Creative Approaches to Training Budding Clinical Psychologists

Abstract

I have taught on many courses over the last 10 years. This article will look at areas I think are worth investing in that will contribute to producing confident well-rounded psychologists. The following subjects will be considered: Personal awareness: A good psychologist needs to be self-aware, to be able to look after oneself at the same time as listening empathically and creatively to clients and colleagues. The role of mindfulness, and finding unpressured ways for trainees to discuss personal narratives, thoughts and feelings, will be discussed. Experiential teaching: Role plays, focusing techniques and relaxation exercises all increase confidence in relating to one's own inner world and the inner world of the client. Spirituality: Spirituality can be defined as the search for meaning, and transcends traditional religious boundaries. How can we give trainees resources for becoming comfortable discussing spirituality in the context of the ‘scientist practitioner’ role? Group work: Group work allows people to learn from peers and brings out strengths that can be invisible in one-to-one work. I will suggest that there needs to a greater emphasis on teaching group work skills and outline what these might be. Service user involvement: Service user involvement needs to be done creatively and include reflective spaces for trainees. Teaching settings can be intimidating. Bringing trainees into the voluntary sector for such training may help. Working within challenging systems: It needs to be openly addressed that taking psychological ideas into medically dominated settings has its challenges. How can trainees negotiate with other models without losing the psychological perspective? Clinical psychology in society: Psychology has a political impact on the life of the community. We should consider how we both support the individual to change and address wider systemic dynamics and encourage the growth of healthier communities.