Psychology, Actually

Would you take a pay cut for a job that looks worse on paper? Sometimes the move that feels like a step backwards is exactly what your career needs next. In this episode of Psychology, Actually, Dr Marianne Trent explores when a sideways or seemingly backwards career move, like dropping from a Band 5 to a Band 4 assistant psychologist role, could actually help you grow. Drawing on a real Reddit case study and her own career journey, including nearly two years spent away from psychology altogether, Marianne unpacks how to weigh pay, experience, wellbeing and life circumstances when deciding your next move. She shares a practical framework for working out what you're really optimising for, whether that's money, learning, time or relationships, plus reflective questions to help you decide with confidence.
#CareerAdvice #AssistantPsychologist #ClinicalPsychology
Highlights
00:00 Introduction - When a step back moves you forward
01:15 Why I made this episode - The Reddit post that inspired it
02:28 The Band 5 to Band 4 AP dilemma explained
04:05 Have you reached a plateau in your current role?
07:12 Energy, grief and life circumstances - when you can't do more
09:30 Money, cost of living crisis and travel expenses
11:55 My 2 years away from psychology - home care to office temping
15:40 Banding isn't everything - Band 4 vs Band 5 AP roles
18:42 What are you optimising for? Money, learning, time, wellbeing
21:10 How to manage your six career priorities
22:45 Breadth versus depth of experience for DClinPsy
24:50 Pay, overtime, shift allowances and pensions
26:30 6 Decision-making questions to ask yourself before you move
30:15 Final thoughts - Your life gets a vote too

🎧 Listen to the Pensions episode mentioned in this episode here: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/63990610-9942-4287-bcb6-cef9be814b2d/ Or Watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lv5QFsNVCQ
Links:
🫶 To join my podcast membership to get early access to episodes and support the show head to: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support or to the Apple Podcasts App: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-aspiring-psychologist-podcast/id1605628278
📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0
📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97
💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/membership
🖥️ Check out my short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/online-courses
Ask Marianne your most pressing psychology career question and she will send you a FREE bespoke reply! Grab your free psychology success guide here and fill in the most pressing concern box: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page)
✍️ Get your FREE Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/free-resources
📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent
💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity
Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved:
If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.
© Dr Marianne Trent

Replaying your worst interview answer on a loop? You're not alone and it probably says less about you than you think. In this episode of Inner Work, Dr Marianne Trent explores why we ruminate over interview mistakes, the difference between a poor answer and a poor candidate, and how to use post-interview embarrassment as information rather than punishment.
🎧 Listen to the Professor Paul Gilbert Lessons in Psychology Compassion episode here: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/8b8a45e2-aa6a-4802-8e01-26ebd2d6a412/ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40b5TmxQko
#InterviewAnxiety #SelfCompassion #InnerWorkPodcast
💡 Want to support the channel? Like, comment, and share this episode!
#psychologypodcast #chooseyourself
📩 Business & Collaboration Enquiries
✉️ Email: Info@GoodThinkingPsychology.co.uk
🎧 Stay Connected With Me
🌍 Aspiring Psychologists Website: www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk
🌍 Good Thinking Psychology Website: www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk
💼 LinkedIn: Dr Marianne Trent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marianne-trent-psychology/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodThinkingPsychologicalServices
🐦 Twitter/X: @DrMarianneTrent
📸 Instagram: @DrMarianneTrent
🎵 TikTok: @DrMarianneTrent.

📚 My Books on Amazon
📖 The Grief Collective → https://amzn.to/4hNHru5
📖 The Clinical Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/3ErIEJs
📖 The Aspiring Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/4jSxc9N
📖 Talking Heads: Stories of Psychology & Mental Health → https://amzn.to/3EvbKaN
📖 An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals → https://amzn.to/3WXBpz9

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.
© Dr Marianne Trent

Ever wonder how much of your stress is actually yours or whether you've quietly picked up someone else's expectations along the way? In this episode of Psychology, Actually, Dr Marianne Trent explores where stress really comes from, the difference between acute and chronic stress, and the hidden costs of ignoring it, from sleep and relationships to burnout. She shares practical ways to audit your own pressure points, spot the "shoulds" driving your decisions, and figure out what's genuinely within your control.
#StressManagement #PsychologyActually #MentalHealthPodcast
Highlights
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Where is your stress really coming from?
03:40 Peer pressure and the comparison trap
06:15 Are you ready, or just chancing it?
08:20 The "shoulds" that add up
10:05 Auditing what you can actually control
12:30 Acute vs chronic stress
15:50 Noticing stress in your body and mind
17:40 A quick physical health check-in
19:15 The real cost of ignoring stress: sleep
23:00 The real cost of ignoring stress: relationships and joy
25:50 Burnout and taking time off
27:45 Quick-fire reflections
30:20 Closing thoughts

