Through the Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP) trainees forum, I often see fellow trainees struggling to get on the first rung of the ladder for Stage 2 and that is accessing an appropriate supervisor. As trainees we need to understand something about the forensic psychology arena so as to understand the difficulties that can arise in accessing appropriate supervision.
My experience so far, from speaking to other trainees and through my experience of securing a supervisor is that forensic psychology is currently underfunded and overworked which is leading to a bottle neck in the training process. Students are completing their masters only to find there are very few trainee forensic psychology posts available in the prison service and NHS and these are in high demand. What all this amounts to is that there is less money to take on trainees so instead assistant psychologists roles are preferred. Chartered forensic psychologists have high case loads and without the trainees to support them, they are left with very little time to supervise Stage 2 training. Therefore, as expected, students completing their masters are working elsewhere, trying to gain experience and secure a supervisor independently.
To secure a supervisor can be a lengthy process but do not be disheartended, there will be a supervisor out there for you. Whilst some chartered forensic psychologists do not take on independent trainees as they feel we are unable to get the experience, many others see the benefits of having independent trainees not as an extra source of income but as essential to the development of the wider forensic psychology arena.
The first place to start when looking for a supervisor would be to contact Alex Johnson at the DFP (see bottom of page for website link). Alex has a list of current supervisors and their contact details so that you can start canvassing for supervision. The only thing the list doesn't provide is information on whether the supervisors have any current availability.
I went the long way round to finding a supervisor and instead searched the British Psychological Society (BPS) website for all the chartered forensic psychologists in the London area where I am based. I also made sure to note what areas they had experience in and where they worked as it helps to have a supervisor who holds the same interests in forensic psychology as you do, for example, if you do not agree with the prison system and do not want to work in that setting, you want to look for a supervisor who perhaps has experience of secure units, police or community work. Furthermore, if your interest is in the courts and eye witness testimony etc, you may find a supervisor who has only worked with offending behaviour and mental health more difficult to work with. On the other hand, a good supervisor may be able to support you despite your differences in interests.
Trying to secure a supervisor is very similar to sending your CV out for a job. You have to sell yourself. It can take some time between securing a supervisor and finishing your masters and supervisors will want to know what you have been doing in the mean time to keep your skills sharp, to gain experience and to continue your professional development. This is where volunteering and placements can come in really handy and if you need help in organising and logging your continued professional development (CPD) then the BPS have a great CPD site on their main website which allows you to keep a record of your CPD, your learning and your reflections. In subsequent articles I will talk more about volunteering and placements but for now, let's stick to supervision.
It can be hard to know what it is supervisors are looking for in order to sell yourself to them. To help with this dilemma i asked my supervisor what she looks for and what she thinks other supervisors look for in a trainee. To summarise her view, she feels supervisors are looking for people who are motivated and able to work independently as the supervisors are there to advise and guide and you will be doing the work for yourself. You will need to demonstrate a high level of organisation so that a supervisor can be certain that you are capable of working in this capacity. Of course a variety of experience is also helpful even if it is voluntary work. As with any job or placement, showing that you are mature and professional in your approach to securing a supervisor can also help so a CV and cover letter stating your intention for supervision, what stage your are at with your CPD and training and where you want to go in the future are a must.
It is with supervision that the independent route has a short fall. Unless your workplace will fund this training, you will have to fund supervision yourself. Supervisors costs vary but are usually between £50 - £100 an hour and half again for marking working that you send to them. Ok, deep breath, don't panic. You only need to see your supervisor for 4 hours a month once you are enrolled on Stage 2, it can take up to a year to do all the preparation and have your application completed and approved and you won't need to see your supervisor for 4 hours a month during that time. Once you are enrolled thats when you must see a supervisor for 4 hours a month however this can include a designated supervisor who is overseeing your examplar work at your placement or in your workplace. So for example, if you are doing a placement with a college for one of your exemplars then someone has to be named your designated supervisor and you can see this person for 3 out of the 4 supervision hours a month, saving you a bit of money. A word of caution, your coordinating supervisor is there to make sure that your work is up to standard and to ensure that you are practising appropriately therefore if they feel at any point that you are struggling then you will need to see them more often. This isn't a bad thing and can only help to improve your practice and the likelihood of passing your exemplars first time.
