Experiences of trainee clinical psychologists and workplace supervisors when mental health difficulties are shared

Hannah, Serena and Smith, Ian (2024) Experiences of trainee clinical psychologists and workplace supervisors when mental health difficulties are shared. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis consists of three papers including a literature review, research paper and a critical appraisal. The systematic literature review focuses on the experiences of workplace supervisors and managers when managing employees with mental health difficulties. A thematic synthesis was undertaken on 19 papers. Four themes were developed which highlighted the influence of supervisors’ perceptions of mental health difficulties and of their role in the provision of support, the need for supervisors to have access to support and advice to provide effective support to employees, the influence of understanding of mental health difficulties and the barriers to understanding, and the emotional challenges and rewards of supporting employees with mental health difficulties. Recommendations are made for supervisors and organisations regarding the support needs of supervisors when managing employees with mental health difficulties. The research paper explores the experiences of trainee clinical psychologists when sharing their mental health difficulties with tutors and supervisors during training. Thematic analysis was utilised to explore the experiences of 12 participants. Four themes were developed; namely, weighing up whether to share; creating safety to share and feeling supported; dilemmas, feeling vulnerable and powerless to challenge perceptions; and experience shaping their practice and identity. Recommendations are made for supervisors, tutors and training programmes regarding creating safe supportive environments to support trainees to share their mental health difficulties. The critical appraisal chapter reviews the findings of these two papers alongside a discussion of epistemological influences and methodological decisions taken during these projects and some of the challenges of undertaking research in this area.