The Chartership Divide

I want to write about how amazing volunteers are. How extraordinary people giving their time, expertise, commitment and hard graft in exchange for naught is a precious gift that should be held in soft gloves like a valuable gem and celebrated often. How important it is for me, and many others, to give back to their professional bodies and to include our voices, our hands and our hearts as well as our membership fees. Perhaps this is the article I will find emerging within me once the following paragraphs have found their way out, and certainly represents large portions of my own volunteering experience to date.

But first, a confession. I have been driven to write this article (and my previous article on volunteers reclaiming their power) through irritation. More than that, through bubbling anger, sadness and disbelief. Writing has always been my nemesis - something I would love to incorporate more into my professional portfolio and therefore terrifying, exposing and easy to put off lest someone gives me bad feedback on a piece of my soul shared on the page. I’ve recently found that displeasure, irritation and feelings of injustice are one hell of a motivator to get the words flowing, and although in writing these thoughts I am hoping to work through my frustration, I do not feel confident that the unrelenting source of much of my annoyance will take any notice or feel that there are adjustments to be made in behaviour, outlook or practice. Perhaps my joyful celebration piece is a little further away than I had first anticipated, but whilst the more abrupt emotions are fuelling my fire I thought it would be a good opportunity to offer some observations and feelings in the spirit of open dialogue.

The crux of the matter here is that I have been confronted with a growing rhetoric, albeit hidden in subtext and careful wording, that all volunteers are equal, but some volunteers are more equal than others. Whilst I can acknowledge that the intricacies of an organisation who employ a somewhat hierarchical structure of volunteering do make this more complex, to suggest that some active members are ‘less than’, that they don’t have the capability to do what they’ve been doing for years because they don’t have x qualification or y shiny sticker of historical achievement is simply hogwash. As an unchartered member, I have been left feeling that unless you have the special sticker (holographic, rare and expensive of course), you wouldn’t even be trusted to put the kettle on whilst giving your time for free to support your profession.

To be specific, there seems to be an opinion within parts of the DOP (and actually, across the BPS) that to be unchartered as a psychologist means you are less, perhaps incapable of achieving what should be an aspirational achievement for us all as psychologists. I say should be aspirational - I wouldn’t wish to speak on behalf of others, but I can tell you that my own deliberate and conscious decision not to undertake chartership at this point in time has nothing to do with my capability or proficiency in my role, and everything to do with the lack of access, spiralling costs (might I note on top of already being ￡60k in debt from the two accredited degrees I had to undertake to even consider being in a position to pursue chartership), and the disillusionment with the whole process from several supervisors and former supervisors who have spoken to me off the record. For me, the existing process is not fit for purpose and I am absolutely ready to die on this hill. To put it bluntly, I don’t want to join a special club if it adds to this dialogue of division and elitism that is so harmful and goes against everything I believe is important in working with humans as another human - surely the very core of our profession.

Given that the current register of chartered psychologists shows 1049 Occupational Psychologists, but a recent estimate of DOP membership places it at over 4000 members, I’m beginning to question if those espousing this clear elitism and their defensive gatekeeping are in fact completely unrepresentative of not only the membership population but actually our profession as a whole. Rather than listening to the voices of those of us coming through with passion, integrity and ethical practice running through our very core, who are literally screaming that this process is not fit for purpose and does not work, we are othered and diminished. I am increasingly convinced that those who occupy the VIP lounge, and that is how I perceive it, are secretly quite pleased that the riffraff is being held outside thanks to exorbitant entry fees, unapproachable bouncers and rife inequality spreading all the way along the snaking queue for acceptance.

That’s not to say that all chartered psychologists share this view. I personally know several who