The Alternative Handbook 2024-2025

Equality, diversity and inclusion

In total 1410 (41%) of trainees completed the survey for the Alternative Handbook.

Below is a summary of their demographics.

Age and gender

Roughly two thirds of respondents (64 per cent) were aged between 25–29 years old when they started their training. This is similar to last year (63 per cent) and greater than national data, with less than a third (31 per cent) of full-time postgraduates across subjects enrolling in this age group (HESA , 2022-23). Compared to all full-time postgraduates, respondents started their training at a slightly older age.

The majority (85 per cent) of respondents described their gender as female and only 11 per cent as male. This is similar to last year (84 per cent and 12 per cent respectively). This is slightly greater than the national figure, where 80 per cent of full-time psychology postgraduates were female (HESA , 2022-23).

Figures also reflect findings from The Right Track (2021) commissioned by The Nuffield Trust on behalf of the BPS, which showed that one in six (16.7 per cent) of the NHS psychological workforce are male.

Respondents were provided with the opportunity to self-identify their preferred gender identity. One per cent described themselves as non-binary and two percent preferred not to say; this remains unchanged from last year. Ten per cent of respondents responded that they lived and worked/studied in a gender role different from their sex registered at birth, slightly lower than the eleven per cent who said this last year.

Ethnicity, race, and culture

The majority (79 per cent) of respondents described their ethnicity as White, which is slightly lower than last year (81 per cent).

Eighteen per cent described themselves as being from a minoritised ethnic group, with the highest proportion (7 per cent) of those identifying as Asian.

These figures are higher than those reported nationally where 72 per cent of full-time postgraduates studying psychology describe themselves as White and 21 per cent as from a minoritised ethnic group (HESA, 2022-23).

The Right Track (2021) research findings also showed disparities, with certain minoritised ethnic groups less likely to progress in their career, having entered the NHS workforce post study.

For instance, 9 per cent of applicants with Black and Asian ethnicities were accepted onto clinical psychology training courses compared with 17 per cent who applied.

Sexual orientation

Just under three quarters of respondents (71 percent) described their sexual orientation as Heterosexual/Straight, a similar proportion to last year (72 per cent).

Twenty-two per cent identified as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual, slightly higher than last year (20 per cent).

Religion and belief

Sixty-seven per cent of respondents described themselves as having no religion or belief, which slightly lower than last year (70 per cent). This is greater than the national figure of 35 per cent for all full-time postgraduates ( HESA , 2022-23).

Social mobility

Just under half (47 per cent) of respondents reported that the highest qualifications achieved by their parents(s) /guardian(s) by the time they were 18 was a degree level (compared with 48 per cent last year).

Over one in five (23 per cent) respondents reported that the type of work the main/highest income earner in their household did when they were aged around 14 was a modern professional occupation (e.g. teacher/ lecturer, nurse, and physiotherapist). This was similar to last year (22 per cent).

Disability, impairment, learning differences, and long-term conditions

Nearly a third (32 per cent) of respondents reported having a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, which is higher than last year (28 per cent) and the year before (25 per cent). This is much greater than the national figure, where 9 per cent of full-time postgraduates reported having a disability ( HESA , 2022-23).

Disability and reasonable adjustments

Trainees who reported having a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition were asked some further questions about reasonable adjustments. Fifty-eight per cent of these students reported that they had disclosed their disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition to their university prior to starting their course, and 28 per cent disclosed this during the course.

When asked if reasonable adjustments were put in place at different stages of the selection process (i.e. at the interview or prior to this), 62 per cent of trainees reported that they were not put in place because they did not need them. Ten per cent reported that reasonable adjustments were put in place at the interview only, nine per cent reported that they were put in place both before the interview and at the interview, and 4 per cent reported they were put in place prior to the interview only.

A new question was added to this year's handbook, which asked trainees to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: "The university has provided me with adequate reasonable adjustments, which have been tailored to my needs". Forty-four per cent of students strongly agreed or agreed with this statement, while thirty-one per cent strongly disagreed or disagreed. Sixteen percent neither agreed nor disagreed.

Caring responsibilities

Nearly a fifth (16 per cent) of respondents reported having a caring responsibility, consistent with last year (also 16 per cent). The most reported caring responsibility among carers (45 per cent) was being a primary carer of a child/ children (under 18 years), or being a secondary carer, where another person carries out the main caring role (39 per cent).

Caring responsibilities and reasonable adjustments

Trainees who reported that they had caring responsibilities were asked some further questions about reasonable adjustments.

Prior to starting their course, just over half (54 per cent) of trainees with caring responsibilities discussed these responsibilities with staff at their university, while 42 per cent did not discuss their caring responsibilities. When asked if their course had offered and supported them with reasonable adjustments, over half (57 per cent) reported that their course had offered them with reasonable adjustments and over a third (34 per cent) reported that their course had not.

When asked to what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement: 'I feel able to manage both my caring and course responsibilities', half (50 per cent) of respondents strongly agreed or agreed, just under a quarter (23 per cent) strongly disagreed or disagreed and 27 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed.

