‘Talking to people about what matters to them’

What inspired you to pursue Psychology as a career path?

Well, initially I chose A-level psychology to 'fill up my timetable', as my sixth form said I needed another A-level. I was all set on a career in aviation and so my subjects were computer science, maths and geography. Psychology looked vaguely interesting so I thought I would choose that one. I think it was my second year in sixth form that I 'discovered' educational psychology. I had an inspiring teacher who told us that he was teaching to then pursue a career in this profession called 'educational psychology'. I had never heard of it before then, but after a little research, my attention was well and truly grabbed.  

Why Educational Psychology?

This is a good question and one that can be tricky to answer. Perhaps the answer for me lies in my own experiences of schooling and education. On the one hand school was a fantastic experience for me. I achieved well academically, had some fantastic teachers, and some incredible opportunities – like a 20-something-week project in year 10 when a group of us got to create art and music at the Tate Modern. This was all in an inner London secondary, and for me speaks to the huge value of extracurricular activities and opportunities, especially centred around the arts.

Alongside this, however, I experienced bullying and was a 'school-avoider', or what now might be called 'emotionally based school avoidance', primarily because of anxiety. Growing up we also had very little money, and education was always framed as 'the way to a better life', but I feel that even from a relatively young age I could see that this often wasn't the case, for many children. I distinctly remember a conversation with my Mum when I was in primary school telling her about a classmate that was in trouble lots, and commenting 'school just isn't for him…' Perhaps here were the foundations of my interests in inclusion, equality and education.

What does a Doctorate in Educational Psychology entail?

The Educational Psychology doctorate in England is a three-year full-time commitment. To gain a place on a doctoral training course you first need a psychology degree accredited by the British Psychological Society, and experience of working with children and families.

The doctorate itself has three key components: academic study, professional practice and research. Trainee Educational Psychologists (TEPs) will spend some time learning at university through seminars and lectures and complete academic assignments and projects. They also need to spend a significant amount of time practising as a trainee, out with educational psychology services under the supervision of a qualified Educational Psychologist. Over the three years of doctoral training, Trainee Educational Psychologists also need to complete a substantial and original piece of research that develops the field of applied professional educational psychology.

You founded edpsy.org.uk; what inspired this?

People might not be familiar with edpsy so I've broadly taken to describing it as an online magazine – there are blogs, an events calendar, Educational Psychology job adverts and information about training to be an Educational Psychologist, and it's all free to access. Essentially the whole platform is designed to be for those interested in education and psychology – by those working in education and psychology.

What first inspired edpsy was a recognition that many Educational Psychologists wanted to have a greater impact and to contribute to conversations where often, Educational Psychologists voice was missing. Of course, there are some great peer reviewed journals for Educational Psychologists, but a journal doesn't necessarily provide the immediacy and responsiveness of an online blog. During my training I talked with many Educational Psychologists who wanted a place to share their practice and research… so I thought 'why not create that place…?' I'm lucky to have a partner who is a web and digital wizard and so we worked for a year building a platform that was clean, fresh and accessible.

My underpinning belief driving edpsy was that Educational Psychologists do some incredible work and have valuable contributions to make to a whole range of topic areas. I always feel indebted to my colleague Dr Oonagh Davies, who once said to me 'if you want to change the track at the party, you really do need to get invited first' – this really encapsulated a lot of what Educational Psychologists were saying five or six years ago. Edpsy is my attempt at amplifying the Educational Psychologist voice so that we do get invited to those discussions and projects that we think are really important, i.e. discussions about children's mental health, supporting refugee children and families, among other things.

It's been quite a phenomenal journey, particularly when I reflect that it's just three of us (me, my partner Rich and my friend and colleague Emily) who have built and grown the platform in our spare time. The support and enthusiasm we have had from educational psychologists has really been beyond our expectations. We've achieved some incredible things by creating something that supports our passionate and skilled community to come together and create in the spirit of collaboration.

Perhaps one of the things I'm most proud of is our work recently to produce the first free, translated, in-depth resource about the work of educational psychologists… the first such resources we're aware of in the profession's 109-year history. We did this with five other educational psychology services who all agreed that this was something important to fund and create. It's this sort of community creativity that really motivates us to continue to build the platform. 

Can you tell me a bit about your role(s) in the BPS, and indeed the BPS more widely, in terms of how you see these meshing with your interest areas and your approach to communication?

I've always seen the BPS as my 'natural home' as a psychologist, and I've been a member since I was an undergrad. Over that time I've been involved in a number of ways.

As an educational psychologist I have been involved extensively in the work of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology (DECP). I started as an associate trainee EP rep, became an elected committee member, took on a 'communications lead' role and then chair of the division alongside my colleague Dr Mel Meheux.

One of my key areas of focus when working within the DECP has been ensuring that we're actually talking to other people… not just ourselves. This involved a lot of work opening up lines of communication between the DECP and our colleagues at the BPS, and also trying to become more outward-focused with members and potential members. From my perspective this work has been about talking to people about what matters to them, rather than focusing solely on what we want to say. 

Alongside my work with the BPS I've also been involved in Member Network Review work which was really rewarding, and demonstrated how passionate members are about the success of the BPS.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

My main role is as a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol, working on the doctoral Educational Psychology training course there.

A typical day usually looks like an early start on campus to catch up with emails and prepare for the day. Teaching sessions are two and a half hours long and this really gives time for some in-depth and insightful discussions about different areas of practice with our trainee Educational Psychologists. Often, we'll meet as a tutor team at some point in the day to catch-up. Throughout the day there'll also often be personal tutorials or perhaps research supervision. The pastoral aspect of the role at Bristol university is significant and getting to know, support and challenge our trainees is a real privilege.

As soon as I get home, that's usually time to direct my attention to edpsy – new blogs or longer reads, offers to join exciting projects and just generally managing the platform is all done in my spare time – so I try to fit that around life. Invariably Yoga is in there somewhere too!

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Often people say the variety of the role… so I'll try and choose something different. In terms of working as an Educational Psychologist, I most enjoy the work that allows space and time for people to come together and think creatively about something that is important to them. Working with a group of people where trust is valued is hugely rewarding. People often seek Educational Psychologists support in really difficult times, and being able to help create an atmosphere of collaboration and mutual support is fantastic.

With my role at Bristol university, I really enjoy the insights and new ways of understanding that our trainee Educational Psychologists bring with them. Every trainee has such a unique background and insight and it's a real privilege to be part of their development as a psychologist.

What do you find most challenging about your job?

Finding the time to fit everything in! This, I admit, is partly my fault as I find it very hard to say no. Project work really excites me and I really do enjoy supporting individuals or services in communicating or disseminating their research and practice. Sometimes balance can be tricky and it's something I imagine I'll always have to work on.

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

Absolutely. During my undergraduate degree I was exposed, for the first time, to ideas like social constructionism, queer theory, feminist theory and the work of Michael Billig. I suppose what they all have in common is a call to develop other ways of seeing and understanding the world as it is presented.

I remember attending a keynote by Michael Billig where he talked about the tendency for psychologists to do something called 'nominalisation' – labelling things rather than describing them, and using passive rather than active voice, perhaps to make ideas seem more 'real' or legitimate, or to use and maintain power. These ideas have stuck with me since my undergrad days and have really informed my approach to practice, particularly in considering use of language when we meet children and families, and how we might write about people and their experiences in our reports. If we're not writing in a way that makes sense to the people we're working with, then there has to be another motive or agenda at play.

I'd say this work and these ideas have underpinned my interest in accessibility, using plain English as a professional psychologist, communication and dissemination. 

And you work in the area of inclusion and equality too?

I've very recently authored a paper 'The climate crisis, children, young people and educational psychology', where one of the key aspects has been about recognising that climate breakdown does not affect all children equally. 

The climate disaster we're facing is inherently unjust. Disabled people, those living in poverty (in whatever country), women and children are all disproportionality affected by climate breakdown. This is true globally, but also in the UK. Ensuring the principle of climate justice is at the centre of EPs considerations about their contribution to this area is a key motivator for me.

Increasingly we're seeing attention focused on children's experiences of 'climate anxiety', which I think risks psychologists being diverted to consider their role in a narrow, reactionary way. If we recognise and understand the inequality baked into the climate crisis, my hope is that we can direct our efforts to systemic concerns, directly leading to change relevant to the most vulnerable children. 

For example, I don't see any reason why psychologists could not be contributing to housing planning decisions advocating for green space, play facilities and creating communities, not just housing. Such approaches draw on our understanding of the impact of global heating, community psychology, and the necessity of play from children's development.

What advice would you give to others that may be interested in pursuing a career as an Educational Psychologist?

My advice would be to try to cultivate an orientation towards learning and reflection in every job role you do, even the earliest roles. Try to always ask the question 'what is my learning from this experience?' – positive or negative! From here you can start to really unpick what influenced you to act in certain ways, or make particular choices. Maybe it was a line of thinking you had, or maybe something external like a tight deadline. This type of understanding and thinking is key to the Educational Psychologist role.

I'd say it's also important to think about leadership in every role you do. By leadership I don't mean a specific role or job title, but rather the things that you do. How might you go beyond your role description? Can you support others to make effective change? How did you do that?

Asking these questions and learning to think in this way will support your development as you pursue a career in Educational Psychology.