Embracing the journey into Health Psychology-Emma's valuable reflections.

Hi everyone and welcome to the Pathways to Psychology blog. Today we hear from Dr Emma Waite, VTCT Foundation Research Fellow, Health Psychologist. Emma has found her niche in Health Psychology but talks of a road that wasn't immediately clear but one which offered endless possibilities. 

            Dr Emma Waite, VTCT               Foundation Research Fellow,                  Health Psychologist

      Embracing the journey into                     Health Psychology

It wasn’t always my plan to become a Health Psychologist, and certainly not to do a doctorate. My journey into Health Psychology hasn’t been entirely linear, nor what I’m sure some would call particularly strategic or well-planned. Instead, it happened somewhat slowly and unexpectedly. I wanted to write about my experiences to help anyone who is feeling a bit lost, unsure, or behind to know that you don’t always have to have a clear 5- or 10-year-plan for things to work out.

Where it began

My interest in psychology started during my final year of high school in Australia. I was originally more focused on ‘hard science’ subjects (chemistry, biology) but had space to fill in my timetable and psychology was available. Fortunately, I loved it and decided to pursue it, going on to complete my Bachelor of Psychology (with honours) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. During my undergraduate, I studied health psychology and liked it, but I hadn’t really considered it as a future career path. I changed my mind several times during my degree, mainly contemplating pursuing Sport and Exercise Psychology or Clinical Psychology. 

The five-year (semi-unplanned) break

After finishing my undergraduate degree, I wanted to take a break from studying and chose to go on a working holiday to Canada. I planned to stay 12 months, but ended up working and travelling around Canada, the USA, and Europe for about 18 months before arriving in Bristol. I then once again contemplated returning to Australia and pursuing more study, but instead ended up getting a job in a service supporting adults with learning disabilities and complex mental health conditions. I loved this job, but at times worried that I wasn’t putting my degree to enough use and felt like I was ‘behind’ compared to the career progress some of my peers were making. 

This was also a time of personal growth. I was becoming more interested in feminist perspectives and beginning to understand the ways in which sociocultural influences shape how we feel about ourselves, especially in relation to appearance. This led to me coming across the field of appearance psychology and learning how this is situated within Health Psychology, which ultimately helped me decide to pursue my MSc Health Psychology at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, where the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) is based. I was excited about the prospect of combining my academic and personal interests. 

Returning to study – from MSc to Professional Doctorate

My MSc was a whirlwind of working, studying, and navigating the world in the Covid era. I was fortunate to complete both my dissertation and placement at CAR, allowing me to build connections within the appearance psychology world and deepen my understanding of the area. I also appreciated how the MSc covered a diverse range of topics and provided flexibility when it came to assignments, for example allowing us to choose what health condition to focus a particular assignment on. This allowed me to explore different interests and figure out what resonated. 

I also applied and was accepted onto the Professional Doctorate during this time. I had never really considered doing any form of doctorate, as the structure is a little different in Australia, but the Professional Doctorate appealed to me as it struck a balance between building a range of different skills (e.g., research, teaching, interventions) and would enable me to register as a Health Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and Health and Care Professions Council. It also provided an avenue to research a topic I was passionate about, and I chose to focus my thesis on exploring the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ young people with visible differences.

During the doctorate, I changed jobs twice. I spent my first year in the learning disability service, my second year in a maternity hospital doing smoking cessation work with pregnant people, and my third year at CAR conducting visible difference research. At times these shifts made me feel a bit scattered; however, I can now see that having different roles helped me meet all the doctoral competencies and taught me a wider range of skills than if I had worked in only one. 

My key learnings

Looking back on my journey so far, I realise that I've benefitted from not always having everything mapped out. I can see that being open to opportunities (even unexpected ones) can be as beneficial as having a clear plan. I've also realised the value in gaining experience in different areas and figuring out what’s important to me on a personal level, as this helps guide my professional decisions. 

Overall, I think it’s important to be patient and kind with yourself – psychology is a very competitive industry and finding your path can take time. There isn’t one right route for everyone!

Thank you so much for sharing your wise words Emma. Your passion and energy for Health Psychology is contagious. Seeing the variety of ways Health Psychology can be applied to understand and support people is exciting and inspiring.

Maybe reading about Emma has you reflecting on your own career trajectory. Get in touch to add a blog entry of your own.

Kind regards,

The Pathways Team.