Historical qualifications - Practitioner psychologists

The following programmes were approved by the Education and Training Committee on 11 June 2009 to form the historical Register of Programmes, Qualifications, Institutions and Tests of Competence and of Knowledge of English approved under the Health Professions Order, 2001..

If you hold an historical qualification, can provide the evidence of this and have been practising you will be able to apply for registration with us via the UK approved programme route. If you hold an historical qualification and you have not been practising you will need to meet our returners to practise requirements before you can become registered.

Historical qualifications for practitioner psychologists can be either:

• Complete awards that lead to eligibility to apply to register with us; or a
• Combination of awards and experience that together lead to eligibility to apply to register with us.

Below is a list of the types of evidence for each area that you will be required to submit to us alongside your application to show that you have completed an approved historical qualification. A table can also be found for each area that lists the qualifications that either in whole or in combination with other evidence will lead to eligibility to apply to our Register. You should review the relevant table to find the award you have completed and the evidence which you will need to submit to us.

If you need to provide a reference to establish that you successfully completed a period of supervised training, that reference must be provided by a psychologist with first hand knowledge that you completed the training (e.g. your training supervisor or a colleague who worked with you at the time) or, if the reference is based upon records held by the institution where the training was undertaken, by a representative of that institution (e.g. director of a NHS Trust, director of a local education authority or head of a prison establishment).

Most references relate to periods of supervised practice. This supervised practice is not your ongoing clinical supervision, but your initial training (or first trainee position) taken in a practical/clinical setting. During this period of supervised practice, you would not have been working independently and autonomously but under the supervision of a training supervisor, mentor or fully qualified psychologist, or equivalent. At the end of your period of supervised practice, there would have been some kind of assessment or 'sign off' by your training supervisor, mentor or fully qualified psychologist, or equivalent. After which you would have practiced as an autonomous professional.

If you have further questions about the evidence you need to submit with your application, please contact one of our Registration Advisors on 0845 3004 472 or 020 7840 9802 or registrations@hpc-uk.org .

If you do not hold a historical qualification or can not provide the required evidence you may still be able to register with us via our grandparenting route.

Clinical psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Accredited Masters (three years)
• Accredited Masters, plus references (one year supervised practice)
• Accredited Masters, plus statement of clinical competence (one year supervised practice)
• British Psychological Society and Whitley Council in-service training (three years)
• Certificate for Doctoral level approved programme and evidence of transfer onto programme from a stage 1 masters qualification (transfer records or transcripts showing advanced standing from education provider)

Counselling psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Any combination of postgraduate programmes (accredited programmes or Society qualifications) that equated to the components of the BPS’s Diploma in Counselling Psychology.

Educational psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Accredited Masters, plus one year supervised practice (England, Wales, Northern Ireland)
• Accredited Masters, plus one years supervised practice in a Society-accredited educational psychology service (Scotland)
• Diploma in Educational Psychology, plus one years supervised practice in an LEA setting

Forensic psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Accredited Masters, plus two years supervised practice
• Certificate in Forensic Psychology, plus two years supervised practice
• In-service training within the Home Office (three years)

Health psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Accredited Masters, plus two years supervised practice

Occupational psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Accredited Masters, plus two years supervised practice
• In-service training within the Department for Trade and Industry (three years)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Occupational Psychology (PCOP) plus of two years supervised practice

Sport and exercise psychologists - Table of qualifications

• Accredited Masters, plus supervised practice (three years total)
• Unaccredited Masters confirmed by the British Psychological Society, plus supervised practice (three years total)