Anti-racism, Diversity and Inclusion

DClinPsychol Programme Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The DClinPsychol Programme Team recognise the impact of discrimination, power, and inequality on people’s distress, and that the profession has traditionally not been diverse. We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive educational environment that works to establish more equitable opportunities for all, including those from more marginalised or underrepresented populations. Our actions are guided by ethical principles (e.g. justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy) in conjunction with the principle that we all have rights as humans regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, gender or any other status; which include the right to education and work, and the right of freedom of expression amongst many others; and that we should all be free to pursue these rights without discrimination.

The programme team works hard to embed EDI perspectives and principles in all areas of training.

This includes programme recruitment, trainee experience, supervisor training, the curriculum and research. These considerations include:

Leadership and Team Responsibility: the responsibility of program leadership and teams to challenge dominant narratives, share inclusive values, and model inclusive behaviours across all aspects of the program.

Policy and Governance Structures: the need for clear policy and governance structures to prevent and address experiences of discrimination, and to incorporate diverse voices at all levels of the programme. 

Curriculum Development: the development of a curriculum that addresses the impact of structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism and discrimination on health and social care outcomes. This includes the importance of providing opportunities for trainees to critically appraise evidence from diverse perspectives and to understand the prevalence and impact of ethnic inequalities. 

Placement: Trainees and supervisors are oriented to opportunities on placement for the trainee to work with diversity in clinical work and to consider diversity in supervision. There has been a series of workshops considering Whiteness and Anti-racism, as well as a workshop on Power, Privilege and Inclusion offered to clinical and local tutors. These materials are being incorporated into routine supervisor training. Trainees’ consideration of EDI/Power are assessed as part of placement competency.

Research: New teaching on consideration of EDI in a research context has been delivered, and EDI considerations are now assessed at the research proposal stage. 

Awareness of Exclusion: the acknowledgement of historical exclusion of marginalised groups from research and healthcare practices and the need to address this gap through training experiences and resources.

Selection: Widening participation activity continues to attempt to broaden the pool of applicants to the programme. The data on the progress of candidates who share protected characteristics through our Selection process are kept under continual monitoring by the Selection subcommittee. We continue to apply Positive Action for race at shortlisting and interview stages of Selection.

These activities are coordinated and monitored by a programme specific EDI subcommittee. 

 

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Anti-racism, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan