Black Clinical Psychologists' Lived Experiences of Career Progression in the United Kingdom

IF 1.3 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Pub Date : 2025-09-12 DOI:10.1002/capr.70041

Melissa McRae, Carolyn Gordon, Greg Stocks, Roberta Babb

{"title":"Black Clinical Psychologists' Lived Experiences of Career Progression in the United Kingdom","authors":"Melissa McRae, Carolyn Gordon, Greg Stocks, Roberta Babb","doi":"10.1002/capr.70041","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objectives</h3>\n \n <p>This study aimed to gain a better understanding of Black clinical psychologists' experiences of career progression in the United Kingdom (UK).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Design</h3>\n \n <p>A qualitative design was employed. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research design.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted online to explore 11 Black clinical psychologists' experiences of career progression.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Using the IPA process, three themes emerged: (1) ‘Working five times as hard to get half as far’, describing participants' experiences of having to work above and beyond to access the same opportunities as their White colleagues; (2) ‘A Psychologist who happens to be Black or a Black Psychologist’, reflecting participants' experiences of being othered and confronting the pressure and responsibility of being Black in a White-dominated profession; and (3) a catalyst to moving forward, highlighting interpersonal and intrapersonal sources of support that contribute to workforce well-being and positively influence career progression.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusion</h3>\n \n <p>The findings provide vital insight into participants' experiences of both barriers and facilitators to career progression throughout their professional careers. In addition, the research highlighted the need for training courses, organisations and NHS Trusts to demonstrate commitment to providing equitable career development opportunities.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":46997,"journal":{"name":"Counselling & Psychotherapy Research","volume":"25 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/capr.70041","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Counselling & Psychotherapy Research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.70041","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to gain a better understanding of Black clinical psychologists' experiences of career progression in the United Kingdom (UK).

Design

A qualitative design was employed. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research design.

Methods

One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted online to explore 11 Black clinical psychologists' experiences of career progression.

Results

Using the IPA process, three themes emerged: (1) ‘Working five times as hard to get half as far’, describing participants' experiences of having to work above and beyond to access the same opportunities as their White colleagues; (2) ‘A Psychologist who happens to be Black or a Black Psychologist’, reflecting participants' experiences of being othered and confronting the pressure and responsibility of being Black in a White-dominated profession; and (3) a catalyst to moving forward, highlighting interpersonal and intrapersonal sources of support that contribute to workforce well-being and positively influence career progression.

Conclusion

The findings provide vital insight into participants' experiences of both barriers and facilitators to career progression throughout their professional careers. In addition, the research highlighted the need for training courses, organisations and NHS Trusts to demonstrate commitment to providing equitable career development opportunities.

查看原文本刊更多论文

英国黑人临床心理学家职业发展的亲身经历

本研究旨在更好地了解英国黑人临床心理学家的职业发展经历。设计采用定性设计。本研究采用解释现象学分析（IPA）的研究设计。方法采用一对一半结构化访谈法，对11名黑人临床心理学家的职业发展经历进行在线调查。使用IPA过程，出现了三个主题：(1)“努力工作五倍，却只取得一半的成果”，描述了参与者必须加倍努力才能获得与白人同事相同机会的经历；(2)“碰巧是黑人的心理学家或黑人心理学家”，反映了参与者在白人主导的职业中被他人和面对黑人压力和责任的经历；(3)成为前进的催化剂，强调人际和个人的支持来源有助于员工的福祉，并对职业发展产生积极影响。研究结果对参与者在整个职业生涯中职业发展的障碍和促进因素提供了重要的见解。此外，该研究还强调了培训课程、组织和NHS信托基金对提供公平职业发展机会的承诺的必要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Counselling & Psychotherapy Research PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Counselling and Psychotherapy Research is an innovative international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to linking research with practice. Pluralist in orientation, the journal recognises the value of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods strategies of inquiry and aims to promote high-quality, ethical research that informs and develops counselling and psychotherapy practice. CPR is a journal of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, promoting reflexive research strongly linked to practice. The journal has its own website: www.cprjournal.com. The aim of this site is to further develop links between counselling and psychotherapy research and practice by offering accessible information about both the specific contents of each issue of CPR, as well as wider developments in counselling and psychotherapy research. The aims are to ensure that research remains relevant to practice, and for practice to continue to inform research development.