DCP In Focus: September 2024

Welcome to the September edition of DCP In Focus

As we head into autumn, the DClinPsy courses are taking in new trainees, and we want to support them in their journey into the profession. We have created a set of resources to help them as detailed below.

It is also the season for a number of important conferences and events, and I hope you will check these out.

And don't forget the DCP Awards - there is still time for nominations!

As always, we welcome any comments or feedback.

• Julia Faulconbridge
  DCP communications and publications lead

News

Welcoming new trainees to the world of clinical psychology

If you are already a member of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) we would like to welcome you as the latest recruits to our profession.

We also want to help all new trainees settle into their course, recognising it is a time of excitement and anxiety, with free resources and information about what DCP can offer

We've published some new webpages specifically designed for new trainees but of value to all trainees - take a look on our website.

To all our other readers, please share these resources as widely as you can so that they reach the people who need them

Psychologists needed for discussion paper on assisted dying

We are seeking a chair and members to join our task and finish group on psychology and assisted dying.

End-of-life care is a vital area of psychological practice, and recent public discussions about changing the law on assisted dying have brought this issue to the forefront.

We are forming a task and finish group to develop a discussion paper to outline key issues.

The BPS will not take a stance on changing the law, or the merits (or otherwise) of assisted dying. The discussion paper will focus on the psychological dimensions surrounding assisted dying.

We are seeking a chair and members with relevant expertise. The group will meet approximately four times per year and will operate under the joint oversight of the BPS Ethics Committee and the BPS Practice Board.

Find out more and apply now on the BPS website.

Could you be a CPF Peer Reviewer?

Clinical Psychology Forum is inviting expressions of interest for peer reviewers for the journal. We are taking active steps to expand the journal's reviewer pool to continue to ensure substantive and timely feedback, diversify the reviewer pool, and encourage early career colleagues to offer their expertise.

What is peer review?

Peer review is the foundation of academic publishing. When you are asked to review a manuscript that has been submitted for publication, your expertise is being acknowledged and your opinion is being valued.

As a service to our authors, we try to provide prompt, constructive feedback to help authors improve their manuscript before publication, or we may find that the manuscript would be more suitable for another journal. We rely on our reviewers to share their experience and expertise so that we can publish the highest quality research and reviews.

Who can become a reviewer?

If you are at least two years past qualification and active in the field and can objectively evaluate the quality and rigor of research, we want you!

Benefits of reviewing for Clinical Psychology Forum

Becoming involved in the peer review process for a journal can be a highly rewarding experience in and of itself. Doing your part to protect the integrity of published scientific literature, at a time when the credibility of science is being increasingly challenged, is more important than ever. That said, there are benefits specific to reviewing for CPF:

• Reviewers are recognised on a monthly basis on the inside cover of the Forum
• Develop your professional service portfolio
• Reviewing can count towards your CPD hours
• If you are interested in publishing your own research in the journal, you'll get a first-hand look at the quality of research that is required

Interested in reviewing or have questions? Email the managing editor Nicki Dennis.

When emailing the editorial office with an expressed interest to become a reviewer, please provide a copy of your brief CV.

From shallow roots to developing fruits: working together to help children and families without permanent homes thrive and grow

The 2022-23 theme for the Faculty of Children, Young People and Families was 'Hear me, don't blame me' and focussed on trauma informed and non-blaming approaches to working with children, young people and their families.

Following on from this, in 2024, we have decided to maintain a trauma-informed, non-blaming perspective but with a focus on children and young people who do not have permanent homes and/or are living in temporary arrangements. This could be for a variety of reasons including being:

• Homeless and/or living in temporary accommodation and/or having frequent moves
• An asylum seeker or refugee
• In the care system
• In the criminal justice system
• In an in-patient physical or mental health setting

The number of children and young people in some of these groups is rising, and whilst we recognise that not all of them will be struggling, we are concerned that they are often disproportionately affected by a range of issues and challenges compared with the wider population.

