About
West Midlands Therapy Network Association
NB Please note at the present time the network is only available for self-referrals of trainee Practitioner Psychologists working within the West Midlands NHS (and NHS contracted services) until 3 months before they are due to qualify (usually 1st July in their 3rd year of training).
Our origins
The origins of the WMTNA lie in the understanding that the role of one human being supporting and facilitating the development of another, whether they are a client or colleague, is one that is greatly rewarding and has immense privilege as well as a unique set of demands.
Why we exist
WMTNA exists to support the retention of those moving towards or working as a Practitioner Psychologist within the NHS (and NHS contracted services) in the West Midlands. It aims to offer therapy to individuals in distress (which is impacting on their functioning in their NHS role) to support personal and professional development. Although the distress that many individuals present with may be common to those who present to Staff Support or IAPT mental health services, there is a particular professional issue in that the work itself may directly exacerbate that distress. The network aims to provide an experience of working with someone who has worked in the same professional role and can include a perspective on how the issues may impact on one’s professional role. It may also help to support and enable growth which, in turn, may help practitioners manage the psychological demands of their roles and thus support retention, which is supported by feedback from past clients. Many other psychological professionals have this as a core part of their training, but this is not the case for most practitioner psychologists.
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There is an expectation that psychological professionals will maintain their fitness to practice through a range of mechanisms including high levels of ethical, professional and personal conduct, continuing professional development, self-care and a focus on their own health and psychological wellbeing in order to ameliorate the impact of the demands of the role (HCPC, 2023). Furthermore, Practitioner Psychologists are expected to develop an understanding of the role of power, privilege and discrimination, and practice in a manner consistent with this understanding taking into account the ‘impact of culture, equality and diversity on practice’ (HCPC,2023). Both of these aspects of the role together with the impact on those who may have lived experience of mental health difficulties, might be addressed within an experience of therapy offered by the WMTNA.
What WMTNA helps with
It is expected that people wishing to use the service will range from those in crisis to those who have a particular area of emotional or psychological difficulty that could seriously impair some aspect of their work. Issues may include significant life events; work role challenges (e.g. at times of rapid career development or change); stress and burnout arising from the clinical work itself; work incidents such as assaults or a client suicide; complaints, grievance and disciplinary processes; and work relationship problems such as harassment and bullying.
How WMTNA is organised
West Midlands Therapy Network Association is run by a management committee composed of a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, who work together to maintain a register of therapists (who are themselves Practitioner Psychologists with experience of working in the NHS) and supporting them to offer a service. What they cannot do is promise that any potential client will find a therapist at any particular time. This will depend on the availability of individual therapists at the time of referral.