I hope this article has been helpful to you. If you have any questions about the Stage 2 process and any questions about supervision then you can access the DFP website through a link at the bottom of this blog. You can also find Alex's details to email her any questions you have. If you have any questions about my experience of supervision then feel free to leave any comments or email me.
Until next time......
It really is inappropriate to have to pay out this amount of money for stage 2. It just means only wealthy people or those with a partner or living at home can apply. This will result in the profession not being able to reflect the backgrounds of people they are working with. I have already seen this happening with horrendous results i.e. things being misinterpreted as strange disorders because the psychologist doesn't understand the person's background or what they are up against. The BPS needs to ensure they aren't accused of inequality and being discriminatory through the back door. When trainees have already shelled out £30,000 for a degree then another £10000 for a Masters then the BPS need to seriously consider the stress they are putting students through. Its disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteAgree with the above comment. I was looking into forensic psychology as a career option because its really appealing to me but looking at all the hardship and stress, and reduced amount of jobs available, its really putting me off thinking about it. Is there any sort of route or jobs you could go onto with a masters in forensic psychology?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I do agree with the points made and it was partly this that led me to writing the blog.
ReplyDeleteHumi, with a Forensic Psychology Masters there are lots of jobs you can apply for within the criminal justice system. There isn't space here to go into all of them but some examples would be key workers for substance misuse in hostels, CRI and DIP team workers for substance misuse in police and probation services, psych assistant posts and health worker and support workers. There are opportunities out there if you look hard enough and you never know, some of these might be willing to help support your Stage 2.
Hi Ciara,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your blog it has brought some things to light.
I am currently doing my MSc in Forensic Psychology and hoping to start the stage 2 process. I was not aware that we would have to pay to be supervised. I am not entirely sure what my interests are at the moment I am interested in most of the areas such as sexual violence, domestic violence, murder either with the victims or perpetrators in prisons or in courts. I feel as though there is so much to choose from ideally I would like to try a few of the fields to discover my passion would that be possible with stage 2? I currently work as a support worker in a mental health unit in your experience would it be difficult to find a post in forensic mental health?
Hi Anonymous, in answer to your comment, you would only need to pay to be supervised if you are chartering independently and unable to find a role as a Trainee Forensic Psychologist. And its great that you have lots of areas of interest, the more fields you can gain experience in the better and you will need that breadth of experience to charter. I don't think it will be difficult to find a post in Forensic mental health but you may need to be a bit creative and you may need to manage expectations about pay. For example there are hostels that require locum workers and key workers to support offenders with substance misuse and severe mental health problems but the pay is not great. The jobs are there just the job titles and pay might be different to what you expect.
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ReplyDeleteHi Ciara! I see your initial blog post was written in 2012. I've graduated in forensic psychology and then done a MSc in Investigative psychology a sub branch of FP. I'd like to get a trainee post and as you say they are extremely hard to find. What kind of voluntary work experience would you suggest? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteI wish I could give you a definitive answer but my experience in my training so far is to find a statutory organization like the NHS or private hospital that provides services to offenders and see if you can have a placement with them. Failing that volunteering with offender charities will also be useful. I think the key is finding somewhere that will take you on for a voluntary placement and take it seriously. Charities will not always have the resources to do this and may not know enough about the profession to understand why this is important. On the other hand, for a placement in the NHS you would have to be available during the day to work for free at least one day a week.
If you are going to train independently then you need to make sure that anywhere that you volunteer is going to give you the opportunity to complete your exemplars. Charities might fall through and statutory organizations are always happy for free labour but might not always enable you to complete all the competencies you require to charter.
I hope this helps, best of luck
Hi Ciara thanks for your blog. I was just wondering how long you have been enrolled on stage 2? How many core roles have you submitted? I am exploring different options at the moment and interested in the independent route.