This is compounded by intersectionality, with some ethnic groups, socio-economic groups or genders over-represented and perhaps experiencing additional difficulties as a result. Despite this, we know that support and services may be harder for these children, young people and their families to access.

This theme is the focus for our annual publication, the Child and Family Clinical Psychology Review, which is due to be published in late October/early November, and also our annual conference on 18 November at the BPS London office.

Tickets are still available for the conference, with discounts for BPS members and additional discounts for faculty and student members.

Nominate or apply for the 2024 DCP awards

Our 2024 awards are open for nominations and applications until 18 October 2024.

The M.B. Shapiro Award is a lifetime career award for psychologists who have achieved eminence in the profession, while the May Davidson Award recognises clinical psychologists who have made a significant contribution to the profession during the first ten years of their career.

Our Pre-Qualification Award promotes and encourages the contribution of pre-doctoral clinical work, while the Trainee Research Excellence Award and the Trainee Excellence in Practice Award both recognise the work of our fantastic trainees.

Individuals can be nominated for these awards by colleagues who recognise their contribution or by the individual themselves. More information these awards and about nominations and applications can be found on our website.

National leadership and transformational event

The DCP Leadership and Management Faculty is setting out a national leadership event on 9 October, focused on the transformation of services. It will address innovative ways of supporting people's health and well-being that respects and responds to their exposure to social determinants, to their social contexts, and the central importance of their financial and social security.

The event is part of the faculty's activities to mark its 20 years, and to think ahead about professional leadership, development and support structures in the light of NHS transformation and the BPS Standards for the accreditation of Doctoral Programmes in Clinical Psychology (2024 draft), which recommends 'developing an understanding of prevention and public health in clinical psychology, focusing on improving and protecting community health and wellbeing, with an emphasis on prevention at community and population level'.

The aims for the event are:

1. To highlight the evidence and key policies that inform the rationale for transforming psychology and mental health services  
2. Clarify together what we need to change and develop as leaders and managers drawing on psychological theory, research and practice
3. Share good practice
4. Identify ways to support next steps for the radical changes that are needed for interventions that address the social determinants of health

Examples of good practices will be shared to consider ways to support each other to embrace the required cultural and systemic shift in the provision of more community-led psychological services.  

The event is for users, practitioners, psychologists, managers, leaders and service users interested in the areas listed above /and are involved in rolling out NHS long-term plans, and local transformation work. Programme to be announced soon.

To apply to join us, visit the event page. The deadline for registration is 10am on Wednesday 2 October.

Please join us at the Perinatal Psychology Faculty unconference

Reflections on equality, diversity and inclusion in perinatal psychology - systemic vitality or structural fragility?

Upcoming events

The DCP West Midlands Branch is hosting a webinar on compassion-focused therapy on 4 October.

Our Northern Ireland Branch is holding an introduction event on 10 October.

The BPS Psychology Careers Festival takes place from 4-8 November.

Guidance on planetary health and its relevance for clinical psychology

We are pleased to announce new guidance 'Clinical psychology and planetary health: Changing course in the storm'.

This comprehensive guide is the result of a collaboration between the GTiCP's Planetary Health Subgroup, DCP Faculties, and the BPS. It highlights the relevance and implications of the climate and ecological emergency (CEE) across a range of specialities, including children, older adults, learning disabilities, and physical health conditions, detailing implications for clinical psychologists' practice.

Discover how clinical psychologists can adapt and help others to adapt to the realities of the CEE. Also learn about the many ways in which clinical psychologists can get involved in action to mitigate against further environmental harms.

You can access the guidance now on the DCP website under 'climate and environment' (you will need to log in).

New Environmental Psychology Section approved

Following a successful member vote at the recent AGM, members are now able to join the new Environmental Psychology Section.

The section will bring together members and aim to unite and engage the broader environmental psychology community, provide dissemination, networking, and career development opportunities, and position environmental psychology in the UK as a prominent advocate for positive societal and environmental change.

Members can apply to join the section via the applications button in their BPS portal account.