TY - JOUR

T1 - Bridging the Social Class Gap: Experiences of Working-Class Trainee Clinical Psychologists

AU - Place, Katie

AU - Crew, Teresa

AU - Saville, Christopher

PY - 2024/6/9

Y1 - 2024/6/9

N2 - The higher one’s social class status, the more likely one is to gain a place on the UK Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). Working-class trainees are a minority group in DClinPsy training and there are known detrimental impacts associated with being part of a minority group. The aim of this project was to capture the experiences of working-class trainee clinical psychologists when acculturating to UK DClinPsy training. Thematic analysis was used on the data collected from thirteen semi-structured interviews. A Bourdieusian and Yossosian framework and interactive acculturation model and social constructionist theoretic stance were adopted. There was a common trajectory that trainees described when acculturating to the profession (awareness of being different, shame and change, pride and embrace and integration of selves), one that was impacted by whether the respondents felt that class was an invisible (the assumptions that trainees are middle-class, an unspoken social identity and unhelpful conversations) or visible (helpful conversations and being seen and represented) social identity during DClinPsy training. Leading to recommendations for DClinPsy courses to have clear structures that enable and facilitate helpful conversations about social class. As well as ensuring there are support structures available that can enrich trainees’ personal and professional identity development and help them to bring strengths associated with being working-class along with them into their clinical practice. Finally, having robust and transparent feedback channels to allow the course to continually adapt to meet working-class trainee’s needs.

AB - The higher one’s social class status, the more likely one is to gain a place on the UK Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). Working-class trainees are a minority group in DClinPsy training and there are known detrimental impacts associated with being part of a minority group. The aim of this project was to capture the experiences of working-class trainee clinical psychologists when acculturating to UK DClinPsy training. Thematic analysis was used on the data collected from thirteen semi-structured interviews. A Bourdieusian and Yossosian framework and interactive acculturation model and social constructionist theoretic stance were adopted. There was a common trajectory that trainees described when acculturating to the profession (awareness of being different, shame and change, pride and embrace and integration of selves), one that was impacted by whether the respondents felt that class was an invisible (the assumptions that trainees are middle-class, an unspoken social identity and unhelpful conversations) or visible (helpful conversations and being seen and represented) social identity during DClinPsy training. Leading to recommendations for DClinPsy courses to have clear structures that enable and facilitate helpful conversations about social class. As well as ensuring there are support structures available that can enrich trainees’ personal and professional identity development and help them to bring strengths associated with being working-class along with them into their clinical practice. Finally, having robust and transparent feedback channels to allow the course to continually adapt to meet working-class trainee’s needs.

M3 - Article

JO - Journal of Class and Culture

JF - Journal of Class and Culture

SN - 2634-1123

ER -