Introduction
- 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
My Changing Personal Situation
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
Making a positive difference through applied psychology
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
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
- 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
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. & 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
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