Student members

Our evolving student community is a great area to look for hints, tips, and advice on all aspects of life as a psychology student or graduate and the various career options available. Explore the many mega-threads centered around careers on the community. 

These threads provide a space for you to discuss and share information on specific areas of psychology, including potential career and qualification paths.

The communities also feature a number of blogs by both students (Student Life) and psychologists (A Day in the Life) which provide information and insight into various aspects of life both while still studying and once fully qualified.

• Student Life
• A Day in the Life

This free event for psychology students and recent graduates was designed to encourage students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to consider clinical psychology as a career, providing information about clinical psychology training programmes and sharing the experiences of BAME colleagues during training and as qualified clinical psychologists.

On Saturday 21 November 2020, the society held an all-day online event aimed at helping our student members to explore their career options and learn about where psychology can take them.

As well as exclusive keynote speakers and panel discussions the event also featured several Q&A sessions with representatives from various BPS member groups.

Part 1

• Welcome and introduction - Hazel McLaughlin, BPS President
• My route into Clinical Psychology and Beyond - Dr Gemima Fitzgerald
• The psychology of performance excellence - Dr Mustafa Sarkar CPsychol

Part 2

• Panel discussion - including practitioner psychologists, BPS student member and representative of the student committee and BPS staff from membership and education & training
• Cognition and neuroscience: a day in the life - Dr Chris Street

Part 3

• Being a Forensic Psychologist: from the street to the laboratory - Professor Coral Dando
• Speaker panel - a Q&A session with our expert keynote speakers

On 18 November 2020, the Division of Counselling Psychology Scotland held an online event aimed at those interested in, or thinking of, a career in Counselling Psychology.

Participants heard from a number of professionals who work within a variety of settings such as the NHS, private settings and the third sector.

Speakers included:

• Dr Suzanne Roos, Consultant Psychologist & Professional Lead for Psychological Therapies, NHS Orkney
• Dr Siân Clifford CPsychol., Chartered Counselling Psychologist
• Dr Fani Papayianni, Counselling Psychologist
• Ben Amponsah, BSc, PGDipl, MBPsS, MBACP (Accred)

On 10 September 2020, the society's East of England branch held an online careers event entitled 'So you want to work with Children?'

The event featured four speakers with psychology backgrounds who now work with children, each of whom presented a 'Day in the life of' segment describing what a typical day looks like in their role, and this was followed by a panel discussion.

The society has produced a series of five short videos to highlight the importance of continued professional development (CPD) throughout your career, whether you are studying, in-training, or already practicing.

These videos providing advice on a variety of topics and answer some key questions, such as:

• The value of professional development
• Why is CPD important?
• What are the benefits of engaging in CPD?
• Advice to peers to encourage CPD engagement
• How do you approach CPD?

You’re studying hard, but how do you make sure you secure your dream job?

Coming across well in a job interview is an important step towards your landing your perfect job, and there are lots of psychological tips to make sure you come out on top.

The BPS Division of Occupational Psychology have put together some top tips for job interviews to help you stand out from the crowd.

PsychWeb is a UK network supporting aspiring Clinical Psychologists from underrepresented backgrounds to progress onto DClinPsy.

Find out more about PsychWeb.

The Black Mind Initiative is a non-profit organisation which aims to educate, encourage, equip and engage with young Black individuals to increase representation within the mental health field.

Find out more about The Black Mind Initiative.

Aiko Leung is currently majoring in Psychology with Education at University College London (UCL). She is particularly interested in clinical psychology, educational psychology and the relationship between the arts and mental health. She is also the chair and founder of a student-led non-profit association: Arts for Mental Health (ARTSMH).

She strongly encourages putting knowledge learnt and experiences into helping the community, thus has been doing that since she was 14. For instance, she tutored and assisted children from diversified backgrounds for over 6 years. Currently, she is working on various projects as an undergraduate research assistant and as a project leader for the ARTSMH UCL branch. She also leads the ARTSMH team to help undergraduate, postgraduate and high school students to stay mentally healthy during the pandemic. She aims to become a clinical psychologist and is working hard towards it.