Appendices

Here you'll find the Appendices to the main report, including:

• Trainee response rates
• Survey questions and base descriptions
• Redacted comments

Please note: while the survey encourages open and honest feedback, the BPS holds the right to remove comments that may be libelous, contain prejudiced language, or containing identities of individuals.

For transparency, for the first time we have made information available about the number of comments removed per course. 

Considerations

• We recommend that the Alternative Handbook be used in conjunction with information produced by the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology and the individual course websites. The Hull course and Queen's University Belfast course have their own application process and are not part of the Clearing House scheme.
• There are many issues to consider before applying to a clinical psychology course. We suggest that, as you read through this publication, that it may be helpful to make a list of what seem to be the most important issues for you. Courses are usually happy to be contacted by applicants who need further information and most have websites you can access.
• If you are not successful in your application this year, it may be helpful to contact the courses to request individual feedback on your application or interview. Although not all courses provide this, it is worth trying as this feedback may help maximise your chances of success in the future.
• We have generally tried to include verbatim responses where respondents have provided comments. Unfortunately, some responses, or parts of responses, have had to be removed because the content was deemed inappropriate (e.g. comments that were libellous, those that could have been considered a defamation of character, etc.), where there was a repetition of information already stated (e.g. amounts for funding, areas trainees live, etc.), or where a comment could potentially have meant that the respondent (or someone else) was personally identifiable. In instances where a comment has been edited for these reasons, a '[…]' is shown in the text.
• You should ensure that you take note of the number of trainees who have responded and numbers within year groups. It is also important to remember that processes may have changed since year groups started, e.g. interviews, and this may be why different views are expressed.
• All information is based on the experiences and reports of current trainees. Although the DCP Pre-Qualification Group committee endeavours to bring you up-to-date information, we cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data provided.
• With regards to the section on Support for trainees with disabilities, respondents used the Equality Act 2010 definition: 'A person (P) has a disability if – (a) P has a physical or mental impairment; and (b) The impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'.

About the Pre-Qualification Group

The Pre-Qualification Group (PQG) is here to support and represent you in your journey towards becoming a qualified clinical psychologist, ensuring your views and needs are integrated into the activities of the BPS and Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP).

Membership of the Pre-Qualification Group is open to Graduate members of the society who are either in at 'Pre-Training' role (i.e. anyone who has completed a BPS accredited psychology degree) or 'In-Training' (i.e. individuals who are on an accredited clinical psychology doctorate course).

Why should I join the Pre-Qualification Group?

The Pre-Qualification Group is part of the society's Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP), and membership comes with access to a variety of benefits, including:

• Reduced rates for PQG and DCP conferences and workshops
• Email updates about important information, events and activities
• Monthly edition of Clinical Psychology Forum
• Discounted rates and free access to insightful documents produced by the division

Joining the PQG can also help improve your representation in a number of ways:

• Join the PQG committee and be a representative on a faculty and regional branch committees
• Shaping your future by taking part in wider BPS consultations
• Take part in national working groups as well as a host of other DCP committees
• Disseminate your work and write about hot topics by submitting an article or topic for inclusion in the Clinical Psychology Forum

If you are unsure as to whether you are registered with the Pre-Qualification Group, please email the Member Network Services team and ask to be added to our mailing list.

Find out more about joining the DCP

Who are the Pre-Qualification Group Committee?

The Pre-Qualification Group consists of a group of people who are all passionate about supporting trainees and those seeking training.

The Pre-Qualification group welcomes all interested members to contribute and are routinely seeking new members to join our growing committee.

Current vacant positions are advertised on our website under the News tab.

Please email the DCP Pre-Qual Group Committee to discuss becoming a committee member or find out more about available roles.

A message from the DCP 

Our key strategic goals are around promoting the professional interests of Clinical Psychologists and supporting the development of Clinical Psychology, both as a profession and as a body of knowledge and skills. We are very much aligned with the ethical principles that are based on the 'Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists' and the principles of the society's Code of Ethics and Conduct: 

• Principle 1: Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples 
• Principle 2: Competent Caring for the Well-Being of Persons and Peoples 
• Principle 3: Integrity 
• Principle 4: Professional and Scientific Responsibilities to Society 

The DCP is currently revisiting our strategic priorities and professional body functions in the context of engaging and involving more members including those from diverse groups and communities. The longstanding barriers evidenced in clinical psychology around the lack of diversity has initiated a commitment and drive to change the experiences of our minoritised groups and the profession in general. 

The DCP's inclusivity strategy (developed in 2014) have considered, implemented and supported a number of key areas for the profession, such as improved CPD opportunities with a focus on inclusivity, equality and diversity; a mentoring system; inclusivity awards; legislative compliance; inclusivity digital networks; outreach work to build stronger connections both within and outside of the BPS to support the DCP's work in this area, and around data gathering on diversity for the division. 

We recognise that difficult conversations must take place around the legal aspects of employment for trainees. Equally important is considering the ethical and moral positions regarding inclusivity in clinical psychology training in order to influence changes in practice in regards to recruitment and adjustments for trainees and qualified clinical psychologists with disabilities.

