Abstract
The dominant identity of UK clinical psychologists is that of the reflective scientist-practitioner. However, some have claimed that the profession has increasingly emphasised the practitioner element through its provision of psychological therapies. This therapeutic focus has been criticised for failing to address the social gradient in health. The current study therefore sought to explore how UK clinical psychologists perceive the profession’s role in addressing health inequalities. The study employed a qualitative, cross-sectional design. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken by telephone and video conferencing. A purposive sample of 20 participants were recruited. Participants were trainee and qualified UK clinical psychologists (45% trainee, 25% male, mean age = 35.4, SD = 8.7). A thematic analysis identified two overarching themes. These were ‘oppressed’ and ‘leadership’. Oppressed included the sub-themes ‘constrained’, ‘powerless’ and ‘distressed’. Leadership contained the sub-themes ‘united’, ‘aware’ and ‘influential’. Nearly all participants implied that clinical psychologists could contribute to distributed leadership in relation to health inequalities. Most perceived action in this area to be a moral duty. Despite this, many seemed to feel powerless to take an agentic role because of perceived constraints across the social, political and organisational levels. The findings have potential implications for clinical psychologists’ identity and practice.