CPD Doctorate in Educational Psychology Alumni

Dr Rebecca Ashton's profile (DEdPsy 2016)

What is your current role?
During the 4 years of the programme I held the following roles:

• Educational Psychologist at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
• Principal Educational Psychologist at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
• Educational Psychologist in Paediatric Neuropsychology at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
• Senior Educational Psychologist at CPA Ltd
• Educational Neuropsychologist at Recolo Ltd

I am currently still at Recolo alongside being a self-employed Educational Psychologist as part of the Link Psychology Co-operative.

What did you find particularly useful about the CPD Doctorate in Educational Psychology programme at UCL?
The taught sessions were very useful in extending my knowledge and understanding of research issues, both philosophical and practical. While I don't think the "Doctor" title is making any difference to my work as a practising psychologist, in fact I rarely use it, I think that the experiences from the course have given me skills such as systematic literature review which are very helpful in the work I do. I appreciated being part of a cohort of other working EPs, who were inspiring and supportive through the course. Tutors and fellow students from the course have become valuable friends and colleagues in my professional network. On a personal level, successfully completing the Doctorate with all its challenges has taught me that setbacks and failures really can be learning opportunities: an experiential way to understand growth mindset!

How has doing the DEdPsy at UCL developed your CPD / career?
When I started the DEdPsy I had been in the same job for the 9 years since I qualified as an EP. On reflection since graduating, I think the course has been instrumental in helping me to find the confidence to try new work options which I am enjoying immensely. Having the Doctorate also opens up career options for the future, such as academic posts, and it can be used to meet the research requirement for the BPS Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology.

To look at other DEdPsy alumni profiles, please click here