🎧 Listen to this episode What is the difference between stress and burnout? https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a1592990-4561-48b4-b115-6809a77a2c84/ or watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXjnKewNstM
Links:
🫶 To join my podcast membership to get early access to episodes and support the show head to: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support or to the Apple Podcasts App: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-aspiring-psychologist-podcast/id1605628278 or to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOwjrIP_jatiqlAivJE2mgQ/join
📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0
📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97
💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/membership
🖥️ Check out my short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/online-courses
Ask Marianne your most pressing psychology career question and she will send you a FREE bespoke reply! Grab your free psychology success guide here and fill in the most pressing concern box: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page)
✍️ Get your FREE Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/free-resources
📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent
💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity
Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved:
If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes.
Hashtags:

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.
© Dr Marianne Trent

What if the person you've stopped trusting is yourself? In this episode of Inner Work, Dr Marianne Trent explores why self-doubt often traces back to childhood experiences, and how to gently begin trusting your own judgement, hopes, and dreams again.
#InnerWork #TrustYourself #mentalhealthawareness
Grab Simon Squibb’s What’s Your Dream book: https://amzn.to/4d57H3c
Another Inner Work Episode I think you’ll love: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/bd386694-3b7e-4400-b628-b7bad1bedd74/ or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvlVQo3ORrs
💡 Want to support the channel? Like, comment, and share this episode!
#psychologypodcast #chooseyourself
📩 Business & Collaboration Enquiries
✉️ Email: Info@GoodThinkingPsychology.co.uk
🎧 Stay Connected With Me
🌍 Aspiring Psychologists Website: www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk
🌍 Good Thinking Psychology Website: www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk
💼 LinkedIn: Dr Marianne Trent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marianne-trent-psychology/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodThinkingPsychologicalServices
🐦 Twitter/X: @DrMarianneTrent
📸 Instagram: @DrMarianneTrent
🎵 TikTok: @DrMarianneTrent.

📚 My Books on Amazon
📖 The Grief Collective → https://amzn.to/4hNHru5
📖 The Clinical Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/3ErIEJs
📖 The Aspiring Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/4jSxc9N
📖 Talking Heads: Stories of Psychology & Mental Health → https://amzn.to/3EvbKaN
📖 An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals → https://amzn.to/3WXBpz9

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.© Dr Marianne Trent

Why can being signed off work feel like you're doing something wrong, even when you know you're genuinely unwell? Resting can become tangled up with guilt, productivity, and self-worth. In this episode of Inner Work, Dr Marianne Trent explores why we compare ourselves to colleagues, feel the need to prove we're ill, struggle to switch off from work, and find it difficult to give ourselves permission to rest and recover.
#WorkplaceMentalHealth #BurnoutRecovery #SelfWorth
Listen or watch next: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/9883f9ec-d1f3-4669-b3aa-57b191b26507/ or YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_61T3Jf8I
💡 Want to support the channel? Like, comment, and share this episode!
📩 Business & Collaboration Enquiries
✉️ Email: Info@GoodThinkingPsychology.co.uk
🎧 Stay Connected With Me
🌍 Aspiring Psychologists Website: www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk
🌍 Good Thinking Psychology Website: www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk
💼 LinkedIn: Dr Marianne Trent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marianne-trent-psychology/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodThinkingPsychologicalServices
🐦 Twitter/X: @DrMarianneTrent
📸 Instagram: @DrMarianneTrent
🎵 TikTok: @DrMarianneTrent.

📚 My Books on Amazon
📖 The Grief Collective → https://amzn.to/4hNHru5
📖 The Clinical Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/3ErIEJs
📖 The Aspiring Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/4jSxc9N
📖 Talking Heads: Stories of Psychology & Mental Health → https://amzn.to/3EvbKaN
📖 An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals → https://amzn.to/3WXBpz9

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.© Dr Marianne Trent