Health Psychology Professional Doctorate

Health psychology can be defined as the study of psychological processes and their application to health, illness and health care. The Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology programme provides supervision to enable students to develop skills in research, teaching, professional skills and consultancy. The programme runs for a minimum of two years for full-time students, and a minimum of four years for part-time students. The award follows closely the framework for Stage 2 professional training in health psychology, which is set by the Division of Health Psychology of the British Psychological Society.

Graduates from this award gain Stage 2 accreditation towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and eligibility to apply to register as a Health Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HPC). The programme has been designed to equip students with D-level skills in research, teaching, consultancy, professional practice and behaviour change inteventions. All students who started Stage 1 training in health psychology after September 1st 2001 and who wish to become Chartered Psychologists are required to pass the Stage 2 qualification. In addition, since July 1st 2009 students have been required to pass the Stage 2 qualification in order to be eligible to apply to the HPC for registration as a Health Psychologist. The qualification provides a guarantee for employers and clients of competence in core aspects of health psychology and professional practice, including research, consultancy, and teaching skills.

You will study five modules in parallel throughout your time on the programme:

• Advanced Research Methods in Health Psychology (180 credits)

• Teaching in Health Psychology (45 credits)

• Consultancy Skills in Health Psychology  (45 credits)

• Professional Competence in Health Psychology  (45 credits)

• Behaviour Change Interventions  (45 credits)

Further details of modules are below:

1. Advanced Research Methods (Module Leader: Professor David Clark-Carter)
   You will be guided in how to independently, critically review research literature, design a study, collect and analyse data, and interpret and report results. This will be assessed by a) a systematic review of the literature and b) a major empirical study in health psychology.

2. Consultancy Skills in Health Psychology (Module Leader: Dr Mark Forshaw)
   You will be guided in how to conduct consultancy in health psychology and related arenas. This will be assessed by a documented case study and contract.

3. Teaching in Health Psychology (Module Leader: Dr Emily Buckley)
   In this module you will develop your teaching skills, enabling you to teach two different types of students, one of which must be health care professionals. This will be assessed by a) a case study of a teaching programme (of at least five sessions) you have designed and implemented yourself; b) an evaluation of that case study.

4. Professional Skills in Health Psychology (Module Leader: Professor Sarah Grogan)
   You will be mentored through the process of fostering self-development in professional practice, implementation of systems to ensure high professional standards in professional practice, guidance in providing feedback to clients, and team-working skills. Ability to reflect on these skills and to demonstrate accountability in professional practice will be assessed by a logbook of professional practice and a reflexive report.

5. Behaviour Change Interventions (Module Leaders: Dr Clio Spanou & Dr Rachel Povey)
   You will be facilitated in developing your awareness/understanding of and ability to utilize good practices in designing, implementing and evaluating interventions aimed at changing important health behaviours.  This will be assessed by a) a case study of a Behaviour Change Intervention and b) a reflective report comparing and contrasting the application of two models in relation to an assessment and formulation you have carried out.

After enrolment, you will take part in a two-day induction programme. This is designed to cover all modules, and will introduce you to the competencies required on the course, and to the University facilities. This will be followed by a supportive programme of workshops which runs throughout the year, covering all five competencies.

"The support received on the course was first class. I have never experienced such high quality teaching and support previously. The Doctorate provides a tremendous amount of knowledge and skills which can open many doors." –
Dr Sarah Sherwood, Health Psychologist, Pain Clinic, Birmingham City Hospital

“The teaching and support was the best I have ever experienced. The tutors had a great deal of understanding about the challenges of being a Health Psychologist in training and there was a real camaraderie among my fellow students. All in all the course has enabled me to become equipped with the skills required to advance my career as a Health Psychologist”. -
Dr Grainne Dickerson, Health Behaviour Specialist, Wakefield District NHS Primary Care Trust.

