Diploma Theoretical & Practical Clinical Neuropsychology
Overview
This diploma intends to deliver teaching and support that provides both the knowledge and practice competencies required for entry on to the Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN). As this is the first year we are offering this course, it is awaiting BPS accreditation. This diploma is similar to our MSc in Clinical Neuropsychology, however it is designed to allow you to bring forward learning and case experience from your DClinPsy in order to streamline the post-doctoral training required to develop both knowledge and practice competencies. While the MSc is open to all applicants with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, the Diploma is intended for applicants with a Doctorate from specific universities with which we are collaborating. For collaborating universities, we have ensured elements of their syllabus for Neuropsychology cohere with our taught content, and, on this basis, students on the Diploma are exempted from taking one unit of taught content that we would otherwise deliver.
Knowledge competencies are delivered through teaching and around 80% of this taught content is delivered by clinicians practicing in the NHS. You will learn about a range of neuropsychological disorders and pathologies as well as focusing on principles of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation.
Alongside taught content relating to the adult knowledge competencies, this diploma also provides support as you develop your practical experience and competencies in Clinical Neuropsychology. In order to accrue relevant clinical experience, it is your responsibility to secure paid employment within a Neuropsychology service during your enrolment on the diploma. It is also your responsibility to secure supervision for your work when enrolled on the course. However, we provide additional oversight and support towards developing your case portfolio and ensuring your clinical experience demonstrates the required competencies for entry to the SRCN. This support includes discussion of case formats and patient cases, and help in managing supervisions. This support is provided by clinicians with experience of conducting portfolio vivas for the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN).
Entry requirements
You must possess a doctorate in clinical psychology (DClin) and also be registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. This degree is normally run in conjunction with prior agreements between University of Bristol and selected UK DClin programmes. Currently collaborating DClin programmes include:
Newcastle, Staffordshire, Bath, Cardiff, UCL, East Anglia, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Plymouth, Southampton and Surrey.
In order to meet BPS accreditation requirements, applicants must pass an online entrance assessment set by the University of Bristol and must also submit a 2,000-word essay (on a prescribed topic), which must also be passed. The pass mark for the online assessment and essay is 50 per cent. The combined mark determines whether a candidate has passed the entrance requirements, with the essay weighted 34 per cent and the online assessment 66 per cent of the final mark.
Applicants must be able to provide evidence of a minimum of six months practice experience primarily supervised by a registered clinical neuropsychologist, and documentary evidence from this period (e.g. specific submitted case report).
In some circumstances, and by exception, individual applicants may apply and demonstrate requisite background knowledge via alternative routes or private study, e.g. via previous formal training in neuropsychology. Such applicants would need to sit the entrance exam. Please contact us if you wish to enquire about this independent route.
Applications
If you are interested in pursuing this route, the first step is to submit an Expression of Interest form - Expression of Interest (2020) (Office document, 71kB) - to our admissions team (psychology-pg-admissions@bristol.ac.uk).
Alongside the form, please submit a brief personal statement (200 words) detailing your interest in the course. The form includes a check-form to indicate the extent of your current practice experience and also requires partial completion and a signature from your current/previous DClinPsy course director.
By indicating the institution at which you are taking your DClinPsy, we can ascertain what elements of our exempted unit have been or will be covered by the teaching you received. This allows us to direct you to appropriate training materials from our archive, if necessary. You are asked to indicate your intended start date for study at Bristol. This is not binding, but it is useful for us in terms of managing intake. Note we have two start dates in any year: September and January.
Once we have processed your application, you will be given access to the training materials located on our online teaching system and invited to submit a formal application through the University of Bristol website. You need not proceed immediately with formal application, and you are able to utilise our teaching materials alongside progressing with your DClinPsy until you wish to submit a formal application and sit our entrance exams.
Online lectures & tutorials
All lectures are streamed live on the internet and recorded for you to replay at any point. Candidates are encouraged to attend Bristol for four one-week teaching weeks that are spread across the duration of the course (two weeks a year if taken part-time). Otherwise, weekly lectures are delivered online and candidates can take the course from home (or work). Lectures during teaching weeks are recorded and made available to replay. Assessments are conducted online and occur twice a year in the January assessment period and the Summer assessment period. See the key dates of the University website for details.
All tutorials related to the practice dimension are delivered over the internet and the course can be taken remotely.
Part-time study
This diploma can be taken full-time as a one year course but is best taken part-time over 2 years depending on the intensity of your post-qualification neuropsychology practice. Further extensions may be applied for if the candidate requires greater time to complete the course. Please note that there are two entry points for the programme each year: September and January.
Course structure, units and assessment
The diploma consists of five taught units (total of 90 credits) and a 40-credit 'Clinical Practice Portfolio' unit that is designed to meet practice requirements for entry to the SRCN. A brief overview to each unit and its assessment requirements can be found in the dropdown list below, but please visit our programme catalogue for full details of the unit content.
Functional Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience Methods and Issues in Neuropsychology (30 credits)
This unit covers two core areas.
Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods reviews the functional neuroanatomy of the human brain, and thus provides an absolute core set of knowledge for Neuropsychology. This learning is coupled with a comprehensive review of the major techniques and methods employed to study the human brain.
This is taught via weekly 2-hour lectures over the course of one academic term (Sept-Dec).
Assessment of this area is via one 2-hour exam (January exam period). This contributes 34% of the total unit mark.
