Equality, diversity and inclusion at Teesside doctorate in clinical psychology: Working towards inclusive interview processes

Embedding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into clinical psychology training courses is an ongoing journey, rather than a destination to arrive at. In this article we reflect upon the development of this process on the Teesside Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course, specifically with regards to our recruitment and selection processes. Previous workstreams have focused upon anti-racist recruitment practices; within this article we outline the process by which changes were made to support neurodivergent candidates. Feedback was sought from our Neurodiversity Working Group on their experiences of our interview process. Based upon this feedback, several changes were made for the 2024 recruitment rounds. These developments were fed back to current trainees using a ‘you said, we did’ format and evaluated from the point of view of candidates using an anonymous post interview survey. Feedback was largely positive with candidates appreciating the way that accessibility and inclusivity had been ‘built into’ the process. We conclude by critically reflecting upon the next steps in our journey. Summary: We reflect upon the changes made to the interview process on the Teesside University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) course to improve accessibility and inclusivity for neurodivergent (ND) candidates.