PPN NW Blog - November 2024 Edition - PPN NW Annual Conference (PPWeek24)

PPN NW Annual Conference (PPWeek24)

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Setting out from Liverpool on November 14^th a feeling of excitement was in the air anticipating what the day ahead was to bring and this stayed with me throughout the journey travelling to Bolton Arena. That Autumn morning was spectacular – the light golden over the mist blanketed countryside, dew-drenched cobwebs glistening in the sun. An auspicious start to a day promising to deliver so much of interest to the audience.

Excitement was running high at the Arena, everyone knowing that registration had been filled in record time and there was even a waiting list for any places that became available, so there was a huge buzz with everyone feeling privileged to be present. The hum of conversation in the breakout area demonstrated the importance of networking and connecting face-to-face which was so missed during Covid. Attendees from across the psychological professions, stakeholders, representatives of the third sector, trainees and experts by experience from across the North West all in one space, eager to listen to the presentations that were peppered throughout the day.

Phil Gooden, Programme Lead, PPN North West, Gita Bhutani and Liz Kell, joint Co-chairs PPN NW, Elspeth Ward, Leadership Fellow, and the EbE (Experts by Experience) membership had come together in planning the event, fuelled by the PPN vision to curate a programme to stimulate, unite, inform, enable and influence the audience (and, from my perspective, that was what was delivered!!).

I wish you had been there to experience yourselves the powerful deliveries and the sense of unity with everyone focused on how the psychological professions together share their roles and psychological knowledge with the public (who have varied experience of services and what the roles offer). So, a focus on that message and the psychological professions family brand was key, alongside that of equity, in speaking to the need for diversity in the professions and engagement with pupils throughout their school journey in order to open doors to training, particularly when disadvantage is a barrier.

Presentations were interspersed with small-group work and interactive components bringing a new level of energy to conversation and allowing people to speak and share their concerns and perspectives. Attendees really engaged with the topics being discussed. The branding workshop generated some fantastic under two-hundred-character options to share what the psychological professions do. Later in the afternoon, in small groups we considered how to address diversity in the psychological professions and how we can innovate to increase inclusion and grow a more diverse workforce.

So many inspiring people spoke at this event. John Herring, Director of Organisational Development and Culture, NHS Greater Manchester gave the keynote delivery on identity and culture, with powerful reflections on how our identity shapes us as a result of our life experiences and the barriers/facilitators we must navigate as a result. The EbE Steering Group members, in a pre-recorded segment, shared views on what the psychological professions offer and what this means to them. Next, the workshop was a fantastic opportunity to work creatively with some entertaining use of Mentimeter as an icebreaker. I facilitated a small group myself, encouraging the group to think outside the box and innovate around the ask. After much rich discussion, brand versions were submitted with the final choice below selected by the Bolton Arena staff:

Listening and talking with you, helping you make sense of what you are going through to feel better.

The brand message succinctly spoke to what the psychological professions do, and do so well. After lunch Ali Wheeler, CEO WeMindTheGap, spoke to the theme of diversity and engaging the next generation of psychological professionals. Using the powerful narratives of young people, Ali and her colleagues have worked to overcome adversity and effect change in the lives of young people they work with, through supporting agency.

This was followed by pre-recorded Talking Heads videos from Reb Aziz-Brook, Kate Ballout and Ste Mulhaney-Clements sharing the less common routes they had taken to join the psychological professions. And finally a presentation by Leon Pietrzak, Development Manager Youth Engagement NHS England, and Will Curvis Clinical Psychologist, University of Lancaster, speaking to attracting the next generation into the psychological professions. Their presentations detailed the barriers that can be overcome with new and novel approaches, including introducing- ‘Ambassadors’ -with a call to action to sign up and take those conversations as role models for the psychological professions into schools and colleges, to start to open the doors which disadvantage, lack of opportunity and knowledge means are closed often far too soon. I am passionate about this myself and fully support this initiative. This led to small groups discussing and feeding back their takeaways by roving microphone, leaving all of us uplifted, motivated and with a question in our minds ‘what can we do to make a difference’?

After the closing comments by Phil, Gita and Liz, people were really reluctant to leave and, reflecting on that day, I can still hear those voices and their passion as I sign off and wish you all well until the next PPN NW blog.

Take care of yourselves

Ali Bryant

Links - wemindthegap.org.uk

#ClassClinPsych Collective This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.