Stage 1 & Stage 2 Training
Information for Stage Two Supervisors can be found here.
Information for trainees:
STAGE 1 TRAINING
To fulfil the requirements for Stage 1 training, it is necessary either:
-
to successfully complete a BPS accredited MSc in Health Psychology (Stage 1) course with at least 80% attendance
OR -
to pass the Stage 1 Qualification.
- MSc Courses in Health Psychology
There are now a number of MSc Health Psychology Courses which have been accredited by the British Psychological Society to fulfil the Stage 1 of training. For more details of courses which are currently accredited, please see the British Psychological Society website section on Accredited Psychology Courses .
- Stage 1 Qualification
The Society's Stage 1 Qualification in Health Psychology essentially consists of written examination papers and the submission of research work which will assess the individuals' knowledge and skills in health psychology to the standard required in order to pass a Society accredited MSc in Health Psychology. The Official Regulations for the Stage 1 Qualification in Health Psychology can be obtained here .
STAGE 2 TRAINING
To fulfil the requirements for Stage 2 training, it is necessary either:
-
to complete successfully a BPS accredited Stage 2 Programme in Health Psychology (university route)
OR -
to pass the British Psychological Society's Stage 2 Examination (BPS route)
- Stage 2 Programmes: University Route
Stage 2 programmes are gradually being developed throughout the United Kingdom, and there are now several Stage 2 Health Psychology courses which are currently accredited by the British Psychological Society. For more details of courses which are currently accredited, please see the British Psychological Society website section on Accredited Psychology Courses .
- Stage 2 Examination: BPS Route
This qualification assesses candidates on the range of competences which have been defined for health psychologists. Candidates will be expected to submit a portfolio containing a variety of evidence of their competence. Click here to go to the BPS website where you can download the official Regulations for Stage 2 qualification in Health Psychology. Full-time PhD students who enrol on the BPS Stage 2 route can apply for a 50% reduction in fees.
Stage 2 Training Information
Getting started…
Read the regulations paying particular attention to the evidence requirements for each competence. Note that for the consultancy and teacher & training competencies you are required to provide evidence of competence from working with at least 2 different populations (eg for the teaching and training competence these population could be postgraduate students and health professionals). To help you translate the regulations into workable supervision plans I have provided 5 examples of anonymised supervision plans (supervision plan 1, supervision plan 2, supervision plan 3, supervision plan 4, supervision plan 5 ) that have been approved by the Board of Assessors in Health Psychology. Please note that these are for illustrative purposes only. As our discipline chnages, so do the subtleties of our requirements. Always check with the Chief Supervisor if in any doubt about your plan.
Finding a supervisor…
Supervisors for Stage 2 training in Health Psychology have all been approved by the Board of Assessors in Health Psychology and attended at least one supervisors training workshop. You can download names and addresses of approved supervisors from the BPS website and you are encouraged to contact them directly to discuss your plans. If you do not want to contact the supervisor directly or are unclear who to approach for your particular training interests then please contact me (m.j.forshaw@staffs.ac.uk ) for advice. For instance, it may be that you are already working on a project as a research assistant or PhD student and your project supervisor is not a chartered health psychologist. In these situations your project supervisor can be included on the supervision plan as a workplace contact/adviser and therefore have an input into your Stage 2 training programme.
Finding a project/area of work…
It is anticipated that most Stage 2 trainees will be employed within a health related job that provides easy access to the populations of interest. In these situations your job description will probably inform the area of work that is best for you. However, there are other scenarios where you may have access to populations out of your area of work. In either case you are strongly encouraged to make contact with a potential supervisor to discuss your options or to contact me.
Putting together a supervision plan…
At this stage of the process, it is expected that you have identified a supervisor who has agreed to work with you. You should then be in a position to start formulating a supervision plan using the area(s) of work and populations that are available to you. You and your supervisor can contact me at any time for advice prior to formal submission of the plan to the Board of Assessors in Health Psychology. However, once formally submitted, the decision to approve the supervision plan is collective with the Board of Assessors.
I hope that this information will be of use to you and get you started on the road to becoming a Chartered Health Psychologist. Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you.
Mark Forshaw, Chief Supervisor & Registrar,
Board of Assessors in Health Psychology
Updated 08/04/2008