‘Simply observing good leadership can be inspiring’

What inspired you to pursue a career in psychology?

The first 25 years of my life saw me growing up in an academic/clinical family in India. I was sensitised to the continuum of wellness and illness from early on, and was raised to accept and accommodate the diversity around me. Our home was also the epicentre for various gatherings – I had the privilege of witnessing some of the greatest minds debating issues ranging from politics and science to literature and performing arts.

As a child I was always the listener, the observer, absorbing all that was happening around me. But adolescence saw me become a more active participant – questioning and analysing the myriad viewpoints. A voracious reader, I not only devoured the books but began to research the authors, and was surprised by how many of them struggled with their mental health.

Closer to home, I noticed that struggles with mental health were playing out all around me – in my extended family and also our social circle. I watched the unravelling of psychosis from afar, yet close enough to understand the impact on not just those experiencing it, but also their loved ones. I was fascinated, yet equally alarmed, to see how a head-injury sustained in an RTA affected a relation's memory and personality. It was almost like they were a different person. At the same time, as their brain healed, it was a relief to see them becoming more like who they used to be.

That triggered my yearning to understand the complex brain-behaviour-emotions-cognitions dynamics. My curiosity in people and their narratives, my strong need to understand what made them who they were, along with some of the skills I recognised in myself, seemed to make Psychology a clear choice.

Tell me about your career trajectory.

All that a career in clinical psychology had to offer seemed to align with my personal attributes, skillset and my natural curiosity about people – it seemed the best option to hone my skills, advance my knowledge and to make a difference in a palpable way.

After my undergraduate and masters degrees in Psychology, I had a choice to either pursue a doctoral program in the USA or complete the training in India's premiere institute for mental health. I opted for the latter. The grounding that I have in the field is almost entirely due to the excellent training that I received at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences – it was hard work, but so worth it. The training at my Alma Mater was well rounded – not just in clinical psychology but also in related fields like psychiatry, psychopharmacology, and neuroanatomy. This gave me the shared understanding that formed the basis of me feeling well within my comfort zone in future MDT settings. 

I moved to Birmingham soon after my training and started work at the Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre on translational research projects in cognitive neuroscience, including one that developed a neuropsychological test battery for those with post-stroke cognitive deficits and trialled cognitive remediation. I was incredibly lucky to have been selected for a staff developmental scheme that funded my PhD in the same area. After a short break to start and raise a family, I felt ready to return to mainstream clinical practice – which saw me joining the NHS in 2014. I have not looked back since, although I do miss academia!

How would you describe your journey?

Exhilarating, inspiring and extremely rewarding! There have been three main 'forks' that I have had to navigate – the choice of moving from India to England, choosing to return to mainstream clinical work after a stint in research, and choosing to move to general adult mental health after having worked predominantly with Older Adults. Each choice I made was well thought out, and fitted with my work-life balance.

Was it a smooth ride? I wouldn't be entirely honest if I said 'Yes'! I had naively believed that the world was my oyster… little did I know that my qualifications, experience, and dedication were not going to be sufficient to ensure equitable access to opportunities in a work setting where I was from a minority group. It came as a rude shock that my heritage would prove to be a hurdle in a field that was predominantly white, and in which, at least back when I started, there was clear evidence of snowy white peaks. There were a few battles that needed to be fought to be treated fairly, to access opportunities, to break the glass ceiling. The temptation to quit and return to research or do something different was strong – there were moments of despair and disillusionment, but I choose to see them as constructive learning experiences. I was lucky to have nurturing mentors to turn to for support when needed, whose sound advice and guidance I will forever be grateful for.

I'm really pleased to see that there are positive changes that are now taking place across the board. Hopefully, in the not-so distant future, international graduates and people of colour will have a much smoother journey in this sought-after field.

What prepared you for your current role as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and service Lead; and what does your role entail?

