365 Days Later – Experiences of my first year working as an approved clinician

Abstract

In April 2018 I was approved by the Secretary of State to be an Approved Clinician for the purposes of the Mental Health Act (MHA). I started working in this role in June 2018 following a re-banding and re-contracting process within my role as the qualified psychologist in a 10-bedded NHS assessment and treatment unit (ATU) supporting adults with learning disabilities. In this article I outline the process of becoming approved and reflect on my experiences in my first year (ish) of working as an Approved Clinician in the ATU.