A newly developed syllabus establishes core and supplementary competencies for psychologists working at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry, addressing longstanding training gaps and evolving demands in neuropsychiatry practice.
A new consensus exercise has set out what psychologists should know to work effectively in neuropsychiatry, an area that sits between neurology and psychiatry and deals with the psychological and behavioural consequences of brain-related disorders. Using a modified e-Delphi process, the study brought together clinical psychologists, clinical neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists and people with lived experience of neuropsychiatric services to shape a syllabus for post-qualification training. The result was a curriculum framework of 40 core and 38 supplementary items intended to strengthen competencies in assessment, formulation and psychological intervention.
The exercise was designed to address a long-recognised inconsistency in training. The authors note that neuropsychiatric content appears unevenly represented in psychology education, ranging from absent to only loosely implied, or restricted to a narrow set of developmental conditions. That matters because demand for psychological input in neurological services has been repeatedly highlighted, with studies cited by the authors showing unmet need in conditions including epilepsy, dementia, stroke and traumatic brain injury. The Neurological Alliance has also argued for care that integrates both medical and psychological approaches.
The panel reached its conclusions through two anonymous survey rounds followed by an online consensus meeting. Participants rated each proposed syllabus item on a three-point scale, with topics moving forward if they met preset agreement thresholds. In the first round, 33 items reached high agreement immediately, while seven were dropped for failing to attract enough support. Round two added five more topics, including psychotherapy for neuropsychiatric patients, driving issues in seizure disorders, subtle presentations and mass psychogenic illness. The final meeting then reworked the syllabus further, promoting areas such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, motor neurone disease, autoimmune conditions and cerebellar syndromes into the core list, while removing items judged to be outside scope or already covered elsewhere.
The finished syllabus reflects both traditional and emerging areas of practice. Core content includes common neurological and psychiatric presentations, multidisciplinary working, mental capacity and safeguarding, the effects and adverse effects of medication, and psychological interventions tailored to neuropsychiatric patients. Supplementary topics capture newer or less routine areas such as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and hypnosis, which the authors say may become more relevant as services evolve. They also emphasise that the syllabus is not a replacement for broader psychology training, but rather a targeted extension for clinicians whose work increasingly crosses disciplinary boundaries.
The authors caution, however, that the syllabus is rooted mainly in UK practice and should be adapted for other health systems. They also place the work alongside other competency frameworks, including recent Australian neuropsychology standards and international reviews of core training, which similarly stress foundational knowledge, intervention skills, cultural awareness and consultation abilities. Their broader argument is that neuropsychiatry needs a clearer training identity if psychologists are to meet rising demand in ageing populations and in services that increasingly require cooperation across traditional professional lines.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
