Clinical Associate in Psychology

On a clinical associate in psychology apprenticeship course, you will help offer top-notch psychological interventions grounded in solid evidence. These interventions use specialised psychological measurement and assessment tools to serve diverse populations of varying ages, backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. Unlike HCPC registered practitioner psychologists, they primarily focus on specific people, resulting in a more defined set of activities.

What you’ll learn

On a clinical associate in psychology apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Comprehend the British Psychological Society (BPS) Professional Code of Conduct and local and national policies and procedures delineating the scope of one’s professional practice.
• Grasp the process of evaluating professional boundaries and capacity, recognising when to seek appropriate supervision or advice, and knowing whom to refer to to ensure the highest standard of care.
• Acquire an understanding of the principles behind clinical supervision, appreciating its role in providing a secure and supportive environment for self-reflection, evaluation, and discussion of personal and professional reactions to work-related matters.
• Gain insight into the principles governing the handling of confidential information, including the knowledge of how and when to share such information for legitimate professional purposes, exclusively with authorised individuals, and with proper consent as required.
• Familiarise oneself with the methods for staying up-to-date on contemporary evidence-based practices through appropriate avenues of continuous professional development.
• Recognise and acknowledge the professional obligation to confront and report discriminatory behaviour.
• Acknowledge the responsibility for adhering to and upholding information governance policies at both the local and national levels.
• Appreciate maintaining accurate clinical records understanding the importance of dating, timing, and signing all entries in clinical and practice records.
• Be well-informed about the organisational policies and practices concerning incident reporting.
• Comprehend the appropriate protocols for communicating confidential information.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• A degree in a relevant subject

Assessment methods

The programme is assessed in various ways before completing the End Point Assessment including demonstration of practice and professional discussion underpinned by portfolio.

Restrictions and requirements

• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment.

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion