Change is the Only Constant: Aspen Psychology Services is Changing (and So Am I).

Introduction

Greetings to everyone who is taking time to read this blog article. I’m writing this article to provide an update about how Aspen Psychology Services is changing in response to my own changing personal health circumstances. It outlines:

• How and why our service is changing (but still continuing).
• Why these changes are needed.
• How we plan to move forward from here.
• How the services we are able to offer moving forward may still be relevant to you.

This is no doubt one of the more personal blog articles I have written, but I am providing the full context as it is consistent with my values of transparency, authenticity, honesty, and clarity.

Warning: Sensitive content

This blog article contains information that some people might find upsetting or distressing to read, especially if you have or know someone who has Multiple Sclerosis or another potentially degenerative or life-limiting condition.

Crisis: Danger and Opportunity

There is a symbol in the Japanese language called ‘Kiki’, which means ‘crisis’.  However, a closer look at the detail gives rise to another meaning.  The first part of the symbol means ‘danger’ while the second means ‘opportunity’, meaning that crisis can be a harbinger of both.  This article summarises how a personal crisis/change has led to both danger and opportunity for me personally, and for the company of which I am Director. 

My Changing Personal Situation

Some of you may already know (but most will probably not know) that I have experienced Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since 2007/2008.  You will most likely already know that MS is a degenerative neurological condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the myelin sheaths surrounding nerve fibres, disrupting communication between the brain and other parts of the body and resulting in, for example, disturbance to sensory or motor functioning.
​

A normal neuron with myelin sheath coating (which helps the speed of nerve signal transmission), and a neuron with the surrounding myelin sheath having been damaged by the immune system.

At first, and for many years, I was fortunate to experience the relapse-remitting form of MS, where symptoms appear for a while and then the body reverts to either wholly or almost-normal functioning.  However, since April 2020, my condition has developed into the secondary progressive form of MS, meaning that my symptoms are no longer disappearing, and I am becoming progressively more disabled over time.  While this can affect individuals in different ways, for me this is mainly manifesting in the form of decreased mobility (I need a stick or sticks to walk, and have sometimes needed a wheelchair), increased susceptibility to fatigue after exertion, and increased vulnerability to illness as a result of the daily medication I am taking to slow the progression of the condition.

​This increased level of disability, and the likelihood of further progression in the future, means that there is now a mismatch between what I am able to provide, and the effort required to maintain Aspen Psychology Services as the company it has become.  You will understand that this is not a realisation that I have come to without experiencing a sense of loss, grief and sadness; MS is a card I would give back if I could.  However, I cannot, and so I need to accept the reality and plan for an alternative future that is more consistent with my condition.  As I began to embrace this process, I experienced a sense of hope and optimism about future possibilities (more on this below).  Nonetheless, moving on from our current circumstances is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and I have done my best to consider the needs of our clients and our team throughout this process.  It also feels appropriate to put appropriate closure on one chapter before commencing another, so before moving on to how the company is changing and moving into the future, I would like to briefly summarise where we have been, where we are now, and say thank-you to those who have contributed to this journey.

Aspen Psychology Services: The First 10 Years

Since its inception in 2013, Aspen Psychology Services has grown from being a small company of one person on his bike with a laptop providing services to 13 schools, to a five-strong team of experienced and specialist psychologists delivering educational psychology services to 43 settings (comprising two Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), one part-MAT, a Federation, and a number of individual settings). The company has also, as was its original purpose/mission, delivered in-person and online coaching, coaching training, and supervision services, including coaching and training to primary, secondary and special schools, 27 Educational Psychology Services, an NHS hospital team, and to a range of practitioners through our own in-house training events (in person and, more recently, online).