"I enjoyed the course, students and staff were very supportive and approachable and the flexibility within the course allowed me to fit it in with other commitments.  I especially valued the relationship between my supervisor at Staffordshire University and my Line Manager and Work Place Contact at Warwick University. The collaboration worked well and encouraged me to achieve all my competencies". -
Dr Harbinder Kaur Sandhu, Warwick Medical School (Assistant Professor in Health Psychology) and Pain Clinic, Milton Keynes NHS Foundation Trust (Health Psychologist).

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience on the course where the teaching has been brilliant and the staff and students have all been very supportive. I feel the course has provided me with a broad range of competencies and skills to enable me to work in many varied and diverse areas of Health Psychology in the future”. -
Dr Shilpa Patel, Warwick Medical School (Research Fellow) & Pain Clinic, Milton Keynes NHS Foundation Trust (Health Psychologist).

• Our Professional Doctorate programme offers a unique opportunity to experience and develop your professional skills in Health Psychology, under the guidance of highly qualified and committed staff.

• Staffordshire University has a thriving Health Psychology research culture, focussed in the Centre for Health Psychology, with an excellent national and international reputation.

• As a Department we are committed to strengthening our already strong base in Health Psychology through the development of this programme.

• The Doctorate is accredited by the British Psychological Society as providing Stage 2 training in Health Psychology, and in 2012 received an unprecedented 7 commendations from the BPS.
  

• to provide a Professional Doctorate programme offering learning and teaching opportunities in health psychology to allow students to demonstrate level-8 (Doctoral) competences in research, behaviour change interventions, consultancy, aspects of professional practice, and teaching.

• to equip students with eligibility to apply for registration with the Health Professions Council and British Psychological Society Chartered Status.

• to meet the specific needs of the BPS Stage 2 Professional Training in Health Psychology framework and meet the standards of the Health Professions Council, whilst developing each specific individual’s capacity to work within a professional context.  The focus of the Doctorate is on the acquisition of professional skills, with a specific emphasis on reflection and accountability in professional practice.  

• to place a strong emphasis on research, demonstrated by the heavier weighting of the research component, and the requirement for all students on the Programme to demonstrate an equivalent level of research competence to that required for a PhD, including a minimum of three publishable outcomes.  
  

You are expected to arrange learning opportunities outside the institution, with the support of your supervisor, to ensure that you are able to attain the competencies required on the Professional Doctorate Programme. Placement learning will normally last for two years for full-time students and for four years for part-time students. However, the exact nature of the placement will depend on your individual needs. You may be able to attain all the learning outcomes in your placement. However you may need to spend less time on placement and more time at the University or other settings where you can attain your learning outcomes.

Placements are explained in the Placement Handbook. You must read the Handbook prior to engaging in placement learning, and you must complete a Workplace Checklist, and a Pre-placement Form for your supervisor, which identifies placement aims, and a workplace contact (who is likely to be a health care professional, who is available to support you when working on placement). Your supervisor will make one initial visit to the placement venue, and at least one additional visit during the placement, arranged at a time convenient to you and to your workplace contact.

Workplace contacts will receive a Workplace Contact Placement Booklet, outlining placement aims and learning outcomes, which will induct them on to the programme. The role of the Workplace Contact is to provide general support throughout placement learning. They will not be involved in assessment and training (which is the responsibility of the Staffordshire University supervisor).

Academic Gruop Leaders for Psychology Department

Dr Emily Buckley

Judy David

Directors of Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology

Professor David Clark-Carter

Dr Rachel Povey

Other Health Psychology Staff

Dr Emily Buckley

Professor Sarah Grogan

Dr Clio Spanou

PsychologyTechnicians

Paul Gallimore

Saila Khan

Kathryn Booth

Departmental Award Administrators

Karen Simpson

Anne-Marie Thorley-Walchester

Clerical Assisitant 

Victoria Rosie

Business Operations Manager

Stephanie Bates

Other Health Psychology Staff

Dr Emily Buckley

Professor Sarah Grogan

Dr Mark Forshaw

Dr Clio Spanou

PsychologyTechnicians

Paul Gallimore

Saila Khan

Kathryn Booth

Departmental Award Administrators

Karen Simpson

Anne-Marie Thorley-Walchester

Administration Manager

Achen Bowers