One-on-one with consultant clinical psychologist Dr Sobia Khan

Can you tell me a bit about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in psychology?

I was curious and contemplative as a child, which drew me to psychology. I felt an intuitive ability to connect with people's feelings and read my environment. I was touched by mental health issues within the family, and this gave me exposure to the impact of mental health services from a young age. These experiences prompted me to study psychology at university out of an interest in understanding people better. 

Why clinical psychology?

My sister worked on an acute inpatient mental health ward when she was training to be a social worker; she encouraged me to apply for a healthcare assistant vacancy. I hadn't set out to become a clinical psychologist. I really enjoyed spending time with patients. Hearing their life stories helped me make sense of the challenges they were facing. During the summer I would open the doors for the whole day. We would sit outside drinking tea, listening to reggae music, organising Bollywood themed nights. I was even allowed to cook curry with patients for the ward. 

Our work hinges on creating a safe space for people to share their deepest thoughts and emotions. I recorded narratives and disclosures of abuse with the expectation that this may inform care plans. I became disillusioned upon realising that information shared often led only to medication adjustments or increased/reduced restrictions, overlooking deeper psychological interventions. This inspired me consider clinical psychology as a career.

You've recently taken up a position as a consultant clinical psychologist; what has the transition been like for you?

It has been a journey of gradual growth of confidence. I feel lucky to be supported by a strong network of staff, managers and supervisors within the clinical health psychology network both in the hospitals, community and nationally. The equality & diversity networks have been helpful for me to process experiences that come with being an ethnic minority leader in the NHS. 

I enjoy the strategic influence and freedom I now have to design services with the service user being at the heart of all we do. I believe that the value of psychology should be felt by our stakeholders, and so as a team I encourage focus on design and delivery. If people experience the value of a service, they will want to invest more into it. If they don't, then that is what we need to understand and work on.  

What does your role as a consultant clinical psychologist entail, and what does a typical day look like for you?

I am clinical lead for health psychology, and this involves providing supervision, strategic support, or advocacy to staff within physical health settings. In a typical week, I am hopping between various specialist services including spinal injuries, cancer, paediatric psychology, critical care, bariatric psychology, community clinical health & pain. I do hold a caseload of complex cases and am developing the use of EMDR in our settings. 

This week I had meetings related to urology, gynaecology, renal and sickle cell. There are also ICS-wide projects aiming to improve specialist care pathways across the region. I represent psychology in the SWITCH MDT, which is a local pilot for weight loss. It was great working with GPs, dieticians, physio, surgeons, and endocrinology.

Inevitably there have been challenges, which is all part and parcel of being a senior leader in the NHS. I try to remember our duty in the NHS to service users and the need to address problems when we come across them. This is what many of the enquiries of the NHS demand of us and rightly so.  

During the Covid-19 pandemic, you worked as a psychologist in critical care; what was this experience like?

It was sad, scary, frustrating and relentless, but also incredibly inspiring. It represented what I enjoy the most about working in the NHS. Working as a team with highly skilled, experienced, dedicated multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals, working hard for the sake of service users – with passion (some anger), camaraderie and tears. 

I became hyper-focused on working as best I could. It was difficult to deliver psychological services, when the demand was surging from four wards to 11, with three days cover. I set up a staff wellbeing clinic for staff, which felt like a small contribution to the immense pressure that staff were under. 

The pandemic was a shared global experience which many of us, especially frontline workers, have not fully processed yet. Each of us has our own narrative of what happened and there is a lot of understandable anger and upset, particularly for families. 

You also run a private practice

Yes, I set up Utopia Psychology in 2016 as I was working part-time in the NHS, and I was being approached outside my NHS contract. It has developed organically, and I have a virtual PA. I have learned about running a business and being an Expert Witness for the courts. This has been useful in developing my confidence in a leadership role in the NHS, and vice versa. My clients can be local, national, or international and I enjoy the diversity of the work this brings.

And tell me about your work with Freedom from Torture

Freedom from Torture (FTT) was a special role, which has made the most transformational difference to me both professionally and personally. I was delivering adapted psychological rehabilitation, including EMDR, to survivors of torture and organised violence, from over 70 different countries. Seventy per cent of the work was delivered via an interpreter.

After war, destitution, torture, forced migration, physical problems, multiple family and financial losses, I was always amazed by the strength of the human spirt of FFT clients. They also raised my awareness of disturbing political and media realities, and I am grateful for that education.

Lastly, can you share a piece of work or research that has really changed or influenced your practice?

A book written by BF Skinner called Walden Two, published in 1948. It's a utopian science fiction, and it's Skinner's application of behavioural analysis in a fictional setting. My key learning was to always read original texts. I was taught that behaviourism was about power, control and oppression of free will. But my interpretation of the book was the opposite of this.