One-on-one with divisional director of therapies Dr Anne Crawford-Docherty

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

My first motivation was to study psychology – I hadn't realised it was possible to have a career in psychology. I had the opportunity to study psychology as an extra on the school timetable long before the days of A level psychology. I didn't know what the subject was, but it was scheduled against an outdoor activity and it was October! So psychology it was. I fell in love with the subject, so applied to study it at university instead of my previous plan of languages. My French teacher challenged me and asked why I was going to study this fringe witchcraft subject! 

Times were very different in the early 1980s. I studied in Huddersfield and employment prospects were poor in the mid-1980s. So, after getting my degree I worked as a volunteer and then paid worker in a 3rd sector alcohol service for three years. One of the other volunteers brought in some information regarding the then MSc in Clinical Psychology. It looked like an interesting course, so I applied and was successful.

What was it specifically about clinical psychology that you were drawn to?

The ability to use psychological theories to help people. I also liked the fact that there were a number of client groups that we would work with as I felt that I had specialised early in alcohol services. So, a combination of psychology as a subject, breadth of application, and academic level/rigour. 

You were involved in setting up a Counselling Psychology Doctorate programme back in the 90s. What did that entail and what was that experience like, especially coming from a clinical psychology background?

I had had a number of supervisors during my clinical psychology training who were excellent therapists and promoted therapy practice over discipline. As I had come from the 3rd sector, I was also aware that excellent therapeutic work was provided outside of the clinical psychology discipline. So I knew who were key stakeholders in the clinical psychology community for this development as well as who/where there would be resistance. However, I also recognised the strength of a psychology-based discipline having taught people at Wolverhampton University on therapy courses without a psychology undergraduate degree. 

There was an opportunity to enter the counselling psychology market, so Nicky Hart and I grabbed it! My NHS clinical psychology connections meant that we were able to work closely with departments that would value the therapy focus of counselling psychology and treat counselling psychologists as peers. We positioned the course as the only one in the country that was oriented towards NHS services and provided placements as integral to the training. 

You've worked as a consultant clinical psychologist for a number of years, and more recently you've taken up a role as a divisional director of therapies in your trust. What has that transition been like for you, and what does your role involve?

It was a very difficult transition. I had worked in my previous trust for more than 20 years and had amassed significant social and political capital. I knew how to get things done and who were my key helpful people. We had also developed a real vision and movement around recovery and coproduction. In moving I was starting again. My 'little black book' was empty, my cultural understanding of my new organisation was back to 'novice level', and the post-Covid speed and intensity of the work was breathtaking. 

However, I went back to basics – finding my people by making connections, seeding a shared purpose/vision, and focusing on the basics which were at that point addressing the experience of working as psychological therapists in the organisation and working on recruitment. The two things had to go hand-in-hand – you can't recruit if the reputation and experience of working is poor.

My role was initially positioned by others as the lead for a group of people called psychological therapists. However, the title was 'therapies' which I used to articulate the scope being about non-chemical interventions in mental health – all things 'words and relationships'. That enabled me to push at doors and promote a position of psychological needs of clients being everybody's business, an essential foundation for developing a recovery-promoting culture.  

And what does a typical day at work look like for you?

Every day is different but the same – Teams meetings from 8.30 through till 5! The difference comes from the meetings or conversations I have over the day. There is everything from delivering professional supervision and mentoring, chairing meetings that are in developmental stages (so forming, focusing etc), facilitating meetings developing 'the work' (recovery, leadership, culture etc), and facilitating spaces for connection and cuppas together. 

Are there any other streams of work you're currently involved with?

The workstreams I am involved with are extensive as my aim is to shape vision, enhance connection and release energy across our services and professional groups. The streams include: recovery-promoting, trauma-responsive, joy-in-work, C-change culture based on solution-focused leadership, autism-inclusive, 0-25 youth model, all built on 'energy for change', coproduction and continuous improvement. It is an exciting time to work in the BWC mental health services.

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

The most transformational experience I have had to date was completing The School 4 Change Agents. It introduced me to new power and social movements as a means of creating change in public services and enabled me to connect with NHS Horizons. I recommend the training (it is free and consists of five webinars) to everyone I come across and I ask all my psychological therapy leads to complete it.

My other transformational moment was my PhD in organisational development. This led me to read across anthropology, political science and institutional theory, and to discover realist evaluation – the 'how does this work' question in research that informed the work I led on recovery culture across the West Midlands – how does recovery happen?

What pearls of wisdom would you like to share with other psychologists that are early on in their career journeys?

Remember that psychologists are human change agents – we are the only discipline in the NHS whose foundation theories are about human beings in general, not about people with problems. Everything we do is about human change; therapy is about facilitating personal change, supervision is about development and change, etc. We use the interventions of relationship, eliciting motivation, sense-making and behaviour change across all our activity, whatever band we are in. So, value your undergraduate training – it's the foundation for all that we do!

In addition, don't marry your vision – i.e. stay open to new opportunities that may take you in directions you haven't anticipated. I have never had a career plan but have taken opportunities that have enabled me to work with talented people, to work in areas that have helped me grow, and work to make a difference to people's lives.