Some broader achievements from the last 10 years

I was able to allocate time to writing Coaching Psychology in Schools (Adams, 2015), a collection of case studies illustrating the value of applied coaching psychology in education.  My valued colleague Dr Jak Lee and I had a book chapter published in an edited collection about Emerging Conversations in Coaching and Coaching Psychology, our focus being on how coaching and coaching psychology can further support the mental health and wellbeing of pupils and staff (Adams & Lee, 2021).  The quality of Aspen’s training was recognised in 2021 by our achieving ‘Approved Centre’ status with the International Society for Coaching Psychology, with APS courses/workshops being recognised by the ISCP as providing quality CPD/CPE for learners.  In the last two years, the company has also focused on supporting the systemic development of children’s language support and provision in line with one of the specialisms within our team.

Making a positive difference through applied psychology

​The Aspen journey appears to have been successful to-date: The feedback we receive from our clients is of a high standard; we seem to be valued; and I think it is fair to say that, on the basis of both quantitative and qualitative measures, we have achieved our vision (so far) of making the difference we wanted to make while remaining consistent with our values as people, professionals, as a team and as a company.  The evidence suggests that we have genuinely made a difference through a range of evidence-based, psychology-informed ways of working, and I am both delighted about that and grateful that we have had the opportunity to do so for so many staff, colleagues, children and families.
 
As a team, we have worked together to develop and maintain a values-driven independent service with a learning culture in which successes and mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, and in which team members are provided with regular in-house coaching support.  Throughout all of this, I have learned about the reality of leadership, learning that I intend to take forward to further shape our own company and hopefully support other leaders on their own ongoing journeys.
 
However, as noted, my changing personal condition means that it is now time for Aspen to grow in a somewhat revised direction.  First, before clarifying what that direction is, I need to say some important “thank-you”s:

Thank-You

To our school clients
 
Firstly, I would like to thank our school clients, without whom the company would not exist.  I am pleased with what we have achieved in our work together over the last ten years, am grateful to have provided services to some of you for such an extended period of time, and I am pleased we have experienced and shaped the relationships we have sustained.  My/our sincere thanks go to all of the staff of the schools we have worked with for your part in co-constructing the quality of working relationships and services we developed, and for providing the evaluative feedback that is so important for shaping our services and providing evidence of impact.  It has truly been a pleasure working with organizations and people where we have experienced alignment of values, aspiration, and enjoyed working together.  I remain hopeful that there are ways for Aspen Psychology Services and our school clients to work together in the future.
 
Thank-you to the Aspen team
 
I want to take the opportunity to thank the Aspen team for the contributions they have brought to the company.  Their team-mindedness, commitment, individual personal/professional qualities, growth mind-sets, and the combination of support and challenge they have brought have strengthened and developed the team, me, and Aspen Psychology Services itself, and I am extremely grateful for that.  I am also thankful for the enjoyment, fun, and companionship I/we have been fortunate to have experienced while working together, even through difficult circumstances.
 
To our wider client base
 
Finally, thank-you to every Local Authority, independent service, psychologist, teacher, or other practitioner who has contributed to the success and growth of Aspen Psychology Services by attending or commissioning training events, commissioning coaching or supervision and, again, providing valuable evaluation feedback.  Thank-you to you all.  A specific thank-you goes out to Bristol Educational Psychology Service for our collaboration that helped us to remain afloat during the Coronavirus pandemic.  Thank-you also to everyone who has connected with us or offered support on social media or other forums (e.g. EPNET).

How Aspen Psychology Services is Changing from 23-24

2022-2023 will be the last academic year that Aspen Psychology Services will be offering Core Educational Psychology Services (e.g. individual child-focused in-person consultation, assessment and observation services) on a large scale (i.e. with a definite commitment to a large number of schools) with an Associate model, and in which I am responsible for the leadership and management of a team (other than Dr Jak Lee, who will remain with the company).  We/I will still be able to provide some services in this respect, but on a more limited basis that is more consistent with my physical capacity.

