Psychological Professions Week 2022 - What Psychological Professions Week means to Molly, Assistant Psychologist and member of the North West Psychological Professions Network

Molly Lever, Assistant Psychologist and part of the North West Psychological Professions Network.

As a first time assistant psychologist I had no idea what the Psychological Professions Network (PPN) was before I started working with them through my role in the NHS. Now, I wish I’d been introduced to them sooner.

I was brought into the PPN as part of my role as assistant psychologist with one of our PPN co-chairs, Gita Bhutani. I had little knowledge about what to expect and what level of involvement I would have with both the North West and National teams. In the few months I have been part of the PPN team my work within the PPN has mostly been behind the scenes; reviewing our governance documents to ensure they are up to date and relevant to today’s psychological professions world, keeping track of regional objectives, and I also have the opportunity to (virtually) sit in on Board meetings that have allowed me to meet a great range of individuals and hear about the future of the professions.

Prior to joining the PPN, I would have assumed that the network was only open to qualified psychological professionals so I was surprised and grateful to learn that assistant psychologists are welcome to join too. This makes the network that much more accessible to aspiring psychological professionals and gives individuals the opportunity to learn outside of their job roles (and meant I could join the network myself!).

Psychological Professions Week is set to deliver an incredible and insightful conference this year! As an aspiring psychological professional myself, there are a number of sessions that highlight the work the PPN is involved in that aims to expand and support the psychological workforce as it grows to meet the demand of psychological healthcare.

• Wednesday’s Morning Session - What can the PPN do for me, and what can I do for the PPN?
• Thursday’s Morning Session - Progressing your career in the psychological professions.
• Thursday’s Afternoon Session - Showcasing alternative career routes: experiences of the new psychological practitioner roles.

These sessions show the commitment the PPN has to aspiring psychological professionals. In addition, the rest of the week boasts a variety of sessions from both the national and regional networks that celebrate the professions, professionals and those who access psychological professionals’ services!

As someone who is still a recent graduate I am so excited to take advantage of the free events going on during Psychological Professions Week and look forward to seeing what I can learn and take back to my personal journey into psychological professions. The PPN and Psychological Professions Week is something I wish I had known about sooner so that I could have had access to all the resources it provides to its members (and non-members) to navigate the routes into and worlds of psychological professions.

To view the full week’s programme and register for the conference (it’s free!), please follow this link: https://www.ppn.nhs.uk/   

Lastly, we recommend becoming a member of the PPN. It is free and gives you access to the latest updates, events and newsletters. To become a member please follow this link: https://www.ppn.nhs.uk/membership/why-join-us  

We look forward to seeing you at #PsychologicalProfessionsWeek2022!