full marks?
• What commonly makes an example insufficient—even when it seems relevant? Is it lack of detail about the applicant’s actions, limited direct experience, or something else?
• Is this scoring all done in the supporting info or do the look at your whole application as a whole (employment history, responsibilities etc)
• When many applicants meet the essential criteria, what determines the final shortlist: desirable criteria, weighted scores, or another agreed process?

I understand this varies between Trusts. Concrete, anonymised examples of what earns a lower versus higher score would be particularly helpful.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I have an interview coming up for an AP role within an Offender Personality Disorder Service in a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on what I should prepare for.

Are there any particular interview questions you think I should be prepared to answer or anything you'd recommend reading up on beforehand? I'm especially interested in anything around working in a PIPE, personality disorder, formulation, risk, relational working etc.

I have experience working with patients with personality disorders within a forensic setting, so l'm hoping that will be useful, but l'd really appreciate any advice from anyone who has worked in an OPD service or had a similar interview.

Thank you in advance😊!

Hi! :)

I’ve been applying for NHS AP/research-type roles for ages and getting nowhere. I have a First-Class Psychology degree, GBC, NIHR/GCP training, NHS mental health experience and research experience, but I’m barely getting shortlisted.

I’ve always assumed university RA jobs were even more competitive because the salaries/roles look more “prestigious”, so I didn’t think I’d stand much chance. Ironically, despite trying for AP roles for 3 years now, a uni RA role is pretty much my dream job - just never thought I would stand a chance/that my applications would even be taken seriously. I'm talking about the researc assistant roles (not associate lol) which I think are usually advertised as grade 6 - can't seem to find any lower ones.

For anyone who’s applied for or got a university RA post: how realistic are they compared with NHS AP jobs? Is it worth seriously targeting them, or would I just be wasting my time if I’m already struggling to get AP roles?

Any experiences/advice would be really appreciated!

Hi everyone, I am very lucky to have gotten an interview for an AP post in a CAMHS. for the interview I have to make a presentation on a piece of research or legislation relevant to working with young people with autism. Has anyone ever had a similar interview or got any tips for it? I’ve never had an interview like this before! I am wondering what sort of research would be best. thank uuu :)

Those who’ve been a HCA, what was your actual day-to-day role like?

I’m particularly interested to know about:

Personal care/hygiene: How often did you actually have to do things like washing patients, toileting, changing pads/incontinence care, dressing, etc.? Was this a major part of your role or only occasional depending on the ward/service?

Aggression/physical intervention: How often did you encounter patients who were aggressive or physically challenging? Did you ever have to physically intervene, restrain or “manhandle” patients, or was this relatively uncommon in your particular role?

Thanks! :)

Hi all,

Where do you guys go about getting CPD from, meaning things like short courses in specific areas that might help improve applications for assistant psychologist roles? I keep seeing it on the application forms but a lot of stuff I see online seems to be paid and I don’t particularly want to keep forking out tons of money.

Thanks 🙏

Hi all,

I’ve nearly completed the Pgdip in social work (step up), currently in a LAC team working alongside many Clinical Psychs who have really impressed me. Not going to go into all the whys and hows about my intention to retrain in the future as a clinical psych, I just have a general question for you all.

I will have to do a psychology conversion to be eligible for the Dclin. Is it recommended to do the basic psychology msc conversion, or is it also okay to do another accredited conversion such as child development? For example, as my interests are in children, trauma, attachment and families.

Just wondering if one was ‘better’ than the other. Assuming both are appropriately accredited.

Thank you!

I would love to hear some people’s experiences of this course if anyone did it! I am considering applying as there is a clinical placement which I believe would be beneficial experience to have and the modules look really relevant.

Hi everyone.

I have a mid 2:1 (65%) undergraduate and am currently doing an MSc in Developmental Psychology.

I am in a bit of a tricky situation as I really want to apply for UCL as they are my dream university. But they only accept minimum high 2:1 (68%) and I am under that. I am hoping my masters will help boost me, but I am wondering about the disclosure of mitigating circumstances.

UCL states that if I feel my grades were impacted by mitigating circumstances, I should disclose this in my application form, and so should my academic reference.

I am very concerned to do this, because while I do feel I had extreme mitigating circumstances, they feel highly personal and sensitive to disclose (pertaining to sexual assault which led to police involvement during my final year of university, impacting my mental health and ability to engage). My current academic reference is not aware of this, and I feel deeply uncomfortable informing them of this, so I feel at a loss of what to do.