The DCP remains committed to upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion and to continuing to develop our anti-racist stance. We recognise that we still have much work to do in implementing these values and creating lasting change. Not only have we established and strongly embedded EDI and Anti-Racist practices across the DCP including recruiting an EDI lead to sit in the DCP Executive, the DCP has also been guided by the work of the DCP Minorities Clinical Psychology Subcommittee who also have a space and representation on the DCP Executive. 

• Kalpita Kunde, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
  DCP UK Chair 

A statement from the Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology (GTiCP)

The profession of clinical psychology continues to go through a process of rapid and sustained change, with expanding trainee numbers; more attention for inclusive practices in selection of trainees and in engaging with service users and services; critically questioning our roots in colonial and oppressive practices and ideologies, and fostering an active anti-racism stance. NHS England has played a major role in these developments and continues to offer support in the areas of dual accreditation and mentoring. The devolved nations are also in a phase of expansion and further developing inclusive practices in response to their Government's instructions. At this point there is no suggestion that the change of government at Westminster will change direction in this era of expansion and development. 

Globally and locally, we are living in turbulent times. The impact of this on individuals and communities is varied, complex and extensive. Once again, the daily threat in our neighbourhoods to people from the global majority has been highlighted. All programmes are working to understand and tackle structural racism in this challenging context.

We are also facing challenges in understanding the opportunities and threats posed to training and the profession by the rising influence of artificial intelligence in our society and academic communities. In addition, Planetary Health remains a critical consideration, not only in addressing the sustainability of our training and professional practice, but also considering the wider impact of the climate crisis on our communities in terms of mental health, well-being, forced migration and food shortages. This impact also highlights the vast inequalities still present in our societies, and the need to address these as part of our commitment to positive mental health. These are therefore exciting and testing times to join the profession. 

All UK programmes have their own ethos and emphasise different ways of thinking about how we support people in distress – some of our programmes, broadly, take a more systemic view and consider human rights throughout training, and the impact of inequality and structural barriers on the experiences of communities, families and individuals.

Other courses emphasise individual service user experiences, and highlight specific skills building in one-to-one therapies, some with an option for further accreditation in a specific modality (usually CBT or systemic). Many courses are a combination or hybrid of these. The plurality of clinical psychology is what makes it a vibrant community, with colleagues drawing on different types of evidence to support the work they do, and integrating theory and practice in their work in multiple different ways. It also means that you, as a potential applicant, can look for a good fit between you as a practitioner and your values and interests, and the offers of the courses.

We are pleased that you are reading this handbook and we hope that you find in here some answers to your questions about clinical psychology training. We need people from all walks of life to apply, to reflect the needs in local communities. We need people to apply who might have thought of themselves as not typical clinical psychology material – if you have a genuine interest in people and communities experiencing distress, trauma or change, and if you have personal experience to fall back on that helps you empathise and support people, then please consider joining our profession.

In this post-pandemic world, we are still adapting to different ways of working and methods of training delivery. Developing digital competencies is an essential part of clinical training but all courses are accredited as face-to-face programmes. Our responsibility is to train people who, on completion of their programme, are competent and confident to work in the wide range of service settings. This generic training focus remains one of the key elements of the profession of clinical psychology.

Every year we train people with disabilities, people with various ethnic and religious affiliations, people with lived experience of health and mental health issues, people with neurodiversity, people who have experienced very challenging family systems, people who have lived in poverty, people who sit outside the cis/het majority, people who have lost loved ones, people who are inspired to improve services after having experienced them as service users, people who care and passionately want to change. We can all transform our energies for the good of people requiring our services.

Do join us on your training journey. We look forward to welcoming you in our community.

• Best wishes, Anna and Annette
  Co-Chairs, Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology

About the BPS accreditation process

Accreditation through partnership is the process by which the BPS works with education providers to ensure that quality standards in psychology education and training are met by all accredited programmes on an ongoing basis.

Our approach to accreditation is based on partnership rather than regulation, and we emphasise working collaboratively with programme providers through open, constructive dialogue that allows space for exploration, development and quality enhancement.

On an ongoing basis our Committee for Training in Clinical Psychology members, who are also programme reviewers, work alongside the society's Partnership and Accreditation Team, to assure and enhance standards and support guidance and documentation in postgraduate professional training in clinical psychology.

A key part of the work involves reviewing specific provision against the society's Standards for the accreditation of Doctoral programmes in clinical psychology, as well as identifying and promoting best practice across the education and training community.

The Partnership and Accreditation team oversee all of the accreditation standards and also the review cycle for all accredited programmes including Doctoral programmes in Clinical Psychology.

Training Committee reviewers are ambassadors for BPS, advocating the work that the society does to improve psychology education and training, and the discipline as a whole. Reviewers develop their understanding of the society's accreditation standards and policies and assist with programme reviews and accreditation visits.

During the visits to accredited programmes reviewers meet directly with trainees, programme teams, senior management, supervisors, services users, and commissioners to assess the programme in operation against the set accreditation standards. This better understanding of the programme in operation feeds directly into the ongoing quality improvement cycle.

Comments and feedback

The Alternative Handbook is an annual resource that we strive to improve every year.

If you have any feedback about the Alternative Handbook, please contact the Research and Analysis team.

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