DCP In Focus: November 2023

Welcome to the November edition of DCP in Focus which contains our usual mix of useful information for you.

Below you will find details of a survey we are undertaking with the help of brand agency IE to help us develop our strategy and priorities going forward. We would be really grateful if you could spare five minutes of your time to share your views.

You will have, or soon be, receiving your membership renewal notice and we do hope that you will choose to remain a member of DCP - the largest and most influential professional body for clinical psychologists in the UK.

We are currently working on the review of our work in 2023 and would encourage you to look at the Review of 2022 if you want to learn more about what we spend your fees on.

We've all been very concerned watching the tragic events and loss of life in Israel and Gaza – the BPS has issued a statement which you can read on its website, and has also produced advice for talking to children and young people about war.

As always, if you have any questions about the work of the DCP, or wish to get involved, please do get in touch. 

- Julia Faulconbridge, DCP Communications and Publications Lead

News

DCP Member Survey

The DCP is currently working with a brand and marketing agency called IE Brand to listen to our members, and to understand your perceptions and views of the DCP.

We'd really appreciate it if you could spare five minutes to share your views which will help inform our priorities and strategy for the future, ensuring we remain relevant and representative of our membership.

Please note there is a short timescale as responses are needed by Tuesday 28 November. We will be updating you on the outcomes early in the new year. Thank you.

Share your views with us here

Become a Clinical Psychology Forum reviewer

We are looking for reviewers for Clinical Psychology Forum.

Please do get in touch with us if you are interested and have been qualified as a clinical psychologist for over two years.

We ask that you are able to review around six papers a year, and you can let us know your preferred area of expertise/speciality for review (for example - you might have an expertise in qualitative research, or prefer to review papers related to learning disability services).

You will get good support from the clinical editor (Lou Shirley) and managing editor (Nicki Dennis), and from fellow reviewers at online twice-yearly meetings.

It's a great way to enhance your CV and practise your critical thinking!

For more information or to express interest, please drop us an email.

APPTS forum

The ninth Annual Forum for Psychological Therapies Services will be taking place online on Tuesday 5 December 2023!

The annual forum is a great opportunity to bring psychological therapies services together for a day of sharing ideas, learning and good practice. There will also be an update on our findings from the peer reviews of psychological therapies services that have taken place recently on APPTS.

This year's programme includes a fantastic range of speakers including Adrian Whittington and Steve Pilling (among many others!) covering themes such as therapist wellbeing, accessibility to services, menopause and treating long-term conditions.

Full details and information on how to register is available on the RCPsych website.

Listening to the experiences of Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority postgraduate psychology students and trainees

The BPS is exploring barriers preventing Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority postgraduate psychology students and trainees from developing their careers.

The society is calling on any postgraduate students/trainees and lecturers/supervisors/course leaders who identify as Black, Asian or from an Ethnic Minority background to complete a short survey about their experiences of race and ethnicity.

The survey takes around 10-15 minutes to complete, and includes questions about inclusion, discrimination and belonging.

This research is vitally important given that only 9 per cent of applicants with Black and Asian ethnicities were accepted onto clinical psychology training courses from the 17 per cent who applied.

If relevant to you, please complete the survey, and please share widely with your networks. The deadline is 30 November. You can read more about the study on the BPS website.

Join our communications sub-committee

Effective communications are essential for the DCP to be an effective organisation for our members, for the people we work with and for the wider public.

We already have a communications sub-committee and want to expand the number of people to increase what we can achieve. We are looking for people with commitment, energy and new, creative ideas to help us move forward and would love to welcome you to our group.

The communications sub-committee needs to be truly diverse in its composition and to have members at all levels of their careers.

You do not need to have experience in this field - the aim is for the sub-committee to be a dynamic and supportive team with shared learning and mentoring integral to its operation.

Find out more and apply via the BPS website.

Events

Upcoming DCP events

• Darren McGarvey is a keynote speaker at our Faculty for Psychosis and Complex Mental Health's annual conference on 23 November.

• Our Faculty for Eating Disorders is hosting a webinar on developing the skills of families and carers on 23 November.

• An event on 23 November provides an introduction to the UK workforce for newly registered clinical and counselling psychologists.

• The DCP Northern Ireland Branch hosts an event on engaging with communities on 30 November.

• DCP Wales hosts an event on compassion, trust and connection in clinical psychology on 30 November.

• The DCP South West Branch is holding a conference on intergenerational concerns into climate change on 4 December.