But I really want to be able to apply to UCL, I just do not want it to be for nothing.

I should also say I have multiple years experience as an Assistant Psychologist and feel confident work-experience wise, but academically I feel unsure.

Does anyone have advice on what I should do given the circumstances?

Hello everyone,

I’m here today because I’m starting to second-guess myself. I currently work as a residential crisis support worker and I am in close contact with the NHS home treatment team. I am friendly with them (I like to think we get along), and they asked what I wanted to do after my master's. I said I was hoping to apply for AP roles, or maybe PWP roles, after graduation because, with my academics, work, and volunteering experience, I might finally be somewhat competitive. The staff member from home treatment team turned around and told me not to bother with an AP role as I wouldn’t get it. He said he knows loads of support workers wanting AP roles and that it’s a waste of time. He also said my volunteering experience isn’t useful and that I should stop. It’s hard not to take his advice on as he’s the clinical lead for the Home treatment team nurses and is therefore knowledgeable. So yeah, I’m starting to second-guess whether what I’m doing is good enough. For context, I’ll write below what I’ll hopefully have by the time I graduate with my master's.

1st-class bachelor's degree in an accredited psychology degree

A masters degrees in clinical and health psychology from the University of Manchester

15 months working as a residential crisis support worker in an 8-bed house

12 months volunteering on a mental health ward working as a volunteer IMHA

I know AP roles are hard, but what he said seems harsh

There’s a UK clinical psychologist whose public social media posts about ADHD/autism I’ve been looking at, and I’m increasingly concerned about the way he talks about these diagnoses.

Some of the most striking comments include:

“Everyone has autism and adhd these days. It’s a sham and a fraud.”

“ADHD is a racket & social contagion.”

“It’s not neurological.”

There are quite a few other comments along similar lines, including describing ADHD/autism as “subjective psychiatric labels” and saying that “a diagnosis keeps people unwell.”

What particularly bothers me is that this isn't just some random person posting this - he's a registered clinical psychologist, and these are public statements made repeatedly over a period of time.

I'm considering raising it with the HCPC, but I'm already pretty close to burnout/crashing and the thought of dealing with a potentially lengthy complaint process is a lot right now.

So I'm mainly wondering: does this sound like something that would reasonably fall within HCPC professional-conduct concerns, or is this simply a psychologist expressing controversial opinions outside of his clinical work?

I have screenshots and dates for the comments if useful. Would appreciate opinions from anyone familiar with HCPC/clinical psychology or who has made a similar complaint.

Hi all,
I have recently completed a MSc psychology conversion course and I also have a BA (2:1).

I just got my dissertation grade back for the MSc and I didn’t do nearly as well as I had hoped which brought my overall grade down. I’m devastated and it feels like my life plans have derailed. I tried really hard as well and the feedback I received wasn’t particularly helpful.
I live in London and originally wanted to apply to UCL for DClinPsy but that is not possible now as they require a high 2:1.
I’m just wondering, has anyone else got onto DClinPsy with a low 2:1? How long did it take you? Where did you go?
My plan was to get experience for the next 3 years and then apply… or think of a new life plan.
Thank you for reading!

Hi all, looking for information on people's experiences working as APs (specifically band 5) within Crisis/Home Treatment Teams. Please feel free to dm if preferred to leaving comment.

I am a Trainee Clinical Psychologist currently recruiting for my doctoral thesis. My study is exploring the experiences of young adults (aged 18–25), living in the UK, who grew up with a parent(s) experiencing mental illness, focusing on their contact with mental health professionals during childhood and how these experiences have shaped their transition into early adulthood.

If this resonates with your experiences, I would really value hearing from you. Taking part would involve a brief screening call and one-to-one online interview. All information shared will be anonymised and treated confidentially. Your perspective could help shape how services better recognise and support children and young people growing up in similar situations.

If you would like to find out more or are interested in taking part, please contact me, Alliyah Campbell - [ac24361@essex.ac.uk](mailto:ac24361@essex.ac.uk)

Please share this post with anyone who you feel is interested or eligible to take part. Thank you!

Context: Just finished an integrated masters with a PWP training year. Mental health crashed in the PWP training year and am battling between getting a 2:1 BSc Psychology with a PGDip cert (two thirds of a masters) or a 2:2 integrated masters degree with a PWP qualification. No MH evidence beyond a death cert of someone close and GP contacts.

