Well, or Well Enough? An exploration of the need for guidance addressing clinician wellbeing and fitness to practice in UK Clinical Psychologists

Practitioner Psychologists in the UK are required to meet standards of practice pertinent to their professional grouping to maintain registration with the Health and Care Professional Council. Updated guidance in effect from 1 ^st September 2023 states that registrants are now required to develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care, thus requiring registrants to be agentic in implementing active methods of well-being management. A survey of 301 UK based Clinical Psychologists sought to determine whether a self-assessment tool to identify risk factors for wellbeing would be of benefit. The majority of participants endorsed the potential utility, necessity, and benefit of such a measure. Limitations of a self-assessment wellbeing measure are discussed, as well as systemic issues that impact well-being. This paper supports the development of a self-assessment wellbeing tool for those working within clinical psychology.