Further Information & Testimonials

Research and substantial anecdotal evidence indicates that candidates from racially minoritised backgrounds may feel alienated from clinical psychology as a potential career, which may impact on confidence, persistence and performance during the application and interview process. The mentoring scheme aims to ‘level the playing field’ for high-calibre racially minoritised psychology undergraduates and recent graduates in London, in terms of pursuing a career in clinical psychology. 

The primary aim of the scheme is for mentees to have the opportunity to develop relationships with both trainee and qualified clinical psychologists. Mentors can be from any ethnic background themselves and there is evidence that cross-ethnicity mentoring relationships can have substantial benefits for majority ethnicity mentors, as well as for mentees. 

It is hoped that the scheme will help mentees to decide whether they would like to pursue a career in clinical psychology, and that mentors will help to guide, support and encourage mentees in their chosen career. 

Interested undergraduates and graduates can sign up by emailing the address on the front of this brochure, in order to register their interest. They will then be asked to complete a Google form registration to be considered for the scheme. In order to be eligible for the scheme, applicants must be based in the London region and come from an ethnic group that is under-represented in the profession, in relation to the populations we serve in London.

Please note: due to the large number of aspiring psychologists we have signing-up to the scheme each year, we cannot guarantee a place to everyone. We take time to look at each registration, prioritising people who may have more barriers to the profession and meet the inclusion criteria. Everyone will be notified by the summer if they have a place on the scheme. Due to the number of qualified and trainee mentors, some mentees may have two trainee mentors instead of one qualified mentor, as we usually have a larger number of trainees offering their time to mentor.

All eligible participants are offered the opportunity to attend a small-group online workshop, facilitated by trainees from across the London area training courses. These workshops take place in August.  All those who attend a workshop are subsequently matched with a 1:1 trainee mentor and/or a qualified psychologist from the region. This matching takes place in early September. Termly, optional webinars are offered for mentees and mentors.

It is felt that trainees and qualified psychologists are able to offer differing perspectives, input and experience to mentees. 

Trainee mentors:

The purpose of the workshops and 1:1/paired mentoring is:

• To help mentees consider a range of relevant routes into training
• To help mentees to reflect on their experiences to date (clinical, academic and research experience and, if helpful to the mentee, experiences related to minorized identities) and consider how they might talk about them in applications and interviews
• To share experiences of being on a training course
• To guide mentees to relevant documents and resources
• To provide encouragement and advice for mentees about obtaining relevant experience and making a successful application for clinical psychology training

• To help build mentees’ confidence

   

Qualified mentors:

The purpose of mentorship is to provide contact with qualified clinical psychologists who might act as advisors or mentors in encouraging and advising mentees towards obtaining relevant experience and making a successful application for clinical psychology training

Topics typically discussed include: Experience (clinical, academic and research experience and, if helpful to the mentee, experiences related to minorized identities), ambitions and interests; possible pathways into clinical psychology; gaps in experience; the various roles of a clinical psychologist; current issues in the NHS and for the profession; navigating the application process, form and interview; support with linking theory and practice and understanding different models of mental health; discussion of alternative career paths where relevant.

Sometimes it is possible for qualified mentors to provide work exposure or experience, including:

• Exposure to the work of clinical psychology and the NHS and contact with clinical psychologists and NHS staff which might help students decide whether they would want to try and pursue a career in clinical psychology
• Exposure to psychological-related work of different kinds in settings which might facilitate mentees in later successful application for more substantive “relevant experience” (e.g. as an assistant psychologist) 

The work exposure/experience outlined above is not a requirement of mentors.

A minimum expectation of all trainee and qualified mentors is to offer mentees three to four meetings over a six to twelve month period.  These “meetings” can take place in person, over the phone, via video or email.  Mentees are expected to actively pursue the opportunities offered to them, and mentors should not feel that they should have to “chase” mentees who are not engaging with the scheme.

In addition to mentoring meetings, some qualified mentors will be able to offer work exposure and experience of a variety of different kinds within their departments. This is not a requirement of the scheme and, if offered, is only appropriate for mentees who are seeking it. If exposure/experience has been offered by mentors, it will be stated in the email in which mentors are introduced to mentees. One-off opportunities to observe a case discussion or care planning meeting can be as useful for some as substantial work placement experiences lasting a year. The kinds of work exposure/experience opportunities offered, whether as one-off experiences or as part of a work experience “placement”, will depend on different work settings and the skill level of mentees. Examples are:

• Attendance at multidisciplinary team reviews/discussions
• Attendance at case discussions
• Meeting staff and trainees from other health professions
• Visiting other teams and services
• Observation of psychometric assessments
• Observation of clinical work of different kinds
• Participation in group sessions, including planning of groups and support of group members in inpatient settings
• Specific structured assessment, clinical observation and/or treatment work under close supervision
• Involvement in audit and research projects, collecting and analysing data
• Garnering service-related feedback from service users 

• It may not be appropriate to ask mentors to provide a reference for mentees due to the nature of the relationship being mentoring.

   

Please note: Mentees can vary in where they are on their career path, some still studying at university whilst other may be further along. This is important to consider to manage expectations for both mentees and mentors. For example, some mentors may not be sure how much they can help a mentee who is a student. However, mentors can still offer support, which will be different based on what the needs are of the mentee. This can be discussed with the scheme co-ordinators 1:1 or during the optional webinars during the year.