Practice learning is a central component of our Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology training programme. Health-related settings suitable for placements include: the health system (e.g., as a psychological assistant, assistant psychologist, health education officer, researcher); the community or private sector (e.g., within a school, patient group, community group or private or public company); an academic institution (e.g., research, lecturing); or any other public, private, or voluntary work as deemed appropriate. Well organised practice learning will enable you to gain professional skills and experience in the five core competences required for the Professional Doctorate. For this module you will provide an electronic repository of evidence, demonstrating your progress and reflective practice across the course of the programme.

Practice learning will be provided by your placement provider (workplace contact). You will identify and detail your plans for practice learning in your Learning Plan which will be approved by the Programme External Examiner (at the first Progress Board after you have enrolled on the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology). You will be introduced to practice learning in the Induction Programme and then visited in your placement setting by your University supervisor usually a minimum of three times (at the beginning, middle and end of placement), where you will discuss your placement goals and needs with both your supervisor and workplace contact. Your supervisor will write a report after each of these meetings, summarizing the goals agreed, and commenting on your progress within your placement. Your progress on placement will be monitored by Monthly Reflective Reports which you send your academic supervisor, and Quarterly Reports from your workplace contact, where any concerns about your ability to perform your role on placement, and any absences will be noted. In addition, an Annual Progress Report will be written jointly by you, your Academic Supervisor and your Workplace Contact, describing your progress over the previous year. The sessions you attend on the Professional Doctorate programme will provide you with the learning and context required to help you make the most of your placement, and you will be expected to spend a minimum of one hour per week reflecting on your practice. You will also have support from your Academic Supervisor and module tutors to complete the competences within your placement.

1. Demonstrate that you have sufficient professional experience to practise as an autonomous practitioner health psychologist, including a systematic acquisition and understanding of professional practice. Analysis, Application

2. Reflect on and review professional practice in health psychology, including recognising needs for further development. Reflection

3. Demonstrate the qualities and transferrable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and largely autonomous initiative during complex and unpredictable situations, in professional or equivalent environments. Reflection

Identified and approved workplace contact who has undertaken relevant online training and Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment.

Bolton, G. (2018). Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development (5th Ed.). Sage.

British Psychological Society (2021, Dec21). Code of Ethics and Conduct. https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/bps-code-ethics-and-conduct

Health and Care Professions Council (2016, January 26). Revised Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. http://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics

Michie, S., & Abraham, C. (2004). Health Psychology in Practice. Blackwell.

Practice learning is a central component of our Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology training programme. Well organised practice learning will enable you to gain professional skills and experience in the five core competences required for the Professional Doctorate. For this module you will provide an electronic repository of evidence, demonstrating your progress and reflective practice across the course of the programme.

In the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology, you are required to undertake two years full-time (or part time equivalent) placement learning. This module is an assessment of your practice in your placement setting(s).

In order to pass this module, you are required to provide an electronic repository of evidence including:

• Your approved Learning Plan (or more if multiple placements);
• Monthly Progress Reports;
• Behaviour Change Skills Self-Assessment;
• Quarterly reports from your Supervisor(s) and Workplace Contact;
• Initial, Mid and End of placement visit forms and reports;
• Annual Progress Reports (written by yourself, your workplace contact and by your supervisor);
• Reflective logbook of professional practice maintained over a minimum of two years full-time practice or equivalent. (the logbook entries should be continued up until the date you submit)

Maps to learning outcomes 1-3.