Statement of Equivalence (SoE) – the old fashioned way

As an Australian-trained Clinical Psychologist I began the SoE process in 2007, and, after four years was last year awarded Chartered status by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and registered by the Health Professions Council (HPC).  What a process!  It would have been quicker to undertake the doctoral program from beginning to end.

There are inherent difficulties in gaining the now defunct SoE and practitioner status via the international route with the HPC.  The biggest, yet most important, was, as an international applicant, circumnavigating the ‘system’ to find

a)     placements and supervisors in order to meet the required competencies

b)     a university to support you if you need to undertake doctoral level research

c)      an establishment that supports candidates through the process.

My experience has been “Well, this is what you need to do, go do it”, but without documented links to Trusts or private practices that are willing to take on overseas clinicians. 

Of greatest disappointment is the as yet unaddressed issue of candidates undertaking doctoral level research, being examined as if a doctoral final year student, but not getting the qualification at the end of it.  While equivalence was always the goal, surely the next step for the profession is recognition and reward for those candidates who complete this process?

Any thoughts from other SoE candidates or from those who applied to the HPC via the international route are welcome.