Aiko hopes to expand the current available services to more students across the UK and aims to provide more academic, research and career opportunities by joining the committee. For instance, she strives to create a research participant pool, which allows students to have easier access to participant recruitment for their research projects, encourages students to inspire each other and provides an interactive platform for students to learn about the diversified areas of psychology together. She also emphasises strongly on diversity and equality, thus strives to create that by negotiating opportunities and changes with professional bodies on behalf of all psychology students across the UK.

Email Aiko 

Bio to follow.

Bio to follow.

Bio to follow. 

• Hannah Whitfield is a final-year psychology student at the University of St Andrews. She aspires to become a qualified political psychologist. She has a keen interest in the psychology of voting, specifically research into why people vote the way they do in elections and the extent to which party affiliation impacts an individual’s vote.

  As an ordinary member of the committee, Hannah aims to help create inclusive events that allow members to diversify their knowledge and understanding of psychology and provide good opportunities for members to network with other students across the UK. She also aims to increase student engagement with the BPS by supporting the work of other committee members and promoting events and membership within her academic community.

Junie Wee is a second-year Economics and Psychology student at the University of St Andrews, where he also serves as a student ambassador and the Secretary of the United Nations Association St Andrews. He is currently a member of the EFPSA Executive Board, and the National Coordinator for the EFPSA’s “Mind the Mind” campaign to help combat the stigma of mental disorders in the UK.

He is interested in social and evolutionary psychology, and he is intending to pursue a clinical psychology route. He is working towards gaining research experience to help him gain more exposure to different areas in psychology and develop his research skills.

He hopes to further promote BPS’s work, and its importance to our students and our society. He believes that adapting to the needs of our students and encouraging a greater student participation are crucial in creating a truly enriching experience for students.

Sophie Worrall is currently a 3rd year student at the University of Derby Online Learning. This program makes it possible for her to determine the rate at which she studies as well as having flexibility of hours, while still gaining Graduate Based Chartership with the BPS.

Sophie’s overall aspiration in psychology is to become a clinical psychologist. So far, she has been involved in writing a published research project about revenge pornography, attending BPS Midlands and North-West Conferences, and also Liverpool Aspiring Psychologists Group meetings which she describes as rewarding.

This year, Sophie hopes to raise awareness of EFPSA’s Mind the Mind (MtM) campaign and collate a group of volunteers to take this psychoeducation into schools and groups across the UK.

Sarah-Jayne Collett is a 2nd year undergraduate Psychology with Counselling mature student at The Open University. This provides her the flexibility to study and work part time.

Before attending university, she was living in China teaching English and before that working in Cyprus painting wall murals with the children at the Youth Club.

Sarah-Jayne grew up in a military household which instigated her interest in how war affected the families and what support was there for those deployed and the families at home. With this experience she realised her aspiration is to be an Art Psychotherapist combining both her creative attributes and desire to help people therapeutically.

Sarah-Jayne wants to contribute to the awareness of the student committee and try to make it an integral part of Psychology students’ journey throughout their development. She also looks forward to being part of this team and part of the future of Psychology.

Bio to follow. 

Bio to follow.

Edith Lee is heading into her third year at the University of St Andrews, studying an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Psychology. With a keen interest in political psychology, she is undertaking research on how cultural dynamics interact with the personality traits of political leaders, and how this sum interaction shapes their leadership styles and decision-making processes, especially in times of crises.

As the Events Officer, Edith aims to procure events that engage more closely with the psychology student communities across the different universities in the UK to build a stronger network of aspiring psychologists. Being aware of the ever-popular demand for concrete opportunities that further psychology students’ professional development, she is hoping to work on events that gives students hands-on opportunities to explore their career aspirations and goals within the field of psychology.

Felix Ndebele is a first year MSc Psychology conversion degree student at the University of Derby (UDOL). He has been a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist in the IAPT service (NHS) for 11 years and is looking at going into Clinical Psychology. Prior to completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in 2010 at Coventry University, Felix completed a Dip HE in Mental Health Nursing at Birmingham City University.

