RA.1.6.- CONTRATACIÓN DE APOYO

The final sub-ordinate theme of this chapter brings together the comprehensive and widespread reports by participants of their experiences of feeling more confident in their roles. Many of these descriptions were connected with receiving positive feedback from, or working with, their team members, which led to them feeling valued, and also the benefits of gathering experience. It was also evidenced by their experiences of becoming increasingly able to voice their thoughts and opinions within team or organisational forums.

A number of participants acknowledged their increase in confidence since they began their NQCP roles, highlighting the benefits of time within their new contexts, and becoming accustomed to the demands:

I am... more proficient in other skills that perhaps I wasn’t to begin with... I certainly feel more proficient... (Maggie);

…at first finding it... difficult to manage, to then actually becoming... quite happy to maintain what I was doing... (Amit).

This reiterates the ideas of previous sub-themes; there was a sudden change in role which may have been overwhelming, or made participants question their proficiency or capability. Nevertheless, they have also reported that over the one to two years of working as NQCPs, their clinical and MDT experiences have contributed to them feeling much more confident in their abilities and competencies.

Participants discussed that this awareness of progress had been aided by feedback from management or working alongside clinical colleagues, who had commented on their

valued by their colleagues too, which only increased their feelings of confidence, and helped them feel that their contributions were respected:

…it wasn’t only me that noticed it, it was my clinical lead that noticed it before I did... that increase in confidence was... about how others [MDT members] valued that knowledge [I have] and wanted to know more... (Frida);

…seeing a positive change is really really important... and the fact is that I am valued here... (Katherine).

Participants spoke of their confidence growing through connecting and working with others, for example Frida discussed working with a systemic therapist on a new therapy group as one aspect of her experience which helped build her confidence:

…a huge learning curveand development in terms of my own professional skills... that increase in confidence to be able to implement something...

The acknowledgment of moving up the ‘learning curve’, and recognising their development over time, was also expressed by others:

I think that’s been a big learning curve but I’ve finally started to get there... (Maggie);

I can have really good, high quality output without... being overwhelmed again... (Amit).

This illustrates participants’ acknowledgment that as time within their roles increased, so too did their confidence, and the development of their clinical skills.

Participants also acknowledged their development had benefited from the exposure to new clinical experiences, for example working with clients with diagnoses they had not worked

with before, or learning new information from families which would benefit them in the future, such as about their backgrounds and cultures:

I’ve had to think a lot about cultural issues and how people view mental health and how that impacts engagement and how to work with families and... not to impose my own ideas on families... that’s definitely something I’m learning from clients... (Christine).

An increase in confidence was also widely evident through participants’ experiences of voicing their views in their teams, which gave a sense of them growing into their roles and being able to contribute more in both clinical and management discussions:

I think voicing my opinions more in meetings, I’m confident to do that now... in the first year... I just was much more hesitant... (Katherine);

…in those meetings you’ve got like the clinical lead, the whole team, but that doesn’t impact on what I wanna say, which I think... helps me evidence that increase in confidence... (Frida).

I wonder if participants became more vocal within their teams as they settled in to their new roles, exhibiting their ideas and knowledge more explicitly, which led to a virtuous cycle of feeling more confident in both themselves and their colleagues, and importantly their

colleagues in them. Participants often seemed to open up and speak more freely about these more positive experiences in the interviews, compared to the difficulties they faced, as if they were reflecting the more relaxed feelings which may have accompanied a momentum and confidence shift following their challenging, first forays into these clearly demanding CAMHS environments.

I am literally imagining a red thread in my brain and the thread is... just still going... (Christine);

…there’s the realisation that no you’re never done with learning... (Sian).

This appeared to offer the participants some comfort, in that although things had been challenging for them, they remained in a process of progression, and that it was okay for them to still be developing.

This final sub-ordinate theme of the chapter has illustrated that despite the challenges faced by participants within this period of their careers, they also experienced and acknowledged an increase in confidence and self-assurance. Participants were able to recognise that their progress had been ongoing, that their roles and competencies, and related feelings about them, had developed or changed, and that increasing feelings of comfort and proficiency in the role may continue as they gain further skills and experience.

Chapter 4: Discussion

4.1 Overview

In this chapter, the results of the analysis will be discussed in relation to the research

questions stated at the conclusion of the ‘Introduction’, and the relevance of these outcomes to the wider literature. A visual representation of the results will also be tentatively

illustrated.

Clinical implications and recommendations will be proposed, and a consideration of the strengths and limitations of the study presented. Suggestions for further research will follow, before this chapter closes with the researcher’s final conclusions and reflections on this work.