Declarations of independence

Christine's CV, which lists nearly 20 distinct roles, moving from work in the public sector to associate consultancy with a variety of organisations, gives her a clear vision of the issues surrounding independent working.

'Historically the British Psychological Society developed around a particular model,' Christine tells me: 'that most of its members initially trained and worked within the NHS and that independent practitioners were often people at the end of their careers, winding down as part of their transition into retirement. Of course some people didn't follow this route as different divisions and application areas developed, but we've seen career models change substantially in the last five to ten years.'

Christine points out that 'occupational psychologists often have a foot in independence', and that 'changes in work practice, funding and client need have meant more and more clinical, counselling, and educational psychologists follow one of the independence models. Burnout or dissatisfaction cause psychologists previously employed within education or health to consider moving out to be able to provide a service that they can take a huge amount of pride in. There are different motives for considering this path and different speeds with which people take it.'

Who counts as an independent practitioner?

To summarise the Special Group for Independent Practitioners website, members will include Chartered and, where appropriate, HCPC registered members of the Society who provide psychological services in any area of practice and follow our Code of Conduct and Practice Guidelines, and the HCPC Code of Conduct when required.

The group's aim is to represent independent practitioners; to advise those thinking of going independent and, once they've made that transition, help them to make a success of it.

They may be: self-employed; a director of their own limited company; a business partner; a member of a cooperative through which they provide their psychological services as their main form of employment or part of the services they offer. 'Independent practitioners are a cross-disciplinary subgroup within the Society. Given the history and developments I've outlined they've been less well represented than they should be. The group's aim is to represent independent practitioners; to advise those thinking of going independent and, once they've made that transition, help them to make a success of it.'

I discussed with Christine that many of independent working issues generalise to other professions; I went through the same process from being fully employed to being self-employed over 20 years ago, and it seemed like leaping off a cliff at the time. 'It's not got easier for psychologists. Insurance companies are becoming increasingly canny. Going independent no longer necessarily offers the financial rewards people once thought it did.'

What are the sorts of issues newly independent practitioners need help with?

'Valuing their own expertise. Working for one organisation narrows what you think you can do. Psychologists often need real help marketing themselves; this is a generalisation but they're reticent about highlighting their tremendous skills and experience. Like many professionals they often find it difficult to set or negotiate fees. People coming out of employed roles – often quite senior ones – have little experience of areas such as setting up IT systems, financial reporting and taxation and making a choice about which of the structures they want to set up.'

What sorts of activities does the group undertake?

'We run peer practice hubs every month sharing experiences of being an independent practitioner psychologist; we have a discussion list where members share information and tips on being an IP; we have a newsletter and webinars such as one on social media and another on marketing. We will be running events on pricing structures and collaborative models of practice and on self care for independent practitioners.

'We have an advocacy role within the Society. We're still, to some extent, a sideshow but we're making progress. I suspect a lot of members think we're largely a Group for clinical and counselling psychologists but, for reasons I've suggested, this is not the case. We'd like more members from other divisions and we are keen to make short presentations to Division and Group Committees to provide succinct introductions to how we benefit their independent practitioner members. We're really excited about the fact that we have made really substantial progress with the Society's Professional Development Unit. They're looking at CPD specifically for independent practitioners working in all branches of psychology. Overall my aim is to get to a point where all Society members know about the group's existence and the sorts of issues independents face.'

'My experience was of working with honourable, efficient, and very clever people'

Christine's involvement with the group, and with the DOP, reflects her varied work experience. She grew up in the working-class East End of Glasgow. Moving to a 'more prosperous school in Sussex  introduced her to psychology. 'We watched a video of Carl Rogers and I said, "I want to work with people just as he did".'

Christine studied psychology at Cardiff but 'hated the behaviourist bias. The area I really took to was social psychology. I went on to do a course in personnel management in Edinburgh. I took part in a negotiation exercise and was told "You're a natural trade unionist" which rather challenged my career ambition to be an HR Manager!' Since then Christine has achieved Chartered Occupational Psychologist status, as well as trained in areas from transactional analysis, various coaching approaches, and assessment.

All too often public sector organisations are seen as bureaucratic and inefficient compared with the private sector.

'A really major influence on me was working for the Department of Employment. It was a time of huge expansion in the Manpower Services Commission and I felt I was part of a genuinely innovative organisation which was doing excellent work.'

It is impossible to describe all the roles Christine has undertaken but I asked her to talk more generally about her experiences. 'I've worked extensively on areas such as leadership development, organisational development, and coaching within the NHS. The ethics of the NHS really impress me. I actually loved working in the public sector. All too often public sector organisations are seen as bureaucratic and inefficient compared with the private sector. Yet my experience was of working with honourable , efficient, and very clever people who were highly motivated. The public sector itself often thought it was behind the curve but in areas where I worked – employment practices, recruitment, assessment for instance – they were very professional and innovative. Public sector organisations possess clear, agreed aims; something private sector companies, sometimes, have to work harder at.'

Since moving more into associate work, Christine has extensive experience of both public and private sector work. 'Actually they're more alike than most commentators think. I've suggested some differences. The job titles and language vary. It's sometimes easier to admit to weakness in the public sector. What impressed me about the private sector was the drive for efficiency, the constant questioning  about whether an intervention is actually making a difference. Managers want evidence of effectiveness and this fits with psychologists' commitment to evidence-based practice.'

Avoiding traps

Linking the first part of our interview with the second, I asked Christine what her experience of becoming an independent practitioner was like. 'I felt really nervous when funds didn't come in regularly. Because of that, eight or nine years ago I was working seven days a week, not taking any holiday. If someone offered me work, I said "yes" no matter how busy I was. That's a trap a lot of people fall into and it can be very dangerous. Fortunately, it's much better now. Now I chose what work I do and I focus on team and individual coaching, leadership development and transitions to retirement.'

How has Covid, and the need to do more work online affected you as an independent?

'It's been both good and bad. In some ways it's made access to international colleagues, conferences, and research easier and less expensive. I've learnt a lot about having real respect for ethnic minorities from New Zealand and Australian colleagues, for instance. But I have to say I find myself more distracted during online conference sessions and webinars. You can coach online but it does have downsides. It's more difficult to get commitment to the task, it's easier for a client to cancel a session online and it's sometimes difficult to read peoples reactions. So, I insist that our contracting meeting and the first coaching meeting  are face-to-face. That establishes the right depth of connection and trust.'

And what does the future hold?

'I'm very interested in the work I'm doing on transition to retirement. It has a personal resonance. I'm committed to my work as Chair of the Special Group for Independent Practitioners but, similarly to the experience of going independent, I'm re-evaluating what happens next in my life.'