As a small-scale qualitative study, the findings offer useful insights and pointers
for the clinical psychology profession. It would be of benefit to do a larger-scale
study to further investigate the impacts and professional needs identified here in
relation to clinical psychologists’ psychotherapeutic practice. Many of the issues
noted by these clinical psychologists are likely to be common to other professionals
engaging in psychotherapeutic work. Of significant concern, however, is that some of
the support structures that are standard for allied professional groups, such as
counselling psychologists and psychotherapists, are not standard for clinical
14 A. McMahon
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psychologists. For instance, engaging in personal therapy work during training and
in career-long, regular supervision is required for accreditation with the Irish
Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (2010, 2011) while there is currently
no policy line from PSI on either of these issues for clinical psychologists. This leaves
individual clinical psychologists in the position of either having to independently
recognise the need for such supports and seek them out, or having to work without
such supports. Such a situation is indefensible, given the evidence at this point of the
ongoing personal and professional challenges of psychotherapeutic work, and this
current research adding to this body of evidence. There are recent and positive
developments in professional body guidelines in Ireland and in Britain to support
clinical psychologists’ engagement in ongoing personal and professional development activities, but more needs to be done to ensure that such supports are reliably
and readily accessible to all practitioners.
Acknowledgements
My very grateful thanks to all the psychologists who participated in my workshops and who
generously shared their journal reflections; to Dr Rebecca Quin, for her expert and affirming
feedback and input in relation to my analyses; and to Dr Bobby Moore for his guidance
during the planning of this research