Postgraduate Certificate in Supervision Skills for Evidence-based Psychological approaches for Children & Young People

About the programme

This programme is designed for supervisors of students on the Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programmes in Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies for Children and Young People.  These include: CBT, Parent Training for Conduct Disorders, Systemic Family Practice, Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), CYP Wellbeing Practitioner (CYWP) and Learning Disability & Autism pathways.

This 60 credit M-Level Postgraduate Certificate training programme is for experienced clinicians already working and supervising in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).  Overall, the programme will take 9-12 months to complete. This is to allow for the completion of the academic work. The programme is validated by the University of Manchester.

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Programme Aims

The aims of this programme accord with the Department of Health’s Children and Young People’s (CYP) Psychological Trainings project. They are (1) to develop competency in supervising within CYP Psychological Training in the evidence-based interventions set out by the Department of Health in the CYP Psychological Trainings treatment curriculum, (2) to have critical knowledge of the theoretical, research and implementation literature that underpins supervision, (3) to enable supervisors to develop sustainable skills in supervising in order to drive the ongoing development of quality driven, outcomes informed services.

The specific aims are to:

Understand the aims, objectives and structure of the CYP Psychological Trainings programme

Understand the importance of supervision as a key clinical activity within the CYP Psychological Trainings project

Be aware of the models of supervision applied within CYP Psychological Trainings project services

Be able to describe the supervision competences outlined by Roth & Pilling (2007), published at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/clinical-educational-and-health-psychology/research-groups/core/competence-frameworks-8 

Demonstrate practical understanding in the application of clinical supervision competences

The programme aims to develop supervisors’ competencies in the following areas:

  • Understanding of the principles of supervision
  • The ability to promote psychological knowledge in supervision
  • The use of routine outcome data in supervision
  • The facilitation of therapeutic processes in supervision
  • The delivery of modality-specific supervision
  • Facilitation of the development of prevention protocols including therapeutic blueprints

Who Can Apply

You cannot apply directly to the training centre for this course.

Eligible applicants will be working within the Northwest CYP Psychological Trainings Collaborative. Recruitment is a joint process with collaborative partners. 

Applicants will predominantly be qualified and accredited members of the main mental health professions (Mental Health Social Workers, Mental Health Nurses, Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Family Therapists, Counsellors, etc.) or soon to be accredited professional groups such as Psychological Practitioners (i.e. CYWPs and EMHPs). Applicants are also required to hold qualifications in the therapeutic modality which they wish to supervise.

Successful candidates will be experienced clinicians already working and supervising in NHS-based or non-NHS CAMHS teams.

North West Collaborative

The Northwest CYP Psychological Trainings Collaborative is a partnership between The University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust and over 70 providers and commissioning bodies of children and young people’s mental health services across NHS, Local Authority and Voluntary sectors working in the Northwest, Yorkshire and West Midlands.

It’s one of five Learning Collaboratives across England that are part of the CYP Psychological Trainings country-wide transformation programme. The collaborative seeks to improve services through better evidence based practice, better collaborative practice, authentic participation and better use of feedback and clinical outcomes across all services.

Training Component

The curriculum will be delivered using a mixed format of didactic teaching and experiential / reflective sessions. Currently this involves a combination of face-to-face and on-line teaching sessions. Students will develop CYP Psychological Trainings specific supervisory skills with the support of the programme leads, experts and their own peers.

The programme will have up to 20 formal teaching days depending on the therapeutic modality being supervised. In addition, there may be opportunities to attend model specific training alongside the students on the Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate therapy programmes. More information about these opportunities will be provided by the organisational lead for your therapeutic model.

Supervision trainees will undertake four 15-credit units, with the following associated assignments:

  • Supervision Theory - essay
  • Supervision Practice – video of supervision practice
  • Supervision Ethics – group-based reflection task
  • Supervision Personal and Professional Development – written reflective piece

Finally, trainees will compile a portfolio evidencing their development as a supervisor.

How to Apply

You cannot apply directly to the training centre for this course.

Speak to your local CYP Psychological Trainings Lead in the first instance if you wish to apply. If you do not know who this is, please speak to your service manager. You will need their support before applying.

 

As part of an annual process services typically request training places in May. If successful, services are then asked to nominate candidates by submitting applications forms in August. Completed application forms with the relevant approvals should be sent to the CYP Psychological Trainings Lead. They then send them on to the Training Centre. Applications must be financed either with service/ICB approval if they are funding the course, or with a confirmed NHS England associated supervision place (confirmed by the CYP Psychological Trainings Lead). Applicants are invited to interview through the early autumn in preparation for the course starting in November. Note this start date does not align with therapeutic courses, so please plan accordingly.

Applications sent directly to the training centre by the applicant will not be accepted.

Contact Us

If you have any queries regarding this course not covered in the information detailed in any of the sections above or in the FAQ section of this website, please email the programme lead Ian Rushton: Ian.Rushton@gmmh.nhs.uk   

In the Subject Line please ensure you put the name of the course you are enquiring about. 

We are happy to answer questions related to the course itself, but unfortunately are unable to provide any general career advice.

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