There is lots of advice on the forum about doing your best to enjoy the journey rather than worrying too much about the destination. I know it can be hard to take on board, but I think it's very good advice, especially when considering investing your time and effort in something like a PhD. It needs...

I've only had one AP interview, so I'm not an expert on how they go, but mine had a lot of competency-based "Tell me about a time when you..." questions, plus a few things on research design (but this was because they were recruiting an AP to help deliver a pilot project - you may not get this kind ...

I don't think observation is a reliable way to test this, as children will even show empathy towards their toys, as part of their play. At my local children's hospital they have an occasional Teddy Hospital where kids who are likely to need procedures can bring their teddies in for 'operations' or '...

One of my good friends had a really tough time on her training course because it just wasn't the ideal fit for her. She accepted it based on its convenient location, no other reason, and while she did qualify (she now works as an 8b) she feels she made the whole process unnecessarily challenging for...

I'm curious - why would you want to double up your PhD research as a DClin thesis project, even if it were permitted? If I were to do clinical training, I'd feel frustrated and hemmed in if my research were too close to my PhD topic. The best bit about research is the excitement of finding out somet...

I know someone who is looking for a conversion course with a January start date. Coventry used to have one, but it seems that's no longer the case. Does anyone know of one? She's able to relocate anywhere.

This was eye-opening to read. I hadn't come across Prof Empson's work before, but I can recognise the dynamic that she identifies. Thinking about it as a pattern that I am participating in rather than as a situation I'm failing to cope with has helped me to step back from some of my commitments with...

1.) I also made an impulse buy - some really spectacular boots that look like something out of the Renaissance. I wanted them three years ago, but they cost £160 and I couldn't afford it. Then all this time later I saw a pair on eBay for less than a third of the price. I have yeti feet (size 9 / 43)...

Based on what you've said, I'd pepper it with anonymised stories about clients' experiences with the service and how it has benefited them. Depending on how long you have to speak, I'd go with three stories: one to illustrate the service's main impact (which you open with), one to illustrate the cha...

Thanks, Miriam. Amusingly, when you mentioned cognitive distortions and 'should/must/ought' rules, I started chiding myself, "Are you still doing that? You had CBT for this sort of thinking! You should have got a handle on it by now! You should..." Then I noticed what I was doing and was at least ab...

Thank you both for the thoughtful questions. The prompt to think of the 'why' before 'how' is helpful - I've got to the point where I'm being quite fatalistic about all this and just treating it as a fact of life that I need to learn to manage, rather than something that I could meaningfully challen...

The title says it all, really. I've always had a tendency to do this. In the past it was because I used to really struggle to say no to people (although my assertiveness has improved massively over the past few years, so I wouldn't identify it as a particular issue now). Now it happens more because ...

Congrats on the Distinction, benbrand. (Whether or not it makes a big difference on your application, it's still a difference to you!) 1.) I wish I could get my cat to understand the concept of a Saturday morning lie-in. She was indignant that breakfast did not appear at six a.m. as usual, and she p...

I'm with persephone regarding honorary AP posts, it's not the same as volunteering and I've seen some person specs with incredibly high requirements, one I recall was full time, required not only a psychology degree but specifically experience working with children, and carrying out and analysing c...

Doors close and windows open. I got one of those jobs and I was catapulted into it almost immediately. I'm now teaching three days a week at a special school for children with social, emotional, and mental health problems. It's going to be a real challenge, especially as I have responsibilities that...