‘Finding a space for my face’ Exploring the experiences of racialised Clinical Psychologists working in the United Kingdom.

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of racialised qualified clinical psychologists working in the United Kingdom through an in-depth qualitative study. The researcher identified as a racialised psychologist and an exploration of her positionality was used within the study. The British Psychological Society openly shed light on the institutional racism within the profession. The spotlight on decolonising and diversifying psychology has grown over the years in relation to the statistics on lack of diversity within the profession both in culturally appropriate teaching and representation of racialised professionals. Research exploring the lived experiences for racialised qualified clinical psychologist is limited, particularly spanning the trajectory of their path into clinical psychology in the UK. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore the trajectory of seven racialised clinical psychologist’s experiences of studying and working in the UK. The research has taken a relativist and social constructivism approach which allowed for the study to showcase the participants lived experiences. This approach aimed to provide a platform for previously marginalised voices and researcher self-reflection and disclosure was used throughout the study. Semi- structured interviews using purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to obtain in-depth accounts of their experiences. The analysis identified five master themes; Navigating the Unknown Path; Discovering the Different Facets; Living through Racial Injustices; Being the ‘Other’ and Looking Forward. The findings have highlighted the different obstacles and challenges that racialised clinical psychologists have endured during the trajectory of their career. The participants reflected on systematic barriers and discrimination they faced in pursuing a career in clinical psychology. They shared the positives such as empowered sense of identity and hope for the future of the profession. Further research is required around the different nuances of racialised experiences to enrich our knowledge and understanding to ensure that we are able to provide appropriate support to racialised clinical psychologists and inform practice in the future.