This thesis concerns the use of repertory grids to examine personal and professional development (PPD) during professional training programmes. Paper one consists of a systematic review of 11 repertory grid studies of people undergoing training in human services professions. The findings suggest that professional socialisation occurred in line with the aims of training programmes but was an idiosyncratic, non-linear process which continued post-qualification. Trainees' thinking style became more abstract, less polarised and more cognitively complex. Implications for people training in human services professions and training providers are discussed and suggestions for improved future research are provided. Paper two reports a repertory grid study examining 26 third-year trainee clinical psychologists' construal of their PPD. The findings suggest that trainees' personal and professional selves were construed to be similar to each other. Trainees reported feeling anxious, stressed, unsettled and lacking an appropriate work-life balance. These difficulties were attributed to the demands of training and were expected to resolve once training was completed. Suggestions for future research with improved methodology are made and the implications of the findings for trainees, training providers and employers of newly qualified clinical psychologists are given. Paper three provides a critical reflection of the thesis; discussing the strengths and limitations of each of the papers and concluding with the author's personal reflections on the process of the research and her own PPD.

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Aim: The existing evidence-base indicates that the experience of being a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) trainee clinical psychologist is under-researched. The aim of the current study was to capture the broader training experiences of BME trainee clinical psychologists. The impact of potential personal and professional experiences that may arise for BME trainee clinical psychologists may be important for course tutors and clinical supervisors to explore with them in relation to personal and professional development. Thus, it is hoped that the findings of the current study will raise an increased awareness within the clinical psychology training courses, of their needs, perspectives and experiences. Method: A qualitative approach was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine BME trainee clinical psychologists. The accounts were analysed using IPA, which attempts to illuminate the lived experience of a phenomenon for small samples of individuals. Results: The analytic procedure highlighted five main themes which emerged from participants’ accounts: The hardship of not being White, The challenge of negotiating multiple identities, Challenges and dilemmas of highlighting race and culture issues, The versatility that comes with being a BME trainee and Finding connections and safe places. Implications: Current initiatives to attract more applicants from BME groups need to be considered in the context of wider structural experiences of power and difference in relation to race, ethnicity and culture that operate in the training arena. Courses need to explicitly state their commitment to supporting trainees from BME groups with regards to their experiences of difference. Emphasis should be placed on personal and professional development of all trainees and needs to include work on privilege, social disadvantage, and racism. Programmes should also undertake a commitment to training course staff and supervisors in relation to race issues in the context of training.

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This qualitative study aimed to trace the psychotherapeutic development of clinical and counselling psychologists across the careerspan within the South African context. Through purposive sampling 34 psychologists were recruited according to the inclusion criteria of the study. Five distinct career levels were explored, namely, student (n=10), intern (n=7), early career (n=7), experienced (n=5), and senior (n=5) psychologists in relation to the Society of Psychotherapy Research’s international model of psychotherapist development. By means of semi-structured interviews, couched in the social constructionist position, participants’ experiences were thematically analysed from over 600 pages of transcription. Additionally, the researcher’s personal journey of developing as a psychotherapist was reflected upon. The current study found that a number of aspects fostered the development of psychotherapists. Participants reflected on personal and familial wounding events that influenced them choosing a career as a psychologist; this awareness was gradual over their development. Across theoretical orientations, participants resisted adhering to one way of working in light of the diverse South African context. However, the need to limit the number of theoretical orientations taught within the first months of training was proposed. Professional sources of influence highlighted by participants were personal therapy and peer supervision or reading groups. Qualified professionals to a lesser extent made use of individual supervision which when pursued needed to be a ‘felt’ collaboration. Participants found as they developed they became more comfortable being a psychotherapist however the complexity of cases still kept them humble. Limitations of the study, potential future research directions as well as recommendations for practicing clinical and counselling psychology were outlined. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)