What do you think will be the main challenge
to psychologists in the near future?
As psychologists we need to show how we can make a real difference
to the societies in which we live and work, in our own countries, regions (for
us Europe) and internationally. We need
to demonstrate what the breadth and richness of our discipline can contribute
to solving some of the intractable problems that societies face. These range from sustainability and climate
change, through to the impacts of inequality, exclusion, and poverty.
The European Federation of Psychologists’
Associations (EFPA) uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as
a strategic framework, especially those related to poverty and hunger/
nutrition, education, gender equality, and SDG3 on health and wellbeing for
people of all ages, to highlight the contribution that Psychology can make to
achieving these strategic goals. The challenge for us, as a global community of
professionals, is how we can forge strategic alliances and partnerships that help
us to demonstrate the role and value of Psychology.
Now more than ever, we therefore need to be talking to policy
makers about what psychology offers, about prevention and early intervention,
and cost effectiveness, to the benefit of the citizens. We need to be
talking with our partners about how we can do this together and use our
collective strength through EFPA and through the International Union for
Psychological Science (IUPsyS) to reach the European and global bodies
including EU and UN, presenting our evidence and showing them how psychology
can help.
Another challenge for Psychologists comes from within. Silo working in the sub disciplines of our
profession can be deeply ingrained and often a consequence of training, but we
need to reach out across the discipline. We have the opportunity to present a single,
unified voice of psychology and, perhaps more importantly, the issues we
address are complex and involve key stakeholders from a broad range of
disciplines. We need to forge partnerships and dialogue not just
within but also outside the profession.
Can you talk a little bit about some of the
big issues that you have been advocating in your country?
Making a real difference is at the
heart of the British Psychological Society's (BPS) objectives as set out in our
impact statement:
"People are equipped with the
everyday psychological skills and knowledge to navigate a complex world,
knowing themselves and others better. Everyone can access evidence-based
psychology to enhance their lives, communities and wider society."
To achieve this, BPS has significantly
developed our policy influencing capability across the UK and in the devolved
nations (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales). We use external professional
policy consultants to add expertise, leverage contacts and relationships, and
provide capacity for our work. Over the
next few months we will be investing significantly in the capacity of our
in-house policy team too, to drive our influencing agenda further
forward.
We have set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Psychology
(APPG) at the UK Westminster Parliament, the purpose of which is to raise
awareness amongst parliamentarians and policymakers of the importance and
relevance of psychology, with the goal of maximising the impact of psychology
on public policy. The APPG has so far
considered topics including work, children and young people, criminal justice,
and internet trolling. Coming up are
obesity, and autism.
We also have a policy presence each
year at the main political party conferences (the Conservative and Labour
parties). We go to them in order to progress our policy influencing,
build relationships with policy makers and other stakeholders, and ensure
visibility for the Society. The set up
facilitates meetings with members of parliament and their staff. There are ‘fringe events’ too which involve
for example politicians, professional organisations, journalists, think tanks,
and leaders from public and third sector organisations which address key
challenges. They are good opportunities
to make and renew connections with others to contribute to making a
difference.
One of the challenges Psychologists
can face is the apparent fragmentation of our message to policymakers, talking
about such a wide range of topics (to cite just a few: work, children and young people, education,
mental health, physical health such as obesity, criminal justice, environment …
) that it is not clear what we stand for.
A single-issue body does not have that problem. Consequently, another important development for
BPS has been the development of the Core Policy Framework, which sets out cross
cutting themes for our policy asks across practice, research, education and
training and public policy, such as prevention and early intervention; that
policy should be informed by the psychological evidence base; that human
wellbeing should be enhanced. One of our main policy priorities is
prevention, with the objective being ‘Governments should commit to prevention
and this should be reflected in legislation, policy priorities, budget
allocations and departmental targets’. Prevention is particularly relevant when
seeking to influence the longer-term policy making of the kind that gets
discussed at the party conferences.
