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Psychology in practice: a new name, a clearer purpose, and an invitation
Introduction
If you've followed this blog for a while, you'll have known it as Psychology for Positive Change. Over the years it has carried writing on coaching, lesson observations, motivational interviewing, emotional intelligence and, more recently, a good deal about my own health journey and the psychology I've drawn on along the way. That breadth has been a strength, but over time it has also blurred the purpose of the blog, who I’m writing to, and to what end. So, with a new writing outlet now up and running (more on that below), it feels like the right moment to give this space a clearer identity and to launch a more collaborative and interactive approach. From today, the Aspen blog becomes The Aspen Grove: psychology in practice.
Why "The Aspen Grove"?
Aspen trees are associated with a number of qualities such as strength, renewal, protection, resilience, connection, and inspiration of patience and sensitivity (as detailed in our short two-minute film, below):
However, a grove of aspen trees harbours a remarkable secret. What looks like a grove of many separate trees is often a single living organism, with every trunk growing from the same shared root system beneath the ground. When one tree falls, the roots send up new shoots. Nourishment and resilience are shared across the whole grove. One aspen colony in Utah, known as Pando (Latin for “I spread”), is thought to be among the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth.
This is a useful metaphor for what good professional practice and connectivity looks like. Those of us who work with people, whether as teachers, psychologists, coaches, leaders or supervisors, can easily feel like solitary trees, standing alone and weathering whatever comes our way. But we are at our best when we are connected: sharing ideas, learning from each other's successes and setbacks, and drawing on a common root system of theory, evidence and experience.
That's what I want this space to be: something that helps you to feel part of a grove, not a lone tree.
What you’ll find here
The Aspen Grove will focus on psychology in practice, writing for people who support, teach, lead and develop others. That includes covering topics such as:
- coaching and coaching psychology
- supervision and reflective practice
- psychology applied in schools and education settings
- leadership
- wellbeing and resilience at work
- team development
- reflections on my own practice, including what's gone well and what hasn't
As always, I'll aim to blend evidence-informed psychology with real-world experience, and to offer something you can take back into your own work.
An invitation
A grove grows through connection, and I'd like this space to be shaped by the people who read it, not just by me. So, I'd love to hear from you. Is there a theme from your own practice that relates to the Aspen Grove topics listed above that you'd like me to explore in an article? A question you keep coming back to? A dilemma you're wrestling with? Or an idea you think deserves further exploration or a wider airing?
You can share your thoughts in the comments below any post, or, if you'd prefer, you can use the form at the bottom of this article to submit a private suggestion. Where I can pick up and run with a theme, I'll draw on your suggestions to inform the content of future articles (anonymously, unless you'd like to be credited). Over time, I hope The Aspen Grove becomes less of a personal blog and more of a shared space for exploring topics and thinking together about practice.
And what about Psychology for Positive Change?
It’s just found a new home. Psychology for Positive Change is now my personal Substack, a monthly newsletter about psychology and the everyday stuff of life: for example, wellbeing, stress, setbacks, our inner critic, relationships, and how we keep going when the clouds come in. It's written for anyone with an interest in people, professionals very much included.
Put simply:
- The Aspen Grove is psychology for work, and the people who do it.
- Psychology for Positive Change is psychology for life, with a wider intended audience.
Inevitably the line between the two will sometimes blur, because we bring our whole selves to our work and our work into our lives. I wholeheartedly believe, and have experienced over many years, that we cannot completely separate the person from the professional. So you may occasionally see a piece appear in both places – sometimes as it is, sometimes adapted for a different audience, purpose or focus. Indeed, to help the Substack find its feet, I’ve shared a few suitable pieces from this blog's archive there to start it off, and may add some more over the coming months. Wherever that happens, I'll say so, so you'll always know what's new and what's something you might have seen before.
If you'd like to receive Psychology for Positive Change in your inbox, you can subscribe for free at psychologyforpositivechange.substack.com.
I hope some of you will join me.
Reflection questions
- Who is in your professional "root system": the people, ideas and communities that nourish your practice?
- When did you last draw on that system, and/or offer something back to it?
- Is there a question or topic from your own practice (relevant to the themes of The Aspen Grove) you'd like me to explore?
If you've come this far with me on this journey, thank you for being here. I look forward to taking our next steps together.
Mark
Submit a question or discussion topic to The Aspen Grove
