The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast - How to approach the next psychology application season if you're feeling disappointed

Episode Date: June 13, 2022

Show Notes for The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast Episode: 27: How to approach application season if you’re feeling disappointedThank you for listening to the Aspiring Psychologist Podcast. In such a competitive field, many of us receive a “sorry but not this year” at some point in our journey. I hope this episode will guide you on how you can improve your application and psychology CV for the next round to be your year to get onto clinical psychology training!The Highlights: 00:28: Accepting Dclin offer01:51: Being on the reserve list03:08: Reframing the “sorry, but not this year”05:28: Dates for the next compassionate Q&As06:37: Working on your next application form09:36: What experiences they are looking for10:58: Gaps in your CV12:37: Testimonial 13:52: What you can do for next year!16:02: DClin's disruption to life18:07: Thank you and a kind request for a quick review!Links: Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her including the upcoming aspiring psychologist book and the aspiring psychologist membership on her LinkTree: www.linktr.ee/drmariannetrentTo check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0 Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved:If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes. If you'd like to learn how to record and submit your own audio testimonial to be included in future shows head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/podcast and click the blue request info button at the top of the page.

Hi there, it's Marianne here. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to quickly let you know about something exciting that's happening right now. If you've ever wondered how to create income that works for you, rather than constantly trading your time for money, then you'll love the Race to Recurring Revenue Challenge with my business mentor, Lisa Johnson. This challenge is designed to help you build sustainable income streams. And whether you're an aspiring psychologist, a mental health professional, or in a completely different field,

the principles can work for you. There are also wonderful prizes to be won directly by Lisa herself. And if you join the challenge by my link, you can be in with a chance of winning a one-to-one hours coaching with me, Dr. Marianne Trent. Do you want to know more? Of course you do. Head to my link tree, Dr. Marianne Trent, or check out my social media channels, or send me a quick DM and I'll get you all the details. Right, let's get on with today's episode. If you're looking to become a psychologist, then let this be your guide. episode. With Dr. Marianne Trent Hi, welcome along to the Aspiring Psychologist podcast.

Thank you for those of you who had been part of my world within the last application season so I am well aware that this week on the 17th of June is going to be the final date for letting courses know whether you are going to be accepting or declining your offer of a place and so you know come 2 p.m on that date if you haven't let your clinical courses know that you are accepting a place then they may well decide for you that you you don't want that place so you need to make sure that you have let people know via the clearinghouse website if you are indeed applying for the clinical psychology training courses and this will lead to complicated feelings for those who were on waiting lists so it might be that imminently after that date that you do manage to get a place because people

have maybe been trying to to make up their mind which course to pick and by that date they will have needed to let the course know which one they are picking and which one they are not but of course there are only so many places to go around and so it might be that you are learning that you have not been successful in gaining a place this year but of course what we know is if you were offered a reserve list place if you were offered you know that opportunity then they are saying that you were of doctorate standard and they think you would have been a good fit for them and for their course and so there is much to celebrate there although of course I know that this will feel very very difficult you'll be very disappointed and if you weren't successful in getting interviews or perhaps if you did have interviews but you weren't successful in being offered either an outright

place or a reserveless place then it can feel a lot like rejection but actually I think it can be useful to reframe that and to think that they're just saying it's not yet it's a not yet from us but keep trying and it can be possible to get feedback about why you weren't successful so if you weren't successful at the um at the form stage there is often like a tick box um reason why you weren't successful um and that's sent out kind of automatically so that was when it was paper forms but um I would think that you're still able to get feedback about why even electronically from from lots of courses but I know even when I was applying some of the courses didn't have the capacity to offer feedback and so I think it's really it can be useful to know why because it otherwise it just

feels you know deeply personal and not very fair. But knowing that, you know, for example, Birmingham turned me down on both of the times that I applied to them because they thought that my academic experience needed strengthening, then that makes you think, well, OK, all right, well, that gives me a clear direction to be able to focus myself towards and to strive for. Whereas if you're not getting that constructive feedback, then that can be difficult. let's think about what we can do to help you you know optimally prepare for the time between now and September when the course is open for business again so when you can start submitting your