By repeating and re-emphasising the
same core policy objectives across all areas of Psychology, we aim to gain
traction and build our reputation with policy makers. It is evident (although it is difficult especially
in times of austerity and crisis in public services to get governments to fund
prevention and early intervention, and difficult too to get the public to rate prevention
as a priority) that these cross-cutting messages are getting some
traction.
In relation to specific campaigns, BPS
policy team has driven a long-running campaign in relation to end-to-end reform
of the UK Employment Support assessment system for benefits. Other key
priority areas include Psychology at Work (focused on the psychological impact
of insecure and unstable employment and enabling strength-based employment for
those with neurodiverse conditions), children and young people’s mental health,
Dementia, Pre-tertiary Education, and the UK Research Excellence Framework
which drives much of research and HE funding and academic career progression in
the UK.
What’s the role of psychology for peace
worldwide and what do you think that must be improved for that purpose?
Recent political events and shifting
social trends have demonstrated the need for what psychology can offer. Sustaining increasingly-stretched public
services is a major challenge. Services
continue to deal with increasing demand as a result of persistent health
challenges including mental health, dementia, and obesity; and face the
consequent service design and delivery issues, including workforce, funding and
investment.
Wider psychological concerns need a
wise and reflective response. Levels of
social trust are low, inequality is rising, societies seem divided, and in the
current context for the UK and Europe we face the huge political upheavals of
Brexit. This is compounded in the UK by
the current domestic political uncertainties both for the UK as a whole and, in
different ways, the Devolved Nations.
As the examples of our policy influencing work above illustrate,
one of the themes that underlies much of our endeavour is social justice and
inclusion. Social justice is an area
many psychologists are passionate about so the emphasis perhaps is not
surprising.
We cannot however achieve our aims
alone. Psychology is a global
discipline, and advances have been possible due to the fostering of strong
multidisciplinary and multinational research networks, grants, and collaboration
between and movement of people with expertise.
In the UK, for Psychology, BPS has invested over the last 2-3 years in
building and cementing our European and international connections. These connections and relationships allow us
to draw upon a global community of professionals in championing the
contribution that Psychology can make.
An important example for us was in the
first six months of 2018 hosting the European Semester of EFPA. The stated aim of the Semester programme is
to create a common space in which European psychologists can interact and
communicate to foster the sharing and transmission of knowledge and expertise
between members and, in turn, to stimulate the ongoing development of a
European identity among psychologists across Europe. Our theme for the
Semester was Psychology Moving Humanity Forward, which encompassed much of our
agenda including equality, diversity and inclusion, policy influencing in
particular prevention, good science, and psychology education and training to
be proud of in inspiring our next generation.
What book would you recommend?
As a keen gardener and beginner allotment holder, I like to get all the
knowledge I can from both Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don, the UK’s ‘head
gardeners’ from the BBC programme Gardeners’ World. As an English Literature graduate probably
one book that would never leave my shelves is my Complete Works of William
Shakespeare and much is due for a re-read.
For anyone starting out in Psychology with an interest in human
wellbeing, Carl Rogers’ On Becoming a Person remains an inspiring doorway.
What music do you enjoy?
I love the sound of the organ.
I’m a regular attender at the concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra
too.
…………………
Nicola Gale CPsychol FBPsS, HCPC Registered Psychologist, is the Vice President of the British Psychological Society and was President in 2017-2018.
Nicola is a practitioner and academic psychologist, her current post is in the Department of Psychology at City, University of London. Her professional interests include the provision of psychology services in the workplace (encompassing mental health, wellbeing, support for access and inclusion, working relationships, and support for teams), while her teaching focuses on leadership, professional standards of practice in psychology, diversity, equality and inclusion, and clinical practice and supervision.
Nicola has worked in the National Health Service and was clinical lead and head of service for an occupational health psychology service, with both a clinical mental health and organisational focus, and also has a background in HR development and organisational development and training, as a management consultant and as an accountant. She has consulted to organisations in different industries and sectors, and worked on projects across Europe and internationally.
