User:Psych Ji

= About me =

I am one of the co-founders of this network and a practising health and community psychologist. As a community psychologist, I aim to use collective approaches to help achieve health equity and address climate change, as I believe that coming to deal with structural challenges and providing mutual support are essential to achieve the changes we need to see. As a health psychologist, I work in NHS clinical settings and specialise in helping people to manage long term illness; I currently work with people with blood disorders, primarily with people with sickle cell conditions and thalassemia. Sickle cell and thalassemia are conditions that predominantly affect people of the global majority.

My approaches and philosophy
Anti-racist and social justice-based approaches are essential for my work; as is a healthy dose of compassion for myself and others. You may find me using a mix of theories and models to work with individuals and groups around coping with the challenges they may face; and using advocacy, creativity and mutual learning to address more structural challenges. I don't have all the answers, but believe we can co-create better narratives and material conditions together.

My role in In Our Own Words
I am helping to build the foundations of this network. That means creating videos and resources, co-writing policy and guidelines (using a consultative approach), recruiting and training volunteers and thinking about how we can provide material mutual support for each other along the way.

What I'm most proud of to date
That we have kept going with hope and determination despite the turbulence of the last 2 years