Issues in Neuropsychology delivers an understanding of the psychological and neuropsychological impact of living with a neurological disease or disability. The unit will therefore help students understand the common themes of grief, adjustment, depression, anxiety, disability and coping as they pertain to specific neurological diseases and acquired brain injury. Students will also be helped to understand rehabilitation and psychological treatment options across different conditions and at different stages of chronic diseases
This is taught via a teaching week (Mon-Thurs).
Assessment of this area is via one 3-hour exam (January exam period). This contributes 66% of the total unit mark.
Theoretical and Clinical Neuropsychology (20 credits)
This unit covers two areas.
Theoretical Neuropsychology focuses upon key theoretical issues within Neuropsychology. This involves an overview of theories concerned with the cerebral bases of key cognitive, affective and psychomotor processes. This provides an understanding of issues that are at the frontiers of contemporary research and theory.
This is taught via weekly 2-hour lectures over the course of one academic term (Jan-April).
Assessment of this area is via a 2000-word essay (due at the end of the Jan-April teaching block). This contributes 100% of the total unit mark.
Clinical Neuropsychology in Practice provides students with a detailed understanding of a diverse range of issues connected to clinical neuropsychology in practice. Lectures are delivered by experts in a range of allied medical specialities, and students will explore how these various related disciplines interface with the role of a clinical neuropsychologist in a day to day medical context
This is taught via a teaching week (Mon-Thurs).
There is no formal assessment of this area, but attendance is mandatory.
Development and Rehabilitation (20 credits)
This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of the effects of brain damage/disease across the life span. Students will develop an understanding of the principles of biological recovery from brain damage and will experience critical analysis of evidence concerning methods of rehabilitation for acquired neuropsychological disabilities caused by neurological disease / brain damage.
This is taught via a teaching week (Mon-Thurs).
Assessment is via one 3-hour exam (Summer exam period). This contributes 100% of the total unit mark.
Evidence Based Neuropsychology (10 credits)
In this unit, candidates are asked to explore important published papers and engage in critical analysis of scientific research related to aspects of Neuropsychology. Each critical discussion will be preceded by a peer-delivered presentation which provides a critical summary of a particular paper. Students are expected to engage in constructive debate of papers.
Presentations and discussions occur across the academic year.
Assessment is provided on the presentation (30 minutes). This contributes 100% of the total unit mark.
Case Study (10 credits)
This is a peer-based unit on which all candidates must select one of their own cases (from clinical practice) in order to submit an assessed case report and deliver a presentation of that case. During this unit, you will attend cases delivered by other candidates as well as your own presentation, and you are expected to make contributions to discussion of other candidates’ cases.
Presentations and discussions occur across the academic year.
Assessment is via a 3000-word submitted case report, although the case presentation (30 minutes) is marked pass/fail and should be passed. The written case report constitutes 100% of the total unit mark.
Clinical Practice Portfolio (40 credits)
This unit aims to prepare and advise you on the appropriate construction of your clinical portfolio and prepare you for the demands of a viva.
The unit culminates in submission of a Clinical Practice Portfolio meeting BPS requirements and which includes:
(a) A Case Log Summary covering the required period of supervised clinical practice, in the format given in the separate booklet of forms.
(b) Case Log Record Sheets for a representative sample of cases undertaken during the period of supervised clinical practice, with each signed and dated by both yourself and your Supervisor.
(c) A Supervision Log, giving date and duration of each supervision, signed by yourself and your Supervisor. This should log a minimum of 60 hours supervision.
(d) 6 clinical cases described within 6 x 4000 word (max) case reports in the format of the QiCN outlined in BPS regulations.
One of your 6 clinical cases will be based on adding a 1000-word critical update/reflection to the 3000-word case report submitted as part of the Case study unit.
Two of your 6 clinical cases will be based on adding a 1000-word critical update/reflection to each of the two case reports submitted as part of your DClinPsy placements that you will bring forward.
Assessment is by a viva that will assess all aspects of your portfolio as well as your performance in the viva itself.
Fees
Please see our prospectus for the latest information regarding fees.
Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships that are available for postgraduate study at Bristol, and these include UK, EU and international students. More information about scholarships can be found on the University of Bristol's funding web page, and there is also information specific to each country. The Student Funding Office has further information about funding postgraduate study.
Workload
Full-time
For the taught knowledge component, full-time study is associated with four teaching weeks in one year and two 2-hour lectures (available to watch online) per week during term-time. Two teaching weeks occur between September & the end of December and the other two teaching weeks occur between January and the end of April.
Part-time
For the taught knowledge component, part-time study is associated with two teaching weeks in one year and one 2-hour lecture (available to watch online) per week during term-time. Each year, one teaching week will occur between September & the end of December and the other teaching week will occur between January and the end of April.
Backdating prior practice experience
To demonstrate practical competency, you need to provide evidence of two years of supervised clinical practice relevant to Clinical Neuropsychology.
Up to 12 months of Clinical Experience from DClinPsy placements can be recognised. You will need to demonstrate satisfactory competence development throughout this period. This will require (i) submission of up to 2 clinical case reports (2 cases required as a minimum for any period more than 9 months backdated experience) and (ii) submission of clinical experience logs (iii) submission of supervision logs for the whole period of backdated experience. All of these elements must be completed and submitted to a satisfactory standard within the first phase of the Certificate course (within 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time).
