FAQs for practitioner psychologists

Frequently asked questions for practitioner psychologists looking to become HPC-registered.

If I am part of the voluntary register transfer, what happens when the Register opens?

When the Register opens on 1 July 2009 there will be an initial transfer from the Registers listed here. Shortly after, we will be writing to those individuals who have transferred inviting them to renew their registration and pay the registration fee.

We are currently consulting on the registration cycle for practitioner psychologists and further information can be found here

For more information about the voluntary register transfer please click here

I am not eligible to become a member of a division – how can I get registered?

A small number of individuals are chartered with the BPS, and hold a practising certificate, but aren’t eligible to become members of a BPS division. The BPS has identified two main groups of psychologists where this is the case:

• Occupational psychologists who qualified under old criteria and have a limited scope of practice.
• Neuropsychologists who qualified outside of the United Kingdom but don’t meet the standards for membership of the Division of Clinical Psychology.

However, this is not exhaustive list and there may be others who qualified under academic criteria who can’t become members of a division.

Someone in this situation who need or want to become registered would need to make an application to us via the grandparenting route.

What happens if I am not eligible to hold a practising certificate from the BPS?

You will need to make an application to the HPC through the Grandparenting route. This allows individuals who have been in practice for a certain period of time and who meet certain criteria to become registered. Each application is considered separately by members of the profession to determine whether the requisite standards have been met.

There is a non-refundable scrutiny fee of £420 for each grandparenting application. Someone approved for registration via grandparenting would also have to pay the registration fee of £76 per year.

For more information about the grandparenting process please click here

What happens if my qualification is not approved by the BPS and I have not been practising in the UK?

You will need to make an application to the HPC through the international route. Only when the Register is opened can we accept applications via the international route.

For more information on the international process, and to see an example of the current forms and guidance please click here.

Which programmes have the HPC approved?

The Education and Training Committee approved a list of programmes for practitioner psychologists on 11 June 2009. This list will become effective once the register opens on 1 July 2009.

Click here for details of which programmes have been approved.

Does the HPC recognise the BPS statement of equivalence?

The Education and Training Committee approved the BPS statement of equivalence in clinical psychology as a historically approved qualification on 11 June 2009. The statement of equivalence was designed by the BPS to enable two groups of people to qualify as Clinical Psychologists in the UK without having to complete a full clinical psychology training programme. It was designed for people who have trained overseas as well as people who have trained in another area of applied psychology in the UK. This second group is often referred to as ‘lateral transfers’, as the people are transferring from one domain of psychology into the clinical psychology domain.

Due to this lateral transfer, the HPC has approved this programme as a UK approved programme. If this lateral transfer was not an option, then the HPC would not have approved the statement of equivalence as the HPC does not approve programmes for international applicants to complete. However, once a programme is approved by the HPC, anybody who completes it can apply for registration with us, via the UK approved programme route. The BPS has recently closed the statement of equivalence to new applicants. Those already enrolled on the programme have a set period of time in which to complete it. The HPC will recognise the statement of equivalence as approved, which means that anybody who has completed it, or is currently working towards completing it, will be able to apply for registration with us via the UK approved programme route.

The HPC will not run an equivalent programme to the statement of equivalence.

The BPS has asked me to undertake the statement of equivalence, but I know the HPC will soon be the regulator. What should I do?

The answer differs depending on whether you are completing the statement of equivalence because you trained overseas or because you wish to transfer into the clinical psychology domain from another psychology domain.

If you trained overseas and you are currently completing the statement of equivalence to allow you to become a full member of the Division of Clinical Psychology following an initial assessment by the BPS, you have two options. You can either complete the statement of equivalence and then apply for registration with the HPC (as a clinical psychologist) via the UK approved programme route, or you can stop the statement of equivalence and apply for registration with the HPC (as a clinical psychologist) via the international route. You can use parts of your statement of equivalence completed to date as evidence towards your international application with the HPC.

If you are currently completing the statement of equivalence to allow you to become a full member of the Division of Clinical Psychology and in the future you want to use the clinical psychologist protected title, then your only option is to complete the statement of equivalence. Once completed, you can apply for registration with the HPC (as a clinical psychologist) via the UK approved programme route. The BPS has recently closed the statement of equivalence to new applicants and intends to phase it out. You should contact the BPS to find out when you need to complete the statement of equivalence by.

Where the HPC have agreed a threshold level for entry that includes a masters degree, can I take any masters degree in psychology to register with you?

You will only be able to register with us if you complete one of our approved programmes for practitioner psychologists. The Education and Training Committee approved a list of programmes for practitioner psychologists on 11 June 2009. This list will become effective once the register opens on 1 July 2009.

Click here for details of which programmes have been approved.

In some domains, the only approved programme is a BPS qualification. In these domains applicants will need to complete a BPS accredited masters prior to completing the approved BPS programme. The BPS will retain responsibility for admission onto their qualifications. Therefore, you are advised to check with the BPS website for more information about how to work towards completing a BPS qualification.

I am a Chartered member of the BPS and also registered with the HPC, can I use my 'Chartered' designation with my adjectival title?

Yes. We would not consider the use of the designation 'chartered' by someone who is HPC-registered and a BPS member to be misleading. For example, HPC-registered physiotherapists who are also members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy often use the title 'Chartered physiotherapist' indicating both that they are registered, and therefore eligbile to use the title 'physiotherapist' and that they are members of their professional body.