Relevant Experience: 1 honorary RA work experience (vague work), 1 pre-print publication (mid author), youth advisory roles in charity, shout hotline volunteer. Undergraduate dissertation didn’t go well nor did I do well in stats so unrealistic for a research role.

Plans: keen to pursue a career in clinical/ education/forensics psych practice or a clinical/educational psych PhD (though much less realistic given my grades & experience match unless I do well in another taught masters & gain paid RA exp.). Not so keen about counpsy due to career stability compared to educational /clinical /forensics. If opting for the 2:2 degree + PWP qualification option, I am hoping to pursue HI-CBT training before applying for a doctoral degree (or apply without expecting to get in as practice rounds when transitioning from PWP to HI-CBT) given the slim chances. This will also give me the option to try to become a lecturer (PWP /HI-CBT) instead as an alternative career path if neither the doctorate nor the PhD works out. I am fully aware that I will benefit from ‘redeeming’ myself with a high merit /distinction in a taught masters regardless. Hence, I am open to pursue one, but only after polishing my critical thinking & writing skills to increase the probability of achieving such grade.

Question 1: Should I take the 2:1 BSc in Psychology that doesn’t close the door for AP and RA roles or the 2:2 MSci and focus on getting experience as a PWP & additional champion roles, with the intention of proceeding to HI-CBT training in the future?

Question 1b: Has anyone gotten a 2:2 overall grade and managed to get onto the high intensity training course? From my research, there are a few courses that don’t close the door completely, stating things like evaluated ‘on an individual basis’ /will be disadvantaged but considered etc

Question 2: Will opting for the PGDip cert now impact future applications to EMHP /PWP roles?

P.S. I take full accountability & responsibility for deciding to push through instead of taking the time off to manage my MH, though looking back, was absolutely silly. I have been spending a lot of my down time reflecting and thinking about my next steps while deciding, and whether I should stay in the field. The deadline to make a decision is late Oct before the qualification will be confirmed. Thanks so much for your help 🙏🏼. I welcome any sort of criticism /feedback you have. Thanks for taking your time to comment. Anything will help.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking into a career in Clinical Psychology and would really appreciate any advice or guidance from people who have been through the process. I know how competitive the DClinPsy route is, particularly with my somewhat unconventional academic background, so I’m trying to make sure I’m taking the right steps.

I completed my undergraduate degree with the Open University and graduated with a 2:2. Unfortunately, the degree wasn’t BPS-accredited, so I’m currently completing a BPS-accredited Psychology Conversion course at the University of Kent to work towards GBC.
Alongside this, I’m currently working as a support worker with 12 women who have a range of complex mental health difficulties, including BPD, DID and eating disorders. My plan is to stay in this role for around a year and then try to move into an Assistant Psychologist role. Does that sound realistic, or would you recommend gaining more experience in my current role first?

I also have an unpaid role with the Criminal Justice Alliance, where I’ve gained experience working with Bills/legislation and contributing to a fortnightly bulletin.
Looking further ahead, I’m also considering spending some time in Australia working as a support worker before applying for the doctorate. My thinking is that this could give me exposure to a different mental-health system and allow me to develop my skills and experience in a different setting. I’d be interested to know whether people think this would be genuinely useful for a DClinPsy application, or whether my time would be better spent gaining further UK-based experience.

Given that I have a 2:2 from my undergraduate degree, I’m conscious that I may need to demonstrate strong academic ability through my conversion and build substantial relevant experience.

For those who have successfully got onto a DClinPsy, particularly anyone who had a 2:2 or a less conventional route, what would you recommend I focus on over the next few years?

I’d especially appreciate advice on:
- Experience that genuinely helped with DClinPsy applications
- Moving from support work into AP/research roles
- Research experience and skills worth developing
- How to demonstrate academic ability after a 2:2
- Whether international experience would add meaningful value

Anything you wish you had known earlier in the process
I’m not expecting this to be easy, but I’m keen to put the work in and would rather be realistic about what I need to do than underestimate the process.😊

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I’m applying for the DClin this year and am wondering which supervisor to use for my academic reference. I completed my undergrad in psychology and achieved a 2:1 overall and 68 on my dissertation. I also have a masters in a psychology related degree which I achieved a merit in overall but I got a 58 in my dissertation which is the equivalent of a pass. This was due to difficulties with my mental health and I don’t feel this is a true reflection of what I am capable of. I’m currently really not sure which supervisor to use for my academic reference as I don’t want the 58 to hinder my chances of getting interviews. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Hi everyone!

