I have been accused of over involvement on a couple of occasions - notably when my view differs from other team members! I did once resort to telling some people if they were so concerned about my over involvement that they should discuss it with my clinical supervisor. Of course, they never dared -...

What's wrong with being calm and peaceful? I'd have thought that would be a much better atmosphere for people with dementia than constantly clowning around! I'm a big believer in being yourself. Being quiet and thoughtful is not the same as being under confident. Being loud and gregarious can act as...

Finish your cbt training. Getting on the doctorate is highly competitive and it is a good idea to have a back up plan. Clinical psychology training is very different from cbt training so I definitely would not say a significant proportion of the training would be covered. I have done both although d...

I've edited your post to remove potential client identifying info. First thing I would want to do is to establish if the client understands what therapy is and if they are willing to actively engage. Many people who seek therapy don't realise how much it requires of the client and that there is pote...

You don't say who your employer is or what type of organisation you are working for (and I'm not suggesting you do). However, if you work for the NHS or for a large organisation, then you should have access to someone who is lead for child protection issues. They would be a good person to get advice...

It's been floated around these parts as an idea. To be honest, if the goal is to up-skill the role of support workers and nursing assistants and create a route into nursing training then I think it is potentially a really positive step. If it results in a reduction in the number of qualified nurses ...

I have also come across roles being specifically set out for candidates who a service want to keep, but that's often for people who are already within the system, so it is a little bit different. Its less a case of "we know your dad" and more of "you'be been an RA with us on our last project, we'd ...

NHS Trusts and other employing organisations usually have their own policies on gifts - a quick google search will bring up lots of them if you're interested. My view is that it really depends on the situation. A small gift at the end of therapy to express gratitude is probably nothing more than wha...

IMHO there's nothing to tell until there's something to tell so I would stay stum, do the best job you can do and apply for anything else that appeals until such time as you have a job offer. Also, bear in mind that there could be some months between being offered a job, getting all the pre employme...

When I said physical interventions could be carried out in a calm and reassuring way that promotes a positive therapeutic relationship, I meant a part of a team based approach which is consistent with the training people are given when they are taught to intervene physically in incidents of aggressi...

Personally I don't like the idea that as psychologists we can stay out of this "dirty" work and leave it to the nurses. Moreover, nursing staff also need to have therapeutic relationships with patients - we aren't so special. Physical intervention is sometimes necessary for everyone's safety. The wa...

Also to add as you are in third year- make sure you get the best degree mark you can. I would prioritise this over volunteering. Volunteering/experience can be gained after your degree, but you can't redo your degree. What Loula said - 100% and then some. However, if you do feel you have time to sp...

At the risk of sounding unbearably patronising - 26 is nothing! You're still young and have plenty of time to change your mind. Legal training may be useful in clinical psychology (e.g. expert witness work) and indeed mediation and divorce work could be an interesting background for family therapy a...

I got attacked by a patient two months ago, kicked, punched and bitten. I wasn't able to go A&E or see the doctor until the end of my shift, so was forced to limp for two and a half hours. I took a few days off and the nurse basically accused me of faking my injuries. I got injured protecting said ...

I'm going through a period in life when things are largely going well in my life and things I have wanted for a long time are happening. It is incredibly joyful, tender and vulnerable all at the same time. I was quite surprised when I read some of Brene Brown's work about joy and how it can be a ter...