DeleteHi there, I have been enrolled since 2012. I haven't submitted anything yet because you have to submit Core Roles as a whole rather than individual exemplars as you complete them. I have completed 2 exemplars and have the other 6 in various stages from starting up to half complete. I hope that helps.
DeleteSo if it takes say 3 years to complete how much would that cost in total with all the supervision costs, enrolment costs etc roughly?
DeleteAlso, when you are between placements do you still have to have supervision once a month for 4 hours?
DeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI'm a Chartered & Registered Forensic Psychologist working in the NHS with high-risk personality disordered offenders. I specialise in the areas of personality disorder, psychopathy, violence and Firesetting. I also undertake independent supervision also with forensic trainees. If requests for a Co-Ordinating supervisor arise I'm more than happy to forward my C.V
Regards
Hi there,
DeleteI was wondering if I could speak to you about supervision for my stage two forensic psychology training?
I would really appreicate it,
kind regards,
Sanah Ilyas
Please can someone answer the above question concerning costs.
ReplyDeleteHow much has the author of this blog spent on Stage 2 ? How much will it cost to complete stage 2 ? From my understanding, 4 hours of supervision a month will be between £200 -£400 per month. That's equivalent to someone's rent or mortgage! Over a year, you would be looking at £2400 - £4800 per year. Over 5 years ( standard amount of time it takes to complete stage 2) £12000 to £22000. Also none of that includes the fees the BPS charges for assessing each submission - around £500 each. ( at least 6 submissions- prob more). I am told the BPS very rarely accept the first submission, so you are basically looking at over £30,000 to complete stage 2. Who has that sort of money?
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteI'm afraid I can't tell you what I have spent so far but I can tell you how I manage to pay for it. I offer private tutoring to undergraduate and A-Level students in order to fund my Stage 2 training. I do this on top of having placements in order to complete my exemplars. Further to this I have a designated supervisor at work which accounts for just under 50% of all my supervision which reduces supervision costs. In order to count, it has to be relevant to an exemplar you are doing and supervision with a designated supervisor can't be more than 50% of your supervision time. I also have an arrangement with my coordinating supervisor whereby I pay her regularly and we keep a log of it but if I am unable to for any reason then we discuss this and make arrangements for me to pay later.
In terms of submissions I save whatever I can each month towards this but I go in with the thought that I want to pass first time. Some people do complete first time. Although I know that this will not always happen, the positive thinking helps to motivate me.
These are some of the things I do, it is of course up to you as to what you are prepared to do.
Best of luck
Now that I have completed I can now answer questions about costs. Over the 6 years 10 months it took me to complete, I spent £18, 081. That's equivalent to £2,583 per year. The DFP annual subscription is £1500 per year and the rest was spent on supervision and additional training which wasn't always available through work.
DeleteThe last two years required less in supervision as much of it was spent writing up work, submitting and resubmitting work so costs can be cut for people who pass first time or who only have to resubmit the once. As well as making use of professional supervision in one's work and just generally being quicker at completing than I was.
I understand the DFP are in consultation at present to change the Stage 2 route so that it cannot take longer than 4-5 years and this should also help to keep costs down.
I also worked overtime and tutored in my spare time in order to afford the qualification. Suffice it to say I am glad that it's over and I can have time to relax with my family.
wow thanks for the information this is new for me,.forensic psychologist is new knowledge to me..
ReplyDeleteHello there. I know the post is old and that people are talking here more in terms of supervision so I apologise for changing subjects but what about the Cardiff route? Has anyone heard about it? what is your opinion on following that instead of BPS route?
ReplyDeleteI there, do you mean the doctorate route? As far as I know the doctorate route has been approved by the BPS but not the Division of Forensic Psychology and it's a bit of a contentious point in the field. There are people of a view (including students on the doctorate) that they finish their course with a doctorate but are less competent overalll than those on the BPS route even though the BPS route only has chartered status not doctoral status. This is because althought the doctorate has placements organised by the university, it misses a whole skills set involved in working in the field and identifying needs in organisations and developing projects and placements from there. On the other hand, the doctoral route is probably the same overall cost but can be completed in a quicker time. I hope that helps.
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