Felix is passionate about equality and diversity agenda. He is currently a cultural ambassador at Coventry and Warwickshire PCT having completed 5 days cultural ambassador training facilitated by RCN in 2017. He has been instrumental in the formation and facilitation of B.A.M.E forums in the Coventry and Warwickshire PCT. Felix also runs a service user forum group for the IAPT service. This is a group designed to enable the patients express their views on how they want the service to be run. As the Diversity and Inclusion Lead within the Society’s Student Committee, Felix hopes to push for equal opportunities to Psychology Doctorate programmes for all students regardless of gender, disability, and race. Felix is aware that current Clinical Psychology Doctorate intakes are biased against students from the B.A.M.E community. He will endeavour to engage the BPS leadership and the student communities across the UK universities to find ways to push this agenda.

Brandon is currently studying BSc Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. He has an admiration and interest for both time psychology and theories surrounding the collective unconscious, aiming to pursue these interests to eventually lecture in these specific areas. Alongside his role on the Student Committee, he sits as President of Nottingham Trent’s Psychology Society and hopes to extend the positive work that he has done for the society to other universities, creating a collective community experience for all students of Psychology.

Ellie Duncan is a first year Psychology student studying at the Loughborough University. She is keen to follow a career into Clinical Psychology with her top aspirations to gain a clinical psychology doctorate.

Her previous experience has involved being a member of her local NHS trusts Youth Board for 4 years. As part of this she has been involved in the development of an award-winning mental health app and a men’s mental health campaign.

As the mental health advocate for the committee, Ellie aims to raise awareness of student mental wellbeing as well as providing vital support for students through a series of events and via social media platforms.

Email Ellie

Anna is a part-time, mature student, studying a BSc (Hons) in Psychology with Counselling at the Open University. She is also a qualified language teacher with a MSc degree in TESOL. Anna has a particular interest in educational and forensic psychology. Alongside her studies, she works in clinical research governance. Since 2019 she has been a member of one of the Scottish Research Ethics Committees.

Natan Chromik is currently studying BSc Psychology at King’s College London (KCL) University and working as an Honorary Research Assistance for AIMS-2-TRIALS associated with Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. He has a particular interest in social and clinical psychology although he finds occupational psychology relatable as Natan mentor a few entrepreneurs and their business. His current goal is to become Chartered Clinical Psychologist.

He had privileged to complete nationally recognised Civic Leadership Academy and King’s Principle Global Leadership Award. In the past, Natan was working with the autistic children as a part of his year-long internship at Home-Start which motivated him to participate in the research-based placement about autism diagnostic measures. Currently, Natan is working on achieving Enterprise Award for his outstanding entrepreneurial skills set. Recently, he had been awarded with the KCL Cultural Competency diploma.

Natan joined the committee with the aim to connect students on international level to create more academic and social opportunities for all the psychology students across the UK. He believes that cooperation between all committee members and wider academic community would lead towards a successful fulfilment of the BPS developmental strategy.

As Member Organisation President of the EFPSA (European Federation of Psychology Students Associations), Natan duties involve representing the psychology undergraduate students in the U.K. and cooperate with the wider European community of psychology students in upcoming projects.

Ian lives in Omagh in Northern Ireland with his wife Kathy and the youngest of his three children Niamh, with the other two now attending University. He works full time in retail while studying a MSc in psychology part time at the University of Derby Online and is currently completing his final year research project.

After a career in retail, Ian decided to follow his passion for understanding and supporting other people from an academic approach, his plan is to eventually retire from retail and hopefully pursue a second career in psychological research.

Although not originally from Northern Ireland, Ian has a deep desire to give back to the community that welcomed him so readily. This, coupled with his appreciation for what the BPS can do in creating networks for both research and wider societal benefit, means he is keen to make it easier and more natural for NI students to connect and gain from what the BPS has to offer.

In addition to his psychology studies, Ben Kennard is also a self-employed communications advisor and works on communications projects on a client basis. As a former Communications Officer for the BPS Student Committee, Ben recently moved into the Scotland Representative role. Having grown up in Ireland and having lived several years in various European countries, Ben fell in love with Scotland and its people and now considers it his adopted homeland.

As Scotland Representative, Ben seeks to work closely with Scottish universities to unite Scottish students and ensure their collective voice is represented in the BPS. Ben seeks to build on the success of past editions of the Scottish Undergraduate Conference to ensure all Scottish psychology students, regardless of background, have the opportunity to improve their skills and competences and gain access careers in the field of psychology. Ben is currently studying for an MSc in Psychology (Conversion) part-time at BPP University.

This position is vacant.

Tanya Shrader is a third year PhD researcher at Staffordshire University studying the dark side of conspiracy theories. The aim of her research is to investigate the role of conspiracy theory beliefs in the harmful conduct towards people based on their group membership (e.g. immigrants in the UK).

Tanya has been a psychology student advocate at Staffordshire University since 2014 and advises prospective students at undergraduate and postgraduate open events. This has afforded her insight into the views, expectations and challenges faced by students, including barriers they may face while studying.

As a mature student, she has been able to share her experiences and offer practical advice and reassurance that there are no barriers to university education which cannot be overcome with the appropriate support. Tanya also teaches Introduction to Research Methods and is a research assistant on the Research Impact team for REF2021.

The BPS publishes its own member network-specific publications.

Psych-Talk is one such BPS publication specifically comprising of articles written by undergraduate student members.

The Psych-Talk page gives information on word counts, deadlines, etc, but we've also provided the following hints and tips to think about if you're considering submitting something to Psych-Talk for publication.

Steps for writing for Psych-Talk:

1. Pick a topic you're interested in - we love getting articles about general topics, but the best ones seem to have a passionate flair to them
2. go through our past publications - if you're unsure about what to write, going through what we've chosen to publish before might help you get a better understanding of what to submit
3. Start simple, then funnel - Alice Thomson, the winner of The Psychologist's Student Competition suggested using a technique where she wrote down every idea related to the topic in it's simplest form, then grouping them together into common themes that would form paragraphs. This helps organise your article better
4. Communicate with other BPS student members - the BPS student community includes several discussion threads started by members on topics that can help inspire you into writing for us
5. Don't be afraid of being controversial - we are open to articles that specifically look at controversial topics as a publication that hopes to provide a platform to varying perspectives
6. However, be as objective as you can - this is still a scientific publication representative of the BPS student community. A high level of objectivity when writing is a prerequisite for most of our articles

For many students, you might be uncertain about your next steps, you might be unsure as to whether you want to continue studying or look to start a career, armed with all the skills and transferable skills your psychology degree has given you.

If that’s you, you’re not alone, so we've asked BPS graduate member Lloyd Emeka for some advice on making sense of the future when it all feels a bit uncertain.

Read the full article on taking the next steps after graduation.

Making the transition from being an undergraduate student to a postgraduate researcher, or a taught postgraduate student, can be tricky. While they may look similar from the outside, the experience of being an undergraduate versus a postgraduate are markedly different in a number of ways.

PhD researcher Maddi Pownall, chair of PsyPAG (the Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group) gave her advice for managing the transition.

Read the full article on moving from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

This information and advice has been gathered from the BPS careers portal and BPS accredited courses in psychology.

Read the full article on transferable skills from your psychology degree.

While the pandemic has had an impact on all of our lives, university students have been particularly affected by lockdown and social isolation.

Mariyah Mandhu, BPS Partnership and Accreditation Officer, considers what effect the last 12 months have had on our student community.

Read the full article on students and social isolation.

As students, autumn always brings the excitement of returning to university. But this year the return will look very different due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To best support students, and understand the impact of the pandemic on their studies and research, the BPS is running a Covid-19 impact survey, and wants to hear your views.

Read the full article on adapting to university during Covid-19.

Results day can be a rollercoaster, and you will likely experience a range of emotions, from nervous anticipation to joy and excitement, and maybe even a hefty dose of disappointment if things don't go the way you want.

Read the full article on riding the rollercoaster of results day.

