This thesis explores the experiences and discourses of two groups of professionals, firstly police/law enforcement personnel, and secondly, newly qualified clinical psychologists. Chapter one consists of a systematic review which looks at the psychological consequences for police/law enforcement personnel whose role involves exposure to traumatic material, namely, digital child abuse media, as part of their work. This is a systematic review of quantitative studies with a narrative synthesis, and 17 studies were included in the review. Findings suggested that overall, these professionals were experiencing less than anticipated negative psychological consequences resulting from their work. The implications and limitations of this review are discussed in further detail.

Chapter two is a qualitative study, which examines the discourses of eight newly qualified Clinical Psychologists regarding their transition from training and subsequent integration into community mental health teams in the National Health Service. The discourses were analysed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Three main discourses were revealed, which included ‘That was then, this is now’ an overarching discourse with two transition points ‘I can put doctor in front of my name’ and ‘It’s kinda funny looking back’, secondly ‘What we offer isn’t what they want’, and lastly ‘Overhauling the system’. These discourses are discussed in detail in addition to the implications of this study.

Chapter three combines and consolidates findings from the systematic review and the empirical paper to highlight clinical implications, and contributions to theory and practice, including recommendations for future research. This chapter closes with the first authors’ personal reflections on the process of completing the thesis.