Overview: Specialist Placement for Clinical Psychologist Doctorate Students 3^rd years

For more than 15 years the University of Warwick Counselling Service has offered a specialist trainee placement opportunity to Clinical Psychologists in their 3rd year elective placement.

This placement offers you the opportunity to work in an organisational context that is different from the NHS thus broadening your training experience. The skills acquired on this placement will allow you to demonstrate to future employers - either in the NHS or other settings - that you are able to manage a substantial case load, that you can work creatively and flexibly with a range of presenting issues and you can work effectively with short term as well as longer term therapy contracts. It may particularly appeal to you if you are interested in developing your capacity to work at relational depth in short term work in one-to-one counselling/psychotherapy relationships. The model you will develop is based on using your self as your key therapeutic tool in order to meet the client need.

The team at the University Counselling Service is comprised of a core staff team of 9 counsellors from a variety of theoretical orientations, offering a range of counselling services to students (and staff) of the University. In addition, the team generally includes up to two counselling trainees on placement and up to five Associate Counsellors.

The client group is mainly 18-21 year old undergraduate students but there are also mature students (22+). Warwick University attracts many international students who also access the Counselling Service. Read the FAQs written by a previous placements, or, to read personal reflections on the placement experience.

The placement is available as the October to March option only (it cannot be offered as a year long parallel placement to fit in with University academic terms).

A pre-placement meeting would be an essential part of the process in selecting this opportunity, to make sure the placement is suitable - you are welcome to arrange a visit at any time.

For more information, contact Monique Wearden, the Placement Supervisor and Co-ordinator, email M.Wearden@warwick.ac.uk

Monique usually has a stand at the Job and Placement Fair in March - do come along and discuss how this unique placement opportunity may work for you.

This placement gave me the opportunity to work with a high caseload and work with a diverse population. I wanted to experience a placement outside of the NHS and see how a wellbeing service operates in the private sector.

Aaron, 2017-2018

The best thing on placement has been the team at the service. Everybody is friendly, supportive and welcoming. Staff are strongly encouraged to take regular breaks together and that helped me to quickly feel part of this team.

Bryan 2016-17

This placement offered me exactly what I wanted - an opportunity to focus on using the client-therapist relationship

Sarah 2014-15

This placement has really facilitated the development of my therapeutic skills and helped me to become more confident in tailoring my approach to an individual client."

Jenny 2012-13