• Student Minds - resources and support from the UK's primary student mental health charity

• Mind - How to cope with student life - how you can look after your mental health as a student, including practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support

• Mind - Student mental health during coronavirus - information for both new and returning university students, studying full-time or part-time during coronavirus

• Young Minds - Find help - crisis support, mental health information, and advice on where (and when) to get help

• Students Against Depression - advice, information and guidance to those affected by low mood, depression and suicidal thinking

• Samaritans - Information for students - you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to talk about anything that is upsetting you. Call 116 123 (free from any phone), email them or visit a Samaritans branch. The Samaritans Welsh Language Line is available on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).

• Student Space - Wellbeing resources and advice - access free, confidential support services by phoning 0808 189 5260, texting the word STUDENT to 85258, email them, or contact via webchat support. The service is available from 4pm–11pm.

• Racism and mental health - Young Minds - information on how to get help if you've experienced racism

• Black Minds Matter UK - connecting Black individuals and families with free mental health services by professional Black therapists.

• Stop Hate UK - support for victims and witnesses of hate crimes and discrimination

• Covid-19 Anti-Racism Group - information and resources to address the increase in racism and hate crime towards British East Asians and international students arising from the Covid-19 pandemic

• Disability Rights UK - advice and support for disabled people who are studying or wish to study at any level on full-time or part-time education or training courses

• UCAS - Advice and support for new and prospective students with disabilities - information for disabled students (including students with learning differences and mental health conditions)

• Diversity and Ability - Resources - a collection of free reviews, guides, and applications designed to assist and support students at all levels

This document provides guidance to those who employ and/or supervise individuals in assistant psychologist and other associated posts, both within the NHS and privately, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This guidance has been written to offer a structure of support for those aspiring psychologists who are working during this difficult period.

Please utilise this document alongside existing NHS Trust policies and other guidance referenced throughout, particularly the BPS Guidance for psychological professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020).

Read our guidance for aspiring psychologists and their supervisors during Covid-19.

This document is aimed at professionals who support young people at key points of transition into work, training and further learning.

It will be of special interest to teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, careers advisors, mentors, third sector workers as well as graduate recruiters.

Drawing on a robust psychological evidence-base the document offers advice about steps to take in the context of Covid-19, recognising some of the challenges faced by young people and suggesting approaches to support a way forward.

Read our guide to supporting young people into training, learning, and work.

The British Psychological Society's Division of Clinical Psychology, the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK and the Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology have jointly produced this document to answer a range of questions raised by trainee clinical psychologists.

Together we are working to think of ways trainee clinical psychologists can continue to obtain their competencies to assure a future psychological workforce, which will be much needed following this crisis.

In considering the phases of psychological response, there is a strong rationale for utilising trainee and qualified clinical psychologists’ skills in multiple contexts, now and in the future.

Read the guidance on DClinPsych Training during Covid-19.

On 26 August 2020 the DCP Pre-Qualification group hosted a webinar for the DClinPsy 2020 intake to provide a space for reflections and Q&A in relation to starting training during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The focus of the event was on issues around being a trainee during coronavirus and the implications of remote teaching and placements, as well as discussions about starting training more generally.

The event featured representatives from:

• BPS DCP Pre-Qualification Group
• BPS DCP Minorities Sub-Group
• BPS DCP Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology
• BPS Workforce and Training
• ACP Director of Trainees
• Community Psychology Representatives

• Student Minds - Help through Coronavirus - support for student mental health and wellbeing during (and after) the current pandemic

• Mind - Student mental health during coronavirus - information for both new and returning university students, studying full-time or part-time during coronavirus

• Student Space - Wellbeing resources and advice - expert information and advice to help you through the challenges of coronavirus

• Discover Uni - Coronavirus (Covid-19) information - information about higher education for current students and potential applicants
• Nidirect - Coronavirus (Covid-19) advice for students in higher education - guidance and advice for students in higher education on issues such as safety and travel, finance and support, etc
• UK Council for International Student Affairs - Coronavirus information for international students - information, support, and FAQs for international students