Ruman and Aneisha are Trainee Clinical Psychologists studying at Surrey University. They want to share a little bit about their journey into Clinical Psychology for anyone who might be considering a career in the field.
Our journeys:
Growing up in the Punjabi community, we have seen first-hand the impact of mental health difficulties when they are left unspoken. We understand how our culture, faith, and relationships can impact on how we manage and share challenges we may face.
We have often been the people who would listen to and be there for friends and family who may be struggling.
Most of the time we might hear ‘but what will people think’, ‘don’t say anything’, ‘it will impact your future’ and we learn not to share our distressing thoughts and feelings. This can lead to increased stress, mental health difficulties and even impact our physical health e.g., increased headaches, high blood pressure, problems with sleep.
We know that if we can start talking about our well-being and share how we feel it can help change our relationship to mental health and the stigma that can surrounds us. Experiencing this narrative within our own families and seeing it within our wider community is what motivated us to want to become clinical psychologists.
Here is a little bit of information about how we got here:
What is Clinical Psychology?
As a clinical psychologist you will work with people of all ages on a wide range of psychological difficulties in mental and physical health. This can include anxiety, depression, psychosis, 'personality disorder', eating disorders, addictions, learning disabilities and family or relationship issues.
If you would like to find out more about the role of a Clinical Psychologist, you can find out more information here.
To become a clinical psychologist, you have to complete a 3-year doctorate course which involves completing work placements, research projects and attending training at university. The course is funded by the NHS with a small number of self-funded places offered each year. You can find out more about the doctorate course here.
Our Work Experience:
My name is Ruman, I have completed by BSc in Psychology and have a Masters in Psychological Approaches in Health. I've been working for the NHS for 4 years as an Assistant Psychologist and a Clinical Associate in Psychology in various services (eating disorders, Asperger’s services, inpatient setting). I have also been a life coach for the past year. I have experience in both individual & group therapy, reflective practice & training with teams.
My name is Aneisha, I have completed my degree in BSc Psychology and Counselling Skills. As part of my degree, I completed a work placement as a youth worker with a YMCA charity and then continued a career in youth work for 5 years across different health and social care projects. My role focused on working with young people between 11-25 years old with their mental health, social and personal development. As a youth worker, I have experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams, providing individual sessions, group sessions, workshops and consultations in the community, schools, youth centres, home visits and online.
Goals for the Future:
We are both passionate about reaching our community to raise awareness around mental health difficulties, to offer direct support for those struggling with their mental health and, to work towards social change where mental health services are inclusive and accessible. We hope that working towards increasing representation within the field of psychology will contribute to this vision. We hope to be qualified Clinical Psychologists one day and continue to support people with their mental health and wellbeing.
Want to know more?
If you have any queries or questions, please let us know via the Taraki contact page 😊
