By Shahara Bari, BSc Psychology and Criminology 2020
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/shahara-a-bari-b022041b7
The transition from university student to graduate can be a daunting experience. Since graduating in 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, I experienced a lot of ambivalence around my next steps. I debated between the sectors of psychology I wanted to pursue, and finally dedicated my efforts in Clinical Psychology. This post will give an overview of how I have navigated post-grad psychology life.
Experience during UG
I started my journey in the mental health sector during my undergraduate studies, as I worked in varied part-time roles which allowed me to develop the soft skills and competencies to decide whether this was the career for me. I worked across various client demographics as a support worker and later a mental health care assistant. These roles were my first clinical experiences, where I supported daily living and personal activities for clients.
As well as building on my clinical experience through external job roles, I utilised the opportunities at RHUL to work as an honorary research assistant. As part of this role, I conducted practical research for a Speech and Language project alongside a Psychology Professor. This was a brilliant opportunity to build up these research competencies for my upcoming dissertation and have been instrumental in my professional life post-grad.
Experience Post Grad
As a graduate, I was able to secure a place as a Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), working within the NHS IAPT service. This is a one-year trainee course where I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Low Intensity CBT, whilst working a clinical caseload. I learnt key skills such as conducting assessments, formulations and delivering treatments in the LICBT model.
After working as a qualified practitioner, I joined my current team working as an Assistant Psychologist. This role has been a massive learning curve for me and given me the opportunity to work with a plethora of diagnoses and complexities. Working closely with clinical psychologists and psychiatrists has provided me with invaluable insight into the profession and allowed me to continually reflect on my personal and professional development.
Alongside clinical work, I have also developed my experiences in the research field. Over the last few years, I have worked on several various research projects. During a recent project, I worked alongside service users from ethnic minorities which collated their thoughts and views on how to develop and improve the NHS psychological services. This was an extremely rewarding project, as I worked within a different modality of psychology and was truly able to collaborate with clients to ensure their needs and voices are echoed within services.
I have also published my UG dissertation in a peer-reviewed journal. The process taught me an unbelievable amount about the dissemination of research. It allowed me to collaborate alongside amazing editors and my supervisor to make an impactful contribution to the evidence-base.
What do I wish I had known?
I wish I had known about all the roles available for psychology graduates to kickstart a career. Through my own research in the worm holes of Google, becoming an AP straight after graduation sounded like the only way to get to where I wanted to be. I experienced rejection after rejection the first few months after graduating and it was extremely demotivating. I questioned a lot of my career choices, and almost decided that I would not succeed in the field altogether. I quickly learnt that was not true. Yes, some students get straight onto AP roles which is brilliant, however if you don’t there are so many alternative routes out there. It is just a matter of expanding your outlook on what a career in Clinical Psychology looks like.
My advice looking back is go into your post graduate journey with no solid expectation of what ‘should’ or ‘must’ happen for you to succeed. Allow yourself a bit more compassion and take time to explore other routes to your end goals – there always is one.
I wish I had also known to ‘expect rejection’. The end of your studies is an ambiguous period, which is very anxiety provoking. Rejection from applications and interviews does not help. Remember psychology is an incredibly competitive field, and rejection is a normal experience within it. It is easy to allow this to influence of self-esteem and confidence, however it is important to promote self-belief where possible.
From a more practical lens, my advice would be varying your experience as much as possible and explore any route that piques your interest. By exploring these routes, it allows you to make a firm decision about your next steps, and truly enjoy it. Once I made my decision about Clinical Psychology, I worked in reverse. I used information and job specifications for this role and worked towards gaining small skills in those areas. To find these roles, using sites such as NHS.jobs and Indeed are brilliant. However, a hidden gem I wish I knew sooner is social media. Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. LinkedIn. By following pages oriented to your chosen field, you often come across roles which are not as heavily advertised on sites such as NHS.jobs and Indeed.
Final words: Don’t set yourself up for failure by having rigid and unforgiving expectations about moving forward. Be prepared for unexpected change and opportunities as that is all part of the journey of Psychology.
Please feel free to contact me on LinkedIn with any questions or for any advice. I am happy to assist!