The Portfolio of Competence

Recording and evidence requirements consist of the following, which together form the Portfolio of Competence:

• Supervision Plan (including any amendments to it); further details are given in the section on “Specific Requirements” (see template in Appendix 2).
• A Workplace Agreement (see template in Appendix 2).
• A Supervision Agreement (see template in Appendix 2).
• Practice Diary; a diary of all significant work, work-related activities and interactions undertaken (see below and template in Appendix 2)
• Supervision Log; a log of the frequency, duration and nature of supervision and training/development activities (see below and template in Appendix 2)
• Record of Completion; compiled as each area of work is accomplished; this provides an overview of how the work completed has covered each competence (3,000 words max), and an index of the evidence for each unit (see template in Appendix 2).
• Teaching Log; a log of the frequency, duration and nature of teaching undertaken (see template in Appendix 2)
• Supporting Evidence; this is the evidence specific to each competence.

The Practice Diary

It is a requirement that an ongoing Practice Diary should be kept by the trainee throughout the period of supervised practice. This should record details of all significant tasks and instructions, providing a comprehensive record of work completed and work-related activity. The Diary should include:

• a description of the work undertaken as supervised practice, including proposed actions, and relevant details of the procedure and client/target
• an indication, through referencing to one decimal place (e.g. 1.2, 4.1), of units and competences relevant to the work. Reference to the descriptions of the competences required for the Stage 2 professional qualification in health psychology will be essential in completing this column;
• an indication of the trainee’s role (i.e. ‘primary’ in which the work is primarily the trainee’s own, ‘team’ in which the work is shared directly with others, or ‘observer’ in which the trainee is sitting in for training and development purposes);
• outcome (including what was achieved);
• reflection/future actions to be taken (next steps and implications, including any learning points).

The responsibility for maintaining the Practice Diary rests with the trainee, although the supervisor has responsibility for overseeing that appropriate recording takes place. It is expected that one sheet will be completed for each week of practice, numbered consecutively and dated.

The practice diary record for the past month should be sent to the supervisor monthly (ideally electronically).  The practice diary provides the basis for discussions at supervisory meetings.

The Supervision Log

This will be kept by the trainee and countersigned by the supervisor. It provides a record of:

• the frequency, duration and provider of supervision;
• units and specific competences addressed; these should be referenced in brackets to one decimal place, e.g. 1.3, 2.1;
• other aspects of the health psychologist in training’s practice which were addressed

In addition to recording quantity of supervision and coverage of units and specific competences, the Supervision Log is intended to encourage and indicate reflection on major learning points. The responsibility for maintaining a detailed and accurate record rests with the trainee, although the supervisor has responsibility for monitoring and guidance. Information on progress within core competences and development of learning points provides an aide memoire for subsequent communication (including discussion of particular psychological issues) with the supervisor.

Records of Completion

As each area of work indicated in the Supervision Plan is accomplished, a Record of Completion form shall be filled in. The Record of Completion comprises two parts:

1. The first part should provide an index, which should be counter-signed by the supervisor, to confirm that all the elements have been completed satisfactorily. If substantive elements relate to work completed in an additional workplace setting, the index entry for that element should also be counter-signed by the workplace contact.
2. The second part should summarise for the examiner as comprehensively, precisely and concisely as possible (in no more than 3,000 words), a reflexive report comprising:

• what work you have carried out relevant to that competence (with specific reference to at least the competencies listed in the Record of Completion template);
• how that work has covered each unit of the competence (with reference to relevant weeks in the Practice Diary);
• the nature of the supporting evidence provided.

Supporting Evidence

Each Record of Completion must be accompanied in the portfolio by the supporting evidence indicated and any additional material. Evidence may include:

• reports (e.g., assessment/treatment reports, training materials, consultancy/discussion papers);
• notes of meetings;
• proposals for work;
• evaluations;
• research papers (including dissertations and published work);
• reports from supervisors and workplace contacts;
• DVD / digital audio files (e.g., of lectures or training sessions delivered).

In all submitted materials, appropriate measures must be taken to maintain confidentiality and security, for example, deleting or disguising names of clients. Each piece of evidence should be countersigned by the supervisor.

Together, the Practice Diary, Supervision Plan, Supervision Log, Records of Completion and Supporting Evidence form the trainee’s Portfolio of Competence as a practitioner. At the end of the period of supervised practice the entire Portfolio should be submitted for examination. The amount of evidence submitted must be sufficient to demonstrate attainment of the units listed. The components of each competence that should be covered are given in Appendix 1.