application forms so for those of you who have listened to my compassionate Q&As, both during the application season and during the interview season, you'll be pleased to know that they're coming back. I've got some dates here for you. So I believe the courses will be opening on the 1st of September again. And so just forgive me flicking through my pages as I do this. The first one is currently scheduled for 7.30pm on Thursday, the 1st of September 2022. Usually I do them on Monday, but I thought I'd be there with you on that Thursday. Just to, you know know open the doors enthusiastically for you and then I think we've got some other dates I've penciled in as well we've gone for

Monday the 10th of October at 7 30 p.m and there is a November one I'm sure I penciled a November one in but I can't find it but anyway there will be a November one coming. So you can pop those dates in your diary and know that I will be there for you to answer any questions that you might have about the application cycle as well. So I know it can feel a bit groundhog day, you know, with this relentless cycle, but I would really hope that by the time you submit your form, you know, in November, you might submit it before, you might be ready before. But for me, I wanted every second I could have to work on it I really I really you know when it was my time 2007 I was applying I spent as long as I could really intently focusing on giving my all to that form and making sure that every word counted every word mattered that's the approach that I took the year that I was successful and my forms were very very very different you know I applied three times and was successful the third time but my form at time three could not

have been more different than at time one and at time two it wasn't a successful form and so I started again entirely with my form three and I didn't look at it at all until I was kind of almost finished in case I'd forgotten some golden nugget I hadn't I was just appalled with what I'd written but it demonstrated for me how much change I had undergone you know both personally and professionally and in my levels of confidence at being myself and the way that I think the way I talk about things and just my level of comprehension was vastly different by the time I was successful compared to my previous two attempts and so you know I would hope that your form also looks different if this is not your first rodeo you know if you've if you've been there before

because that wasn't successful so it needs to be unless you know you did get interviews and you were offered places on reserve even then you, we want you to get across the line fully, you know, we don't want you to be having to wait till the bitter end where you might or might not get, you know, a reserveless place. We want you across the line in the first set of interviews, if possible. And that's not, you know you know in any way shape or form saying that reserveless places are less favorable but they certainly feel a little bit easier to swallow and a little bit you know oh god oh good there's less waiting around and the you know you know your outcome quicker so in terms of just having you have the kindest journey

I'd rather you had an outright place because it helps you make choices you know and helps you plan and prepare so that would be my preference for you but if you do get offered a reservist place then that is still obviously absolutely wonderful okay so yeah between now and september i think it can be useful to look at your gaps in your cv or certainly to look at your cv and see what gaps emerge um you know so when we're certainly working with clinical um then you need to you know be demonstrating that you've got some experience across the lifespan across the different areas that you will be working in as a trainee clinical psychologist so that would include children and young people that would include working age adults, that would include older adults, that would include intellectual disabilities. So those kind of four areas, it might include some physical health as well, it might involve

some kind of neuro work, it might involve, you know, physical disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries, or, you know, might involve research you know you may maybe need to look at how many of those competencies you're able to tick off and if you are missing some then it might be that you can just give your mindful attention to trying to plug one of those gaps between now and mid-November because you know the wheels of certainly the NHS and the wheels of you know other organizations don't always turn without resistance and they don't always turn quickly and so if you can recognize those gaps in your CV now then by the time November comes you might well have started to you know to just chip away at any of those gaps or blocks to help you move towards

a position where you are in you know where you're likely to be able to perform optimally on your form and to perform optimally at interview to give you the best chance of being able to achieve what you want, which is a place on this professional training scheme for becoming, maybe not becoming a clinical psychologist, but becoming a qualified psychologist or certainly a trainee psychologist at this stage let's just take a short break here and I will be back along very soon to become a psychologist, then let this be your guide. Filled with lessons and experience that will help you get qualified. So come and take a look. It's right here in this book. It's the Clinical Psychologist Collective. It's the Clinical Psychologist Collective is an encouraging read for anyone considering clinical training.

