Psychology

[bagandcoat]

If your dc did psychology A-Level, did they enjoy it on the whole?

And if they studied Psychology at uni, did the course meet the expectations and what sort of profession or further study did they go onto?

My daughter did a Psychology degree and a Masters in Criminal Psychology, she is now a specialist investigator for the Police and absolutely loves getting into the minds of criminals and where it leads her

@RampantIvy it seems more work because they are inevitably new to it. It’s not a subject Cambridge have in their “best prep” A level list so it’s not the same as History or the 3 standard sciences. It has its place as a subject you take if you are interested alongside the best prep A levels - if dc is looking for an elite university. Posters whose dc are successful are representing a minority but mn dc are always uber successful!

Psychology isn’t required for any degree, but it provides a good foundation for many. I think if you are aiming for health-related degrees it can be excellent choice alongside physical sciences. It also provides a good foundation for (and insight into the likely skillset needed) for a variety of social science degrees.
If a young person is considering it, I would always suggest they consult past papers and the syllabus online as well as looking at whether it fits with the subject requirements of the degrees they are likely to target. If they are aiming for Cambridge their list is very helpful, if not look at a range of likely unis and their subject requirements.
It suits some, but not others. Like any A level, but particularly subjects not previously studied, doing some investigation is key. Some really enjoy it, others won’t. At A level you want to focus on things you enjoy - getting a realistic feel for the content is key. As it isn’t required, there are plenty of alternative options that can be considered if it doesn’t appeal.

I did English and History and then a conversion course in Psychology (which you have to do if you want to go on to do training to become a chartered psychologist). I LOVED my English degree, and people often asked if I would have taken psychology at undergraduate if I did things again, and the answer was always no. And I went on to absolutely use my psychology degree as a psychologist. Tell her to do what she is most interested in now 😊

I can only answer the first part of your questions if that's any use to you. Both my YPs took Psychology A level. I remember them both saying at the time that it was a lot of facts to memorize and less analytical than the humanities subjects that one of them was taking (the other took sciences). One is now taking a 4 yr Psychology Msci at the university of York, with the intention of going onto a PhD in Clinical Psychology somewhere else - Bath / Hull / Manchester / London KC not sure yet, too early to say.

The consensus in her university cohort is that many of them are looking for roles in Education and some of them are already specializing in educational psychology which seems to genuinely have a much lighter load academically than the straight Psychology BSci. Its generally understood that there's a surplus of roles in the Education field and fewer opportunities in Forensic / criminal / clinical fields.

Interesting, what kind of roles are these for example?

There really are not zillions of Educational Psychologists! I actually preferred the old way of training when they were usually teachers first not just academics via psychology degrees. The former understood a lot more about teaching SEN dc.

I expect if you google "educational psychology - careers" you'll come up with a few of them, at least. Sorry, it's absolutely not my YP's focus, as stated, so I have not explored it at all.

Also, in the clinical realm, there’s Clinical Associate Psychologist, which sits just under Clinical Psychologist. You need a BPS accredited degree and a couple of years experience working in mental health, and then you train via a level 7 masters apprenticeship.

Yes

It seems this thread is focusing mainly on clin psy…
perhaps someone’s child might be interested in the doctorate (NHS funded) in children and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
No need for A level psychology.
I have a BSc in geography - then completed my PGCE to have experience working with children and then applied to the pre-clinical training and went on to do the doctorate. Really rewarding and less competitive than clin psy.
https://childpsychotherapy.org.uk/training-events-0/how-train-child-and-adolescent-psychotherapist

Thank you for posting this. What is the salary range, do you know?

@Placestogo My LA used to sponsor teachers to do this route. Not sure they do now. We had great Education Psychologists via our own school staff.

Info on the ed psych training route in UK is here:
https://www.aep.org.uk/EPFT

It may not be as competitive as clin psy, but it still highly selective. You must have a BPS accredited undergraduate or masters degree.

& general info on being an ed psych. I think young people considering it need to have a good idea of what the role involves. It isn’t always what they think.

https://www.aep.org.uk/interested-career-educational-psychology

@Placestogo don't worry I found it - NHS salary bands:

Trainee/Assistant: £38,682 – £46,580 (Band 6)
Newly Qualified: £49,387 – £54,710 (Band 7)
Senior/Lead Roles: £55,690 – £64,750+ (Band 8a/8b)

The success rate for funded ed psych training is less than 20% in recent years. Young people do succeed, but it again needs determination, academic credentials and relevant experience.

Left field possibly, but is she aware of Psychology, Philosophy & Linguistcs at Oxford? The overlap between linguistics and psychology has for a long time fascinated me.

If Oxford not realistic, other unis offer joint or combined honours that may be of interest.

@Ohwhatabeautifulpudding yes thats correct
i want to say that the ed psy doctorate is a lot harder and somehow is paid less than the children and adolescent doctorate (also they are very very different!!)

@bagandcoatyour DD looks like she would enjoy the psychoanalytic lense. Lots of people have done BSc in literature and philosophy before embarking on the pre-clinical.

I think for this route you have to self fund a pre-clinical masters/diploma prior to doctoral training. It is also psychoanalytic in approach. This is a different option to more general clinical or educational psychology. Again, young people need to research this and choose a pathway that fits with their perspectives and aptitudes. Some will much prefer this approach and pathway, but it won’t be a good fit for others.

Crossed posts - yes they are very different.

Yes definitely- but i feel it was missing on this thread!

Some NHS trust will fund the preclinical and give time for the baby observation module. But you need to be working at Band 4 or 5 already in the NHS and approcah the psychotherapy lead of your service/trustto apply.

otherwise yes it is self funded but you can opt for evenng classes or go to seminars on a part-time basis. Having some life experience is important.

My DD enjoyed it, went on to study SEN Disability and Inclusion, then PGCE and is now a SEND teacher

Yes - I think it is really useful to highlight. I think the doctorate used to be self funded, so I was interested to see you can now get funding for this stage.

The doctorate is fully funded at Band 6. Students on the doctorate also receive up to £10k a year to pay for their personal analysis (so again that is fully funded now)
Only the pre-clinical needs to be self funded but it is a MSc (or PGdip if you already have a MSc) so same as if you were doing a MSc in another field.