Brendan Dunlop - BSc Psychology and Language Sciences

Why did you decide to study Psychology and Language Sciences?

I always knew that I wanted to study psychology, and that I wanted to go to UCL. Having the opportunity to learn about language sciences alongside psychology felt like an added bonus, especially given the link between psychology and language, so the PaLS programme was ideal!

What are you doing now?

 I’ve just started a new role as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist, studying a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) at the University of Manchester.

How has your degree helped in your further career?

My degree has given me the foundational knowledge of psychological theory, which has been invaluable throughout my different clinical roles prior to training as a Clinical Psychologist. Learning about social psychology, individual differences and cognitive testing has helped me think broadly about issues and world events, even outside of the psychology world. Training in research methods and statistics has given me the skills to write articles for publication; two articles I am author on are currently in press and due to be published later this year, and I have been author on two poster presentations at international conferences.
Learning about language development and language disorder helped me greatly in my first clinical role working in brain injury, as many clients presented with aphasia. Having knowledge of this meant that I could meaningfully contribute to clinical discussions with other professionals. Finally, the friendly and supportive nature of the PaLS programme enabled me to be curious in discussions, debate with my peers and teachers, and use these discussions as a basis for presentations to my seminar group; something that my colleagues today did not have the opportunity to do.