Participating in an NHS Mentoring scheme and a course in Health Care Leadership from the NHS Leadership Academy helped enhance my skillset and introduced me to management. During the Pandemic, I was appointed as the Lead for the Older Adult Mental Health Psychological Service for Dudley and Walsall at the Black Country Healthcare Foundation Trust. It was like a baptism by fire that saw me stabilising a service during a very critical time, and initiating clinical provisions that met the needs of older adults, who were among the most affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst managing a new team. It was my first formal leadership role, one that I felt ready for and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I have learned a lot from my previous managers and supervisors: simply observing good leadership can be inspiring, while at the same time coming across examples of poor leadership can also help shape learning. Nurturant, compassionate managers and mentors who gently pushed me out of my comfort zone share the credit for where I am today.

In my current role I look after psychology provisions in South Birmingham ICCR with responsibility for ensuring the delivery of timely, culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions to meet the mental health needs of those we support in the community. Each week is different but the one constant is my weekly clinic: a day that I fiercely protect as it's the only opportunity I have to do direct clinical work! I have been able to channel my passion for equity, inclusion, and embracing diversity by leading on a Quality Improvement project that is looking at improving staff's cultural sensitivity/competence.  Along with this I am a part of management meetings relating to governance, finance, planning, recruitment, strategy and policy making. Along with the usual operational duties, I line-manage a team of staff and also provide clinical supervision to colleagues. I am involved in some aspects of the Community Transformation work. I oversee the training of our Clinical Associates in Psychology in ICCR and also support clinical psychology trainees from the University of Birmingham. My role requires me to establish and maintain links with local and regional health/social care providers, universities and third sector organisations that support our service. No day is ever the same!

What other activities are you involved with professionally?

I have enjoyed supporting the teaching programs for different cohorts including SAS doctors, core psychiatry trainees, medical students and trainee clinical psychologists. More recently, I started supporting the 'Pathfinder' which is a mentoring scheme for Aspiring Clinical Psychologists from minority ethnic groups. I am also a Freedom to Speak Up Champion, a role that helps support the FTSU Guardians in BSMHFT.

Outside of NHS work, I have been working with The Birmingham Course for over 20 years. It is an online revision course that supports core psychiatry trainees who are preparing for their membership examinations.

What would you say a highlight of your career has been?

Hmm… I am struggling to find an answer!

External validation in the form of milestones and acknowledgements pale in comparison to the truly gratifying moment when there is a breakthrough in treatment, when we can make a genuine difference in someone's life either during the course of an intervention or due to a clinical strategy/initiative. At the end of the day, I am a clinician at heart and the role played in getting someone on their recovery journey is one of the most fulfilling and validating experiences for me.

Can you share a book that has really changed or influenced your practice?

Reading Wasteland by Jo Sinclair in my late teens, along with Ayn Rand's books, set me on the road to pursuing Psychology. Books by Arundhathi Roy, Rohiton Mistry, Michael Ondaatje helped me dive vicariously into the protagonists' minds. Noam Chomsky's work on linguistics, Carl Rogers and Irvin Yalom's works on humanistic/existential approaches played their part in shaping me as a clinician.

Since then, there have been so many seminal pieces of work that have influenced me… it is difficult to pick one! In recent years I have been influenced by Paul Gilbert's work on Compassion Focused Therapy and Michael West's books on compassionate leadership.

If you could share any pearls of wisdom with either aspiring or early career clinical psychologists, what would they be?

Fidelity is key – stay focused on what you want to do/achieve, let no one allow you to doubt yourself or your abilities. If something doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't – pause to acknowledge this and articulate it in a constructive manner. Pick your battles wisely – allow yourself to be acquainted with good practice guidelines, key policies, and the law. No learning is ever wasted – most skills are transferable, so please don't feel closeted by your perceived skillset. Embrace the imposter syndrome – because the moment you feel you know it all is the moment you need to beware of!

Most importantly, there is no shame in self-care; please prioritise yourself and look after your wellbeing. There's more to life than just a career – live it to its fullest!

On Twitter: Fauzia = @itsFauziaKhan / Viba = @Theoutsider_vpk