Cat with a C

Trainee Clinical Psychologist. Dedicated to using lived experience to challenge social inequality in Clinical Psychology. Mother to mischievous pup 🐶Endo🎗️

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

Seeing and hearing people getting their #dclinpsy offers makes me feel so emotional!

For incoming trainees from marginalised backgrounds here are my thoughts:

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

YES!

[Erin Stevens same handle elsewhere @aclientfirst]

"My membership body says I have to"
"my supervisor says no"
"I was trained this way"
These are all cop-outs! We are responsible for our own ethical decision making. It's not enough to disown our power and tell a client that some invisible power is responsible for our actions.

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

People in hospital for their MH deserve SO. MUCH. BETTER. NHS staff deserve better. Fund our services properly. Listen to us tell you what we’ve been screaming for decades. People deserve robust, safe and effective care. That is the bare 🤬 minimum, and we aren’t there yet.

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

Has Liz Kendall ever, just once, stepped foot onto a ward? Does anyone behind this appalling policy have even the slightest clue about what kind of suffering is endured or About how wards aren’t allowed to be truly therapeutic because of systemic pressures? 1/

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

I for one would be happily uncooperative as far as this proposal is concerned. Also if anyone has access to this apparent ‘trial’ data I’d be SO curious to see what is actually says

[Alison Moore @alijanemoore also on Bluesky @AliJaneMoore]

Sorry but no. Someone who is ill enough to require inpatient admission in a mental health hospital is not at the right place to discuss getting a job. And I suspect a lot of doctors will not co-operate with this.

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

The four horsemen of the apocalypse:

1) Ethics application
2) My luteal phase
3) Whatever new plague I’ve picked up from my CAMHS placement.
4) Setting up a new IT account on placement.

#dclinpsy

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

Hot take: Formulation-driven therapy, OT, housing support, benefit advisors, support to leave abusive relationships/systems are the forms of support that should be offered to those in distress. Work is not, and should not be a universal measure of ‘wellness’.

[Stats for Lefties 🍉🏳️‍⚧️ @LeftieStats]

🚨 BREAKING: Patients on mental health wards with "serious mental health problems" will be visited by job coaches to get them back to work, says Labour.

The policy is part of Liz Kendall's plan to cut welfare. Kendall said: "I want to see those costs coming down".

(Via BBC)

[Dr Jay Watts @Shrink_at_Large]

We urgently need the right people visiting those in mental health hospitals: therapists, benefits advisors, housing support, domestic abuse and autism specialists. But one thing we absolutely DON’T need? Job coaches. Let’s prioritize care, not pressure.

https://t.co/xJX9rQyKPv

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

The measure nobody asked for 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Erin Stevens same handle elsewhere @aclientfirst]

We're measuring grit now.

[Dr Jay Watts @Shrink_at_Large]

I would say patients labelled with BPD have MORE ‘grit’ than most folk. Do you have any idea how courageous you have to be to try to get help at any level if you’ve been serially let down? By parents? By the state? By the NHS?

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

@carolin47547517 Thank you Caroline ❤️ I’m sorry that you can relate, but really appreciate you sharing your experience. You’re so right, I’m a big believer in “do what works” which has become my motto, just hard sometimes to not compare yourself to others experience x

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

So impaired by endometriosis latelly. The fatigue??? Genuinely can’t describe how hard it is to just get through the day. Acutely aware that training is having a massive impact on my body and I’m frightened I won’t ever get back to ‘normal’. Just constantly drained. #dclin #endo

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

I feel a sense of grief that I’m not enjoying training, I’m merely trying to survive it at the moment. Placement was a safe haven in 1st year and clinical work rejuvenated and energised me but that safety net no longer exists as I head into unfamiliar territory in CAMHS and LD

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

@Lauren_A_Dixon Also I never ‘got’ an AP post and a year after my 3rd and final AP post ‘rejection’ I received my offer to Bath. Don’t let anyone (including yourself) tell you there is only one path to take to achieve whatever you desire for yourself! 🫶🏼

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

@Lauren_A_Dixon It won’t make the feelings you’re experiencing hurt any less (and that’s not the intention) but just a reminder that not getting and AP post is not an indication of your value nor ability to pursue the Dclin ❤️

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

@aramtiaz HEARD. Here in solidarity, message me anytime x

[Ammara 🌙 @aramtiaz]

Doing the #dclinpsy with a disability is hard. That’s it. That’s the post. 🥲

[Lucia Sarmiento Verano @SarmientoVerano]

What is Anti-oppressive therapy?

Exploring your experiences in context: There can be differences in how we are allowed to experience & navigate society. These usually depend on our identities & background, & will have an impact on our mental & emotional well-being long-term.
1/

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

Anyway, hope said ex-manager is having the day they deserve. I’m eating mochi in the sun and brainstorming workshop ideas for the incredible trainee-led inclusivity group I’m a part of on my Dclin course. A group of inspiring trainees on a mission to create change.

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

Also, random, but just remembered a time when following an OH assessment in a pre-training post, my (then) manager called me into her office, pulled up NHS jobs and proceeded to tell me it would be “easier for everyone if I were to find a more suitable position”

[Cat with a C @luceycat1]

Training is exhausting.
I’m tired.
I want to go on holiday.
Now.

- A haiku

#dclinpsy