Medical Psychotherapy prizes and bursaries

We have created an essay prize for medical students to stimulate interest in the field of medical psychotherapy and encourage the most talented individuals to consider a career in the specialty.

Essays of up to 5,000 words are invited on the topic:

How might power and conflict have a place in psychotherapy? You can use clinical examples to illustrate your points.

Prize

The winner will receive £250, a certificate, and free registration for the Medical Psychotherapy Faculty conference in April 2024. The winning essay will also be published in the Faculty newsletter.

Frequency

Annual

Eligibility

Undergraduate medical students based at universities in the UK.

Regulations

  • Please email an essay of up to 5,000 words on the given topic. The word count includes footnotes and an appendix but excludes the bibliography. The document should be in Word or pdf format.
  • Please submit a short CV with your essay.
  • Please do not include personal details including your name, address or the name of institutions or organisations in the essay document or your CV. 
  • Please ensure patients' confidentiality by not revealing any details that might identify them.
  • Entries will be shortlisted and judged by a panel appointed by the Faculty executive committee. Entries will be judged on originality, clarity of expression, comprehension of the literature, cogency of argument, and overall ability to convey enthusiasm for the specialty.
  • We reserve the right to withhold awarding the prize should entries not be of a satisfactory standard.
  • The conference registration cannot be carried over to a future year.
  • The prize does not include travel, accommodation, or subsistence expenses.
  • Please email your essay in Word or PDF format with a short CV, with the subject line 'Medical Psychotherapy Essay Prize' to Faculty committees

Submissions

The deadline has now passed for the 2024 prize. 

Winner 2024

Phoebe Cherrington-Walker- How might power and conflict have a place in Psychotherapy? 

Winner 2022

Carly McCullough –  'Mother Nature’s Most Successful Lie: How psychotherapy concepts can inform obstetrics in the prevention of birth trauma'

Winner 2021

Josephine Akoro

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry