ABOUT
The online BME Clinical Psychology Forum was created in August 2017 by three trainee clinical psychologists based in London, UK. It runs on a completely voluntary basis and is free to join - there are currently over 200 members!
WHY IS THE FORUM NEEDED?
UK Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) course admissions rates in 2017 show that, out of all successful applicants only:
4% were of Mixed ethnicity
3% were of Asian ethnicity
2% were of Black ethnicity
1% were of ‘Other' ethnicity’.
To put that into perspective, in 2017, of the 581 places in the country only:
26 Mixed ethnicity applicants
19 Asian applicants
10 Black applicants
7 'Other' ethnicity applicants
were successful in gaining a place on a DClinPsy course.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FORUM?
The purpose of the forum is to provide a protected peer support and discussion space for people of BME heritage pursuing a career in clinical psychology.
In the forum we:
Hold regular Q&A sessions with current BME trainee clinical psychologists
Occasional meetups to support during application & interview periods
Provide information regarding applications and interview preparation
Share resources e.g. job opportunities
We also support current BME DClinPsy trainees in a separate private section that provides more specific peer support and a reflective space. This is also a space to share resources.
As the forum is peer-led, we are open to ideas on how it can be used or developed, based on members' needs.
“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.”
Max de Pree
HOW TO JOIN
The only requirement to join the forum is that you are an
aspiring clinical psychologist (pre- or post-qualification) of black or Asian ethnicity.
The forum is based on the Slack platform. Slack is available online and as an app. It allows us to create an invite-only peer forum, private messaging system, and a space to upload documents and share resources for everyone to access.
There are two stages to the joining process:
(1) Request an invitation to the group
(2) Accept your invitation and become a member of our Slack community.
Stage 1: Request an invitation
1. Complete the invitation request form providing some demographic information and contact details
2. Within a few days, you should receive an invitation to join the Slack group in your email inbox - don't forget to check your spam!
Stage 2: Accept your invitation
1. Click the 'Join now' button in the invitation email
2. On the signup page, enter your first and last name and choose a username. When you’re ready, click Next.
3. Choose a password, and then click Join team.
That's it, you're in!
CONTACT
If you have any queries about the joining process, please get in touch.
If you are having problems with using Slack, click here to watch a user tutorial video.
If you are not of BME ethinicity, but identify as belonging to another minority identity group, we suggest visiting the British Psychological Society's Minorities in Clinical Psychology group.
The three founders of the group are also involved in research projects exploring diversity issues within the clinical psychology profession. We are happy to discuss paid consultations or speaking invitations. Please contact us using the contact form.
