Exploring Clinical Psychologists’ experiences of leading within clinical teams in relation to their values

Introduction: Leadership in clinical teams is a significant part of a Clinical Psychologist’s job role (Leadership Development Framework; DCP, 2010) but little is known about their lived experience as leaders, especially when facing dilemmas. Decision-making and influencing care is a key aspect of leadership and is known to involve individuals’ values. Values impact a person’s wellbeing whether they are aligned or misaligned, which in turn hold importance for the health of the individual leader and those they are leading.
Aims: To understand participants’ experiences of leading in clinical teams and their sense making process. This was with a focus on when they faced dilemmas, and how they made sense of this in terms of their values.
Method: Eight Clinical Psychologists working in NHS Trusts participated in the study and were practicing in Band 8a-8c roles. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the semi-structured interviews following Smith, Flowers, and Larkin’s (2009) guidelines.
Results: Participants reflected upon 25 examples of experiences that were mostly focused on dilemmas. Three superordinate themes and twelve subordinate themes emerged. The first theme of ‘losing control and perspective’ encompasses participants’ experience of ‘distressing’, ‘helplessness’ and ‘frustration with self and others’. The second superordinate theme, ‘regaining control and perspective’, encompasses their experiences of ‘feeling one thing, doing another’, ‘feeling more empowered’, ‘congruence with what is important’, and ‘seeking security’. The final theme, ‘reflections on facing dilemmas’, encompasses the subordinate themes of; ‘what’s right versus what’s most comfortable’, ‘making sense of retreating from action’, ‘wounds into wisdom’, and ‘personal growth’.
Discussion: These findings have been discussed in the context of the literature on leadership, values and wellbeing in the context of the NHS and clinical psychology. Recommendations for the implementation of findings have been provided for the individual leader, and stakeholders such as those providing teaching, training and the NHS as an organisation. Suggestions for future research have also been provided.