Reading the stories of people who have followed their unique path into clinical training with ups and downs is immensely encouraging. Thank you Marianne for writing this book and to all who contributed to it. This book is a true blessing and I'm sure it can provide more clarity to anyone considering a career in clinical health and counseling psychology if you're looking to become a psychologist then let this be your guide filled with lessons and experience that will help you get qualified Thank you. What can be useful is to make sure that you are getting quality supervision and guidance. And if you don't have that, or if you feel like you'd welcome some additional support and guidance, a bit more compassion, a bit more direction in certain areas that are key to becoming a successful aspiring psychologist, then do consider joining the Aspiring Psychologist membership. We get lovely reviews and people have said just that it's really really useful for them certainly people who've gained places on training this year

said that they felt that the membership gave them everything they needed to to perform optimally at those interviews so if you feel that you want to really you know supercharge your chances supercharge your confidence then do consider checking out the aspiring psychologist membership but i will always do my best to provide free content for you if that's outside of your current affordability within this podcast and within my Q&As but if you really wanted some more focused and you know you get to talk back to me and I'll talk back to you it's a little less one-sided than a podcast if you wanted to be part of my world do check out the aspiring psychologist membership but if you are feeling disappointed come the 17th of June then you can lean into that you know you don't necessarily need to be cheering

yourself up you know this mattered and you had your hopes set on it and you know you're allowed to be sad you're allowed to lean into that, you don't need people to cheer you up but it's helpful if you have people that get it, that understand just how difficult this is you know because even when you do get training places you know it's not always an easy thing that you're saying you're going to do. So, you know, you may, for example, live in Edinburgh and be offered a place in London and you're prepared to pack up your bags and move your life for at least three years. That's not something that we do without thinking it through thoroughly. People are moving all over the country. Sometimes people are moving without, you know, their children, without their partners. And they're trying to,

you know, they're going to make it work by commuting and, you know, living, living perhaps in Airbnbs or, you know, rented accommodation for work weeks. And this isn't something that people are entering into lightly or, you know, for cheery kicks. This is because they are passionate about pursuing this career in psychology. So, you know, maybe when your time does come, you will get offered a place which causes less disruption to your life. But you might still have disruption to your life but you might still have disruption to your life you know you might purposely be choosing courses that are further away from where you're living now you might want

a fresh start you might want to go and do something new and different or you might recognize that your best you know your best chance of being you know recruited by a course that is aligned to you is really far from where you live currently or that a particular course direction really appeals to you and so you are going to be moving you know countries within the UK or you know maybe from further afield as well and that is a consideration. It's a big change and it's difficult because you're having to put your life on hold. And so if you are in that position, then I'm just sending you so much warmth and compassion. And please do stay part of my world so that we can help further put that compassion into your situation but do bear

in mind the dates that I had given you for the upcoming Q&A sessions between September and November yeah if you would like to rate and review this podcast please do so on apple podcasts which you can do by clicking on the show scrolling right down below the trailer episode and you'll see the rate and review section there it will honestly just take you a moment but it would mean a great deal to me so thank you very much for listening and i will look forward to catching up with you very soon if you're looking to become a psychologist then let this be your guide with this podcast at your side to be on your way to being qualified

it's the Aspiring Psychologist podcast with Dr. Marianne Trent. My name's Yana and I'm a trainee psychological well psychological wellbeing practitioner. I read the Clinical Psychologist Collective book. I found it really interesting about all the different stories and how people got to become a clinical psychologist. It just amazed me how many different routes there are to get there and there's no perfect way to become one and this kind of filled me with confidence that no I'm not doing it wrong and put less pressure on myself. So if you're feeling a bit uneasy about becoming a clinical psychologist I definitely recommend

this just to put yourself at ease and everything will be okay. But trust me, you will not put the book down once you start.