Hi
First time I've been on the forum, so first of all hi :-)

Basically I graduated in 2008 with a 1st in Psychology and just about completed an MSc in research methods. Currently I'm working as a research assistant in a high secure psychiatric hospital.

I'm in a bit of a dilemma regarding where to go next. I've always fancied the idea of a PhD and get on pretty well with research in the sense I enjoy doing it and tend to get the job done however the prospect of hunting for a PhD is daunting me slightly. Prior to seriously considering a PhD I imagined myself going down the clinical psychology path, but the more I think about a PhD the more it appeals to me and the job prospects after completion.

I'd just like some advice really about the PhD process. I think I'm just a bit bamboozled about the application process and where to start!

Thanks
Heather

Hi Heather! I'm doing a PhD in Clinical Psychology (by research, not the DClin course!) and for a long time I had much the same dilemma as yourself! I got a first in Psych and a distinction in my MSc, and in the end because I loved my MSc research so much I decided to do a PhD in the hope that this would make my mind up once and for all! Luckily, it has! I absolutely adore the research side of things, and love working with a clinical population (Alzheimer's in my case). Having spoken to a lot of people about doing the DClin, I finally decided it isn't for me- I would advise you to really make sure you know what the job actually involves by speaking to qualified clinical psychologists and people on the training course. From speaking to these people I have realised that I held a somewhat distorted and idealistic view of what it would mean to be a clinical psychologist, and a lot of my friends had done too. However, there's no reason you can't do both! A girl in our department has just finished her PhD in Psychology and has been accepted onto the DClin, and another friend of mine applied this year for the DClin and at the interview was advised to get a PhD first- doing a PhD seems to be viewed as a valid way of getting clinical experience now. Then you would be able to combine research and practise- although many people who do this say that the practise side of things tends to dominate. Thr PhD application process can be scary, but isn't so bad! You could either apply for an advertised PhD (see findaphd.com to search for one!) or devise your own and find someone who might be willing to supervise it and apply for funding for it that way. With your 2 degrees and experience you would be in a very strong position to get a fully-funded PhD. If you have any more questions you are welcome to PM me! Best, KB

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Hi Heather

I graduated the same year as you from my psychology degree, and have also done the MSc in research methods. I'm now doing a PhD.

For me, I found two ways that simplify the process a bit. You can look on websites such as *edited by mods.. try www.FindAPhD.com*, and you occassionaly see phd posts advertised there. the project is normally one that is pre-determined by the supervisor, and they need a phd student to carry it out. This can be really good if you see a topic that you like or that you feel you would find interesting. Then it's just like applying for a job, with an application form, and then they interview for the best candidate. These are usually funded by the department, and you don't have to worry about applying for funding seperately. I have a few friends who got their phd's this way, and found it pretty stress free, and are enjoying their phds.

Of if you have an idea for a specific topic you'd like to work on, or there's an area of research you've always fancied, then I would suggest going on to the websites of universities you'd like to go to, and read the psychology staff web-pages. Then if you find someone whose research interests are similiar, then you can approach them and ask if they'd consider supervising your project. In your case, i'd say you probably want to focus on people who are clinical/health psychologists. Although this is a bit harder work in the beginning, i found the benefits are that from the start, you have someone who is interested and is fighting your corner. they will then guide you through applying for funding, and help you put all that kind of stuff together. this can take a bit longer to get everything organised, depending on where you're applying for funding, but I found it really useful in the end, because it means you've got a really solid proposal and a clear idea of exactly what you're doing before you start. so when your phd begins, you can get right into it. It also means you have more control over what you research because you are choosing the topic, design etc rather than it being decided before your supervisor ever meets you.

and it should make things easier that you've got your masters, regardless which way you approach getting a phd. A lot of unis prefer you to have it, and it should make it a little easier for you to get funding.

anyway, i hope that helps a bit

Hi
Thanks for getting back to me - wow sounds like you were in a very similar position to myself in a lot of ways! Yes, I do think that I'd be more suited to the academic side of psychology and I do love clinical psychology so it might make sense to do this route as apposed to the DClinPsy. I'm currently doing a big research project with work which is NICE funded - and although forensic is interesting I'm much more interested in the wider clinical population (not just those who've landed up in high secure services). I think I'll have a look round for funded PhD's as I'm not in a position to fund even more training for myself. I'm aware the competition is pretty stiff, but as my supervisor was a consultant clinical psychology throughout my third and fourth years, together with working with the clinical director on my current project I might be in with at least a smidge of a chance!

Can I ask what you're doing your PhD in topic-wise? The whole 'chapters' thing throws me a little, so I'm unsure what I'd actually be doing on a daily basis in terms of the PhD. I'm guessing there would be some demonstrator work with Ugrad students if the PhD was attached to a University (as the ones I've looked at are, all bar one NHS based one).

Anyway, nice to speak to someone who's been in a similar position as myself... it can be very confusing making all of these important career-based decisions, particularly when you're talking about the next three years (and also with the current state of affairs in the NHS I'm sure a funded PhD will be a 'safer' place to be than continually hunting RA, AP posts!)

Heather :)