Advocating for Yourself at Work as an Early-Career Psychologist
Starting your career as a psychologist is an exciting time filled with opportunities to grow, learn, and make a meaningful impact. However, it can also be challenging as you navigate new roles, workplace expectations, and professional milestones like preparing for the National Psychology Examination. Advocating for yourself at work is an essential skill that ensures your needs are met while you continue to develop professionally and personally. Without it, you may find yourself overworked, underappreciated, and potentially compromising the quality of care you provide to your clients.
Here’s how to effectively advocate for yourself as an early-career psychologist and why it’s crucial for long-term success.
Understanding Reasonable Workloads
As a provisional psychologist or early-career psychologist, you may face high expectations, including managing a heavy clinical load. You’ll also need a thorough understanding about workplace policies, supervision requirements, and the expectations around completing your national psychology exam questions. The general recommendation in most workplaces is to start with 3-4 clinical hours per day and gradually build up to around 5 client facing hours in a standard workday. This structure ensures you have sufficient time for critical activities such as planning, client-related administration, and personal reflection, all of which are essential for delivering high-quality care. Unfortunately, many workplaces may push for higher productivity, which can lead to burnout. By advocating for reasonable workloads from the start, you can protect your mental health while also maintaining a high standard of practice.
Initiating Conversations with Your Employer
One of the most challenging aspects of self-advocacy is knowing how to bring up these issues with your employer or supervisor if there’s a problem. It’s important to approach the conversation in a constructive and collaborative way. Start by highlighting your commitment to providing the best care for your clients and explain how an unmanageable workload may hinder that. Discuss the benefits of having adequate time for case planning, professional development, and reflection, which are not just beneficial to you, but also to the clients and the organisation.
Make sure to reference the guidelines and standards that support your stance. For example, the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. (AAPI) provides valuable resources on managing workloads and advocating for fair conditions. By presenting your case professionally, you're more likely to gain support from your employer.If you are a member you can also review the AAPI’s resource library for additional information on advocating for better conditions.
Advocate for Supervision and Mentorship
Supervision is a cornerstone of early-career development in psychology. If you feel your current supervision isn’t meeting your needs - whether in terms of frequency, quality, or relevance - advocate for change.
You might say, “I’d like to focus more on practice scenarios related to the national psychology exam questions during our supervision sessions. Could we allocate some time for this?”
Most supervisors will appreciate your initiative and be willing to adjust their approach to better support your growth.
Knowing Your Value
As a new psychologist, it’s easy to feel that you need to accept everything that comes your way. However, it’s important to remember that you have valuable skills and insights, even at the early stages of your career. Being able to request reasonable allowances, such as time for reflection, clinical planning, and supervision, is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of professionalism. Your ability to reflect on your practice and improve as a psychologist directly contributes to better client outcomes.
Celebrate Your Achievements
Advocating for yourself also means acknowledging your successes, no matter how small they may seem. Passing a challenging set of national psychology exam questions, receiving positive feedback from a client, or presenting in a team meeting are all accomplishments worth celebrating.
Recognising your progress reinforces your confidence and demonstrates your value to your workplace. Don’t hesitate to share these milestones with your supervisor or colleagues, it’s a great way to highlight your contributions and growth.
Practical Tips for Self-Advocacy
Be clear about your needs: Understand what you require to perform your job effectively. This might include capped clinical hours, regular supervision, or more time for professional development.
Use evidence to back your request: Refer to professional guidelines and recommendations to justify your needs. Being knowledgeable about industry standards shows that your requests are reasonable and aligned with best practices.
Seek support: If advocating for yourself feels daunting, consider discussing it with colleagues or a mentor. They may offer advice on how to approach the conversation or even support you in advocating for better workplace conditions.
Self-Advocacy Matters
As an early-career psychologist, your journey is filled with opportunities to shape your professional identity and achieve your goals. Advocating for yourself is a key part of this process - it empowers you to take charge of your career, ensure your needs are met, and set the stage for long-term success.
Advocating for yourself isn’t just about asking for less work or for what you need, it’s about ensuring you have the time and space to provide the best possible care for your clients while also supporting your own professional growth. By speaking up and taking proactive steps, you’re building a foundation for a fulfilling and impactful career in psychology.
At Psychology Squared, we pride ourselves on supporting provisional psychologists to get through their internship with a range of resources and supervision support. If you need help with National Psychology Examination preparation, reach out to us today.