Welcome to 2024! Exciting news on the release of the Psychological Professions Workforce Census 2023

Welcome to 2024. It’s been a blustery start to the year but, being positive, so many things to celebrate already. In particular, the Psychological Professions Workforce Census was published on the 12^th of January 2024. This document and its contents are vital in showcasing the 21 Psychological Professions and supporting the long-term workforce plan. To explore more about your specific role, the profession as a whole and the growth in training and in diversity within the professions in NHSE, please follow this link below.

NHS Benchmarking Psychological Professions Workforce Census 2023

Something else new to celebrate in 2024 is that the PPN NW newsletter has had a reboot and refresh. The newsletter contains a wealth of information that will inform, engage and support all psychological professions and professionals in the North West. If you are reading this blog but have not yet joined the PPN as a member, please do at the link below as either a psychological professional or stakeholder member (expert by experience/interested member of the public) as there is so much here to interest you on what is happening in your region and also news of what’s happening throughout the PPN nationally. If you become a member you will receive the newsletter automatically.

https://ppn.nhs.uk/membership/membership-types

Now, as promised, some feedback from Keith and Joe on their experiences of supporting the Lancaster and Manchester DClin programmes. What was the experience like? What is important to them about sharing their lived experience to benefit trainees? Why is grounding training and theory with lived experience necessary? Keith and Joe are inspirational stakeholder members of the PPN and also members of the PPN NW EbE Steering Group. Here are their reflections on why it is vital for EBEs to be involved in training to shape both the practitioners and practice of tomorrow.

What was it like meeting the cohort for the first time on the Lancaster programme and what really struck you about that involvement?

Keith: LUPIN (Lancaster University Public Involvement Network) supports the doctorate in clinical psychology programme. In the introduction to the cohort meeting, it was really about sharing lived experience and knowledge of the processes and challenges of mental health in the grey fluctuating complex areas of sorting out the mind. The trainees listened and asked questions to support their understanding and growth. The LUPIN group in itself is well supported and integrated into the programme which on reflection is essential for both trainees and the LUPIN individuals who are service users. Trust for me is the key word, it is the understanding between me, the trainees and the DClin team, and I feel privileged to be a member.

Thank you Keith, it is really important to have lived experience embedded in training. I know how valued your authentic voice of lived experience and knowledge will have been to trainees and the resonance that your involvement will have for them all their professional lives. It is so nice for me to hear your thoughts and appreciation of everything LUPIN, the programme and the team are doing to support trainees on their training journey.

Hi Joe, please share with us your experience of taking part in the CLG (Community Liaison Group) introduction to the year 1 cohort, how did that feel for you, what was the atmosphere like, how did the trainees react?

Joe:  Each year the University of Manchester Doctorate in Clinical Psychology year one trainees meet the department's Experts by Experience from the CLG- Community Liaison Group in a session where the focus is on community perspectives and service user expectations of therapy.

For trainees the learning outcomes are to:

* Have awareness and understanding of co-production and engagement with Experts by Experience and Carers to ensure that their needs are met.

* To understand the CLG's role and how they are involved and contribute.

* To appreciate the value of service user / carer involvement in clinical training and the need for effective collaborative relationships in therapy.

* To reflect on CLG members’ experiences of helpful and not so helpful professional responses and interventions in mental health services. 

The session began with screening the PPN NW animation video on experts by experience and what their role is within the NHS. We also discussed the role the CLG play in their three-year training journey, such as in feeding back on their clinical skills in live observation tasks.  In small groups we shared why we were there, our journey to the CLG, and reflected on any similarities that emerged and what we have to offer each other.

Themes emerged from this discussion including that for some trainee’s family members or friends struggling to cope with mental health challenges had steered them towards Clinical Psychology training. Trainees were interested to know what therapeutic pathways we had tried and what worked and what didn't and why. Another activity was to consider a client and clinical psychologist meeting for the first time and make sense of client and therapist expectations. EbE’s gave trainees reassurance that the most important aspect of a first meeting in any therapy was to have an empathetic person in the room to share their concerns. I was really struck by the openness of the group, their keen listening skills and how quickly a rapport was established. 

 One final reflection is a difficulty involving numbers as with most courses, Manchester DClin has increased from 24 trainees in 2019 to 43 in the new cohort. As a result we also have increased the number of EbE’s (hurrah!) but it means that sessions must be held in lecture theatres to accommodate everyone which does have an impact on small group work re noise and sharing in the space. The price of success maybe? 

Thank you, Joe, for your reflections on your involvement in training and for all of us to reflect on growing our EbE groups for training courses to support growth in trainee numbers as the vision of the LTWP in regard to the psychological professions growth and targets becomes a reality.

If you know that your training courses for any of the psychological professions has gaps where the lived-experience voice can ground theory, please reach out to us in the PPN NW EbE Steering Group to see how we can help you or offer you resources and advice.

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Coming next month as promised an inspirational interview with Elsie Whittington and Grace Ward on their youth participation work and projects.

Please do get in touch with us with any suggestions for this blog content or for any advice we can offer, or for any resources we can suggest, particularly the EBE animation and/or EDI toolkit.

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Until next month, take care of yourselves,

Ali