Jak and I will still be delivering 'helping' services in 23-24

Aspen Psychology Services will be continuing to operate in 23-24, with Dr Jak Lee and I mainly focusing on providing and further developing the specialist (and primarily, but not exclusively, online)  ‘helping’ arm of the business.  We recognise and want to use our strengths to address some of the key current challenges faced in education, including supporting the wellbeing of staff (see Teacher Wellbeing Index, 2022) and the mental health and wellbeing of young people (see DoE/DoH 2017).  Therefore, to make a contribution to addressing these challenges, we will be providing the following services to a range of client groups:
​

• Consultation: To support collaborative problem-solving to achieve desired outcomes.
• Coaching: To provide reflective space and enhance goal-achievement, development and wellbeing, or to support management of change or transition.
• Coaching workshops: To support people to develop psychology-informed coaching skills for helping themselves or others to reflect, plan, grow, move forward, and achieve enhanced resilience and wellbeing.
• Supervision for coaches: To support the professional development, reflection and wellbeing of coaching practitioners.
• Supervision: For example, for staff in schools (such as Designated Safeguarding Leads, school leaders, or Mental Health Leads, SENCos, Learning Mentors… other client groups also possible) as well as (on a limited basis) to Educational Psychologists or other practitioners.  Again, this will be to support professional development, reflection and wellbeing.

 
A full list of the services we will be providing, and more detail about them, can be found here: (www.aspenpsychologyservices.co.uk/services.html).  If you would like further clarity about how the above can help you or your organization, do contact us to discuss further.

We will also have the opportunity to develop:
​

• Other training services designed to support enhancement of problem-solving, performance, development, resilience, and wellbeing.
• New services that are yet to be developed but that will be aimed at supporting enhancement of performance, development and wellbeing in education, and building capacity within education settings to help them develop their own ways to provide support in this respect.

 
Crucially, I am hoping that the development of the company in this way will allow for the continuation of service delivery despite further progression in my disability while also allowing me: (i) opportunities to be available for my family; and (ii) the rest/recharge opportunities my condition requires.

A summary of the new vision of the company, and how our offer may be relevant to you, can be found here: (www.aspenpsychologyservices.co.uk/vision.html).

Concluding Thoughts

So, back to the Japanese characters at the beginning of this article: My changing personal circumstances have, as the ‘Kiki’ character represents, presented me with a combination of both danger and opportunity. While processing the progression of my disability and the need to re-scale and re-develop the operation of our company has not been a straightforward experience, it is one that has left me feeling, among a whole range of other emotions, excited about some of the possibilities. As the following quote from George Bernard Shaw encapsulates:

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not make me happy. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

​While my feelings will inevitably fluctuate, I intend to try to hold on to and live out the central message from this quote as best I can as I move further along this journey.  Onwards.

I will end this article with the words of my favourite music artist and writer, whose work continues to provide companionship and inspiration as I navigate this pathway:

Reflection Questions

• What challenges in your life have you overcome?  What strengths have you used to help you to do this?​
• What current challenges are you facing?  What aspects of those challenges do you need to problem-solve or work around?
• What coping strategies do you find helpful?
• What aspects of your work set you alight?  What do you want your ‘preferred future’ working life to look like?  How can you take some small steps towards this?

References

​Adams, M.  (2015).  Coaching Psychology in Schools: Enhancing Performance, Development & Wellbeing.  Abingdon: Routledge.
 
Adams, M. & Lee, J.  (2021).  Coaching in education: Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils and staff.  In M. Watts & I. Florance (Eds.), Emerging Conversations in Coaching & Coaching Psychology.  Abingdon: Routledge.
 
Department of Health & Department for Education (2017).  Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: A Green Paper.  DoH & DoE.
 
Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022.  Education Support.  Retrieved on Dec 20th 2022 from https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/media/zoga2r13/teacher-wellbeing-index-2022.pdf
 

Donate to the MS Society

The MS Society estimates that there are over 130,000 people with MS in the UK, and that nearly 7,000 people are newly diagnosed each year. If you would like to make a donation to the MS Society to support research to help others who experience this life-changing condition, you can do so here: bit.ly/3lHx5UO
​