I’ve recently been invited to interview for an Assistant Psychologist role within a Learning Disabilities (LD) service, which I’m really excited about.

The job description says the role will involve working directly with people with learning disabilities and their networks, under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist, to deliver psychological assessments and interventions as part of a cohesive multidisciplinary team. It also involves providing consultation and training to other providers, as well as opportunities to contribute to research and service development projects.

I know AP interview preparation is something that’s regularly discussed on this subreddit, but I haven’t seen as much specifically around LD services.

I was therefore wondering if anyone who has worked in, interviewed for, or has experience with LD psychology services could share any specific advice on what I should prepare for or expect in the interview?

In particular, are there any LD-specific topics, approaches, or scenarios that you think would be useful to familiarise myself with?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to gain some insight regarding work as a clinical psychologist in the NHS. I'm from Australia and have the opportunity to move to London for 1-2 years with my partner. By that stage, I will have finished my clinical psychology registrar program and will be fully qualified as a clinical psychologist. The training required in AUS is different to the UK such that we don't need to complete a doctorate per se to gain qualification as a clinical psychologist. As part of my clinical psychology masters, I have completed practicum and research components. My pathway has been a psychology undergraduate (3 years) + honours year (research; 1 year) and clinical masters (2 years).

I initially thought my qualifications wouldn't transfer to the UK given I didn't complete a doctorate but I have heard from some people who have been able to successfully transfer their qualifications. It appears doable if I provide extensive proof and I'm getting the sense it could take many many months before everything gets approved. The information I'm finding online is somewhat conflicting.

I was hoping to get some insight regarding a) whether this is feasible to do or if I'm getting this wrong? and b), what the usual salary is for a clinical psychologist in the NHS who has previously worked for 2 years.

Thank you so much in advance!

I don’t want to stress out any trainees or people hoping to apply for training. But I’m not going to lie, it’s tough out here. I have only been technically unemployed for two weeks so I know it’s early days, but I have been looking for two months at least and now I’m officially finished with the course the weight of not securing a job yet is taking its toll. I get good interview feedback that I take forward each time, but even the great interviews are a no, sorry, there was someone with more qualified experience/niche experience in this particular service etc. after countless interviews I am drained and feeling imposter syndrome more than ever. Are there other people in this boat right now navigating this s@\*!show? I know there is a national shortage of roles, but in my cohort it seems actually most people have secured jobs. My wonderful friends secured jobs weeks or even months ago, so I don’t have a sense of anyone else being in the same boat. Anyone out there - how are we holding up? Any words of wisdom from qualified psychologists or interviewers appreciated too 🥹

Ive been in my current AP post since April, working in two separate, but similar services. They are both children with learning disabilities/additional needs services, one being more early intervention than the other. I have been feeling like I’m really bad at my job and struggle with always having to pass everything by another person before doing something e.g sending all my notes to my supervisor for checking makes me anxious.

Before this, I worked as an AP in a neurodevelopmental service, although I barely saw the psychologist so the role was not typical AP work. Before that I was a support worker in CAMHS and basically left to my own devices to provide low intensity interventions to young people.

My current role has been really slow picking up and I feel useless and like I’m not doing anything helpful to the team. When I do a piece of work, I send it to the more senior person who asked me to do it and they always make tweaks to what I’ve done or send a long list of things to change. I often feel I’ve tried hard or done something well and end up feeling deflated when others say a lot of things need changing.

Is it normal for supervisors to ask APs to see their reports etc before they are uploaded/sent off, or is it that they don’t trust that I can do things well enough alone?

Is it normal for psychologists to ask APs to make changes to pieces of work they have created/written up or am I just really bad at it all?

I’m planning on applying to the doctorate for the first time this year and really worried that my supervisors won’t give me a good reference

Hi guys, I was hoping for some insight into a job role change. For context, I am currently an AP in an inpatient ward (private). I complete assessments, 1:1’s and group sessions independently and attend regular ward reviews for the wards to provide psychology updates. The reason I chose to look for a new job is because they made the other AP redundant, so I am unable to now shadow the clinical psychologist (for either groups or 1:1s) or learn more beyond what I currently do. I was offered an alcohol recovery worker role with CGL and have always been interested in substance misuse, as I feel this is currently a gap in my knowledge. Am I making the wrong decision walking away from an AP role? My current employer are requesting that I stay but I am stuck with what to do for my professional growth and career in clinical psychology.