Becoming a practicing Psychologist/Psychological Therapist
To practice as a professional psychologist you first need to take a Society accredited undergraduate degree course (The University of Manchester degree course is accredited). If your first degree is not in Psychology,, then you will need to take a conversion course accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) First.
Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychologists use psychological methods and principles to assess and treat psychological problems. They promote and enhance mental well-being and research and evaluate new models of psychological therapy. Clinical psychologists support people with issues including anxiety, child and family problems and serious mental illness. They also work closely with other professionals such as doctors, social workers and other professionals to enable them to better support patients. You may also want to see the information on Clinical Associate Psychology, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner and Trainee Associate Psychological Practitioner below for information on ways to gain relevant experience and training.
Clinical Associate Psychology
This new role has been created within adult mental health provision and sits between the role of assistant psychologist and clinical psychologist. Clinical Associate Psychologists (CAP) practice autonomously providing high quality psychological interventions, but under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. Their work is evidence based and uses interventions and assessments, although it can involve working with a narrower population group and range of tools owing to that focus. Students are expected to want to stay and work as a qualified CAP on successful completion of the training rather than see it as a way to get more experience. Training is available at UCL, Sheffield, Scotland and Exeter through a degree apprenticeship and is open to those working in the NHS and nominated by their employer to apply. Interested students and graduates should look for Clinical Associate Psychologist Apprenticeships on the NHS jobs site.
Counselling/Psychotherapy
Counsellors help people to identify problems in their lives, reflect on what is happening to them and consider alternative ways of doing things, with the aim to reduce confusion and increase their ability to cope with challenges, or to make positive changes to their lives. Psychotherapists help clients explore and express their thought processes, feelings and behaviour and help clients understand their inner conflicts and find new ways to alleviate and deal with distress. Counselling is often a second or third career, as life experience is valued.
Counselling Psychology
Counselling psychologists employ psychological methods and a therapeutic approach to help people manage difficult events in their life. Counselling psychologists may see clients from any age or clinical group in the both public and private sector. Their role may include counselling the bereaved, couples and families with relationship problems or people with mental health or addiction issues. Counselling Psychology integrates psychological theory with therapeutic practice.
Educational Psychology
Forensic Psychology
- Qualifications, training, experience needed and vacancy sites for forensic psychology
- Video - Working in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice: interviews with graduates of The University of Manchester
- Video - Forensic psychology is it for you?
- Blog post - Reflecting on my forensic masters one year later
- Blog post - how a masters in Forensic Psychology & Mental Health helped me pursue a career in research
- BPS job profile with routes in, experience needed and advice
Health Psychology
Neuropsychology
The clinical side of neuropsychology overlaps with academic neuropsychology, which provides a scientific understanding of the relationship between brain and neuropsychological function. This in turn helps form the basis for assessment and rehabilitation of people with brain injury, or other neurological disease. Neuropsychologists may be employed within the NHS, and also in the independent sector within both private and not-for-profit charitable organisations. Neuropsychologists work with people of all ages with neurological problems, which might include traumatic brain injury, stroke, toxic and metabolic disorders, tumours and neuro-degenerative diseases.
Occupational Psychology
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWPs)
Sport & Exercise Psychology
Trainee Associate Psychological Practitioner
This is a new role providing psychological training for psychology graduates and allowing them to build relevant working experience. The job is at a similar level to the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) roles, although the PWP roles are exclusively within IAPT addressing mainly mild-moderate anxiety and depression. The TAPP roles instead are across a range of different specialities (including critical care, older adults, primary care, neuropsychology) and aim to fill a gap in provision of support between IAPT and secondary care where patients are not suitable for these services. The TAPP roles are only suitable for Psychology graduates and the course aims to build directly upon graduates’ BSc or MSc giving them greater psychological training than they would receive as a PWP.
These roles can also form a good basis for getting onto the clinical doctorate/ working in clinical psychology.
For vacancies please see the NHS job site