The role of academic and professional tutors in supporting trainee educational psychologist wellbeing

Abstract

The wellbeing of doctoral students is an area that is well researched; however, no research has yet explored which factors of doctoral training have most impact upon trainee educational psychologist (TEP) wellbeing. TEPs across England and Wales completed a questionnaire to explore their doctoral wellbeing. Six themes were generated from a reflexive thematic analysis in relation to how academic and professional tutors can support wellbeing: facilitating relationships; adapting models of support; ensuring clear communication; addressing placement concerns; providing practical support and mediating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on doctoral study. Areas reported to have most impact on wellbeing included workload, making reasonable demands on self, having confidence in research, receiving quality feedback, and experiencing trusting relationships with supervisors. Findings were consistent with previous research and implications for those involved in the training of educational psychologists are discussed, including the need to prioritise wellbeing support in all aspects of training.