O’Driscoll, C., Azmoodeh, K., Rana, R. et al. (1 more author) (2024) The identity of clinical associates in psychology: a cross sectional, national survey. BMC Medical Education, 24 (1). 825. ISSN 1472-6920
Abstract
Background
The Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) is a new psychological profession within the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. This paper considers the processes developing the CAPs’ professional identity, specifically how their roles are embedded within services.
Methods
This study utilised an online survey of CAPs and all academic, clinical and managerial staff involved with CAPs. An inductive thematic analysis was undertaken.
Results
A total of 164 participants responded to the survey. Five themes were identified: Widening Access to Psychology, Workforce Development, Navigating the Unfamiliar, Trained [Master’s level] Professionals and An Emerging Ethos. In addition, key skills and unique contributions from CAPs were identified.
Conclusions
A clear professional identity is emerging, with CAPs depicted as offering versatile interventions in diverse health care settings, fostering a positive and encouraging integration of psychological expertise into the healthcare service. The study highlights areas for development to facilitate the growth and advancement of the role within the psychological workforce.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. |
Keywords: | Clinical associate in psychology; Psychological training; Qualitative survey; Psychologists |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 05 Aug 2024 15:43 |
Last Modified: | 05 Aug 2024 15:43 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1186/s12909-024-05802-7 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215712 |