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| Photo "Stopwatch on Wooden Table" by start08, courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
No-one expects advanced training in any profession to be a walk in the park, not least those of us who embarked on the training for chartership as forensic psychologists. When we set off down that particular road, we know that there will be huge demands on us. We will be applying our academic abilities, our abilities to analyse and interpret research, apply this in a practical setting and much more. We know that the training will be demanding and involve a great deal of hard work.
One of the difficulties I encountered was that of managing my time so that I could fit all this additional challenge into my daily life. Like most trainees, I needed a day job, but there is a vast amount of work to get through to achieve chartership. How people manage their time is very much up to their individual circumstances and to their personal priorities. For example, I chose to go straight onto a three-hour placement as soon as my day at work had finished, usually twice a week,sometimes more often. Then, also after work throughout the rest of the week, I had to find the time to write up all the notes and also make sure that a supervision session was squeezed in. I also had to find pockets of time to shop for food, cook and eat it, do the chores and - he is a remarkably patient and supportive partner - give my relationship with my partner, my family and my friends some attention. Not everyone will chose to do it this way, nor will be able to because of their personal circumstances.
It is important to be realistic as to what you can achieve in any given timescale. If your day job is particularly demanding, for example, how much time outside of this you can dedicate to your training requirements may be more limited. That does not mean giving up, but just setting goals that can be achieved in small chunks, and accepting that the qualification will take longer to achieve.
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| Plan Diagram by Stuart Miles, courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
It is also helpful to plan meticulously. For example, if your job is such that you cannot guarantee leaving at a specific time on a specific day, you may not be able to schedule your placements or your supervision that easily. The stress that this sort of situation can cause you will result in your being disheartened and will certainly not be any good for the organisations you are volunteering in or their service users. While planning, it is worth taking into account just how much a particular placement will suit you and your personal circumstances and balance this against the core roles that you can achieve in that placement. Instead of evening placements, then, perhaps a weekend placement may be more suitable.
An important aspect of managing time for training, is also to not neglect health. The feeling of constantly working and striving can be stressful. Add to that the usual anxieties of trying to meet the standards required for submission and meeting the exemplars, and your immune system can feel under attack. I know that I had to make sure I dedicated regular pockets of time to exercise and leisure activities by taking short breaks, occasional holidays and making sure I carried out some form of fitness activity every week - I went swimming, cycling, running, for example, and for a while I played in a ladies rugby team, which did wonders for my fitness, my resilience, my resolve, and my social life. All of which somehow supported the dedication I was making to my training.
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| Photo "Woman on Running Machine in Gym" by Photostock, courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhoto.net |
The general rule of thumb is that the more active you are, the more energy you have to expend on more activities. You may find that working a couple of evenings a week will enthuse and energise you and the progress you see yourself making all enhances the motivation that you feel to continue. Having said that, it is very important to be self - aware, to look for those clues to low energy levels, to be open to those thoughts about being too tired to be bothered. At this point, it is always worth taking a brief break - properly managed, of course, to suit the placement service users in particular. This in itself is a key part of learning for your qualification and preparing for professional life.
If you are extremely fortunate, of course, you may well be able to negotiate a short sabbatical from work in order to take your placement, or in fact your work provides you with a particularly relevant placement. Most of us are not that fortunate, however, so we must make ourselves familiar with the mantra of: plan, schedule, negotiate, balance. In fact, we will become so good at it, that it will provide a tremendously strong base for us as professionals and in all aspects of our lives.
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| Photo by Stuart Miles, courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
