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Digital Competencies for Psychological Professions

Our Mission

Supporting competent and confident applied psychologists to deliver ethical digital practice.

Our Vision

 

    1. To provide a strategic oversight of developments in digital healthcare and advise the DCP committee.

    1. To promote and support the ethical implementation of digital practice across psychological professions in order that it becomes part of usual practice. 

    1. Support staff competences (pre and post qualification) and confidence as they move towards ethical digital practice, including forums for good practice.

    1. Encourage opportunities for digital developments/initiatives and sharing good practice, policies and resources.

  1. Promote digital practice and support implementation of the digital policy agenda whilst ensuring governance is in place.
 

 

See what we have achieved

 

 

Introduction

The aim of these competences is to support the development of digital practice skills for all applied psychologists and psychological practitioners. They may be used by practitioners and trainers to monitor competences and for curriculum design and the definition of learning outcomes in relation to digital practice. As these competences have broad application organisations will need to consider the fit to their particular clinical setting.

These Digital Competences were prepared by an expert reference group, Digital Healthcare Sub-Committee for Division of Clinical Psychology, British Psychological Society. The work was initiated by Prof Helen Pote & Dr Alesia Moulton-Perkins and the expert reference group drew together UK academics, clinical psychologists, psychological practitioners and trainers, services users, digital mental health companies and commissioners all with experience in digital mental health. The competences were prepared for Clinical Psychologists in 2019 and then expanded to be applicable for all psychological practitioners, including those within IAPT settings in 2020. Two consultations with psychological practitioners and trainers in 2019 & 2020 have validated the suitability of this framework for a variety of psychological practitioners and practice settings.

 

Structure of the Competence Framework

The competences are structured into 8 domains, with the first – meta-competences – detailing overarching factors which inform and overlap with the subsequent seven domains. Each competence domain is separated into (A) Knowledge and (B) Abilities which psychological practitioners would be expected to achieve.

For some competences we have provided further definition and detail (see Appendices/hyperlinks), outlining CORE knowledge and skills which all practitioners would be expected to achieve (including trainee applied psychologists and PWPs) and more ADVANCED competences which might only be achieved by experienced applied psychologists, experienced CBT therapists or other psychological therapists with specific responsibilities for digital practice development in their service.

 

Ethical Statement

In using these digital competences and working digitally with clients and other professionals it is important that practitioners adhere to the usual professional and ethical guidelines that guide their practice. When working digitally practitioners should pay particular attention to issues of client consent and participation, equity of access and choice.

 

Authors

 

    • Prof Helen Pote, Royal Holloway, University of London (Chair)

    • Dr Alesia Moulton-Perkins, Online Psychology and Counselling Ltd

    • Dr Emma Griffith, University of Bath

    • Dr Gary Latchford, University of Leeds

    • Dr Roman Raczka, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

    • Prof Kate Cavanagh, University of Sussex

    • Mr Graham Fawcett, East London Foundation Trust

    • Dr Marlies Peters, MindDistrict

    • Ms Eva Papadopoulou, MindDistrict

    • Dr Gavin Richardson, University of Glasgow

    • Dr Graham Thew, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust & University of Oxford

    • Dr Penny Priest, Midlands Partnership Foundation NHS Trust

    • Dr Helen Sinclair, Underpin Psychological Consultancy & Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

    • Dr Craig Newman, Uxclinician Ltd

    • Dr Tessa Saunders, MAC UK

    • Ms Lucy Clarkson, Expert by Experience, University of Bath

    • Ms Gemma Rides, Royal Holloway, University of London

    • Dr Rebecca Read, University of Surrey

    • Ms Charley Holloway-Biddle, Royal Holloway, University of London

    • Ms Annabel Rees, University of Bath

    • Prof Ken Laidlaw, University of Exeter

 

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