Zara Young, undergraduate student studying Clinical Psychology with a Placement year, is coming up to the end of her placement where she discovered that her biggest victory was overcoming her own anxiety and lack of confidence within the workplace.
Why did you decide to do a placement year?
When I chose my degree at Kent, I decided to do a placement year because I knew that having experience within the field of clinical psychology is invaluable when looking into applying for jobs post-degree. Whilst grades hold a certain amount of importance, employers love to see how you have practically applied what you have learned while studying and completing a year in placement, allows you to do this!
“I also knew that doing the placement year would help me to establish whether the clinical field is right for me and I can confirm, it absolutely is!”
Since my placement is in a children and young people’s NHS mental health service, I knew that doing the placement year would enable me to establish whether the clinical field is right for me and I have a role that is very similar to an assistant psychologist in the sense that I do face to face work alongside my colleagues to support young people as well as complete team admin support to help with the clinical work that goes on behind the scenes.
Zara started her course studying BSc Psychology but during her placement changed it to BSc Psychology with Clinical Psychology and a Placement year.
” I always thought I wanted to do clinical but the placement certainly encouraged me to take the steps to change my course! “
How did the university support you in finding your finding your placement?
The university provided various forms of support during the placement search and application process. Not only are placements advertised on Moodle with their requirements, Kent’s careers and employability service provide time slots where you can discuss CV’s, Cover letters, interview skills and more to ensure you feel confident when taking the steps to apply for the placement role of your choice. Additionally, the university has a CV checker which I used multiple times to check that my CV was formatted correctly and contained relevant information to the role which would be eye-catching to the reader. I highly recommend using this as it certainly eased my anxiety when I sent my CV and cover letters to placement providers.
What does a day in the life/week in the life look like for you?
There is no ‘typical’ day in the life at my placement. Everyday is a new day that comes with new exciting opportunities and challenges.
“Every day I am able to participate in team meetings where we discuss cases and take part in reflective practice.”
I complete admin for the team ranging from writing team meeting minutes or completing the care plan audit and I support my colleagues in the facilitating of one to one assessments and group therapy sessions. Overall, I would say my days are balanced between practical work with service users and team support enabling me to develop a wide variety of skills at all times!
What has been the biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I have faced so far on my placement has been overcoming my anxiety and lack of confidence within the workplace. At the beginning of my placement, I struggled with thinking that I was not good enough and that I would let myself and my placement colleagues down. However, I opened up about this anxiety to my supervisor and worked closely with them to reassure myself and take the time to reflect on my abilities and how far I have come over my time completing my degree. Additionally, I took some time to think about what areas I wanted to improve on and therefore, acknowledged that I had the capacity to grow and develop, enabling me to grow in confidence and appreciate the challenges I have faced as they have allowed me to take the steps into becoming the clinician I have always dreamed to be.
Do you have any advice for students who are looking for their placements?
Applying to a placement that is of your interest will make the entire process more enjoyable from the interview to the working weeks. Furthermore, I believe that the best thing you can do when applying for placements and being on your placement year is to be your authentic self. It will enable placement providers to establish whether the team is right for you as well as enable you to feel increasingly comfortable when working with your colleagues over the year!
Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to in your final year?
I am most excited for the final year module, particularly Clinical 1 and Clinical 2. I feel so lucky that I was able to change my degree to the clinical course during my placement year and I know that learning more about the theory and application of clinical psychology will be one of the highlights of my entire degree. I cannot wait to be able to put my all into the modules I chose and get to develop further academic and practical skills which will guide me in my post-degree career.
Where do you hope to go next with your career after you graduate next year?
Overall, I am hoping that I will become a clinical psychologist. However, I am aware that there are few steps which I need to take prior to that journey. Following graduation, I will be looking into assistant psychologist roles (and/or other clinical psychology roles similar to this) so I can work under the supervision of a clinical psychologist and apply my placement experience and skills in a paid clinical role. Doing this will enable me to increase my clinical experience and skill set prior to applying for the clinical doctorate later in my academic journey.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your placement?
“I would like to emphasise how great my placement has been. Not only have I been able to develop my professional and academic clinical skills, I have been able to grow so much personally.”
I have seen an increase in my confidence beyond what I could have ever expected. I feel like now I am able to have greater faith in my abilities to succeed as well as in my ability to apply my new profound confidence to everyday situations that I have previously found extremely challenging due to my anxiety. It has made such a positive impact on my mental health and well-being. I could not be more grateful to my supervisor and the team for showing me what I truly capable of and who I can become. This placement has been such an important puzzle piece in my journey and I will never forget it!
Zara Young is studying for a BSc (Hons) Psychology with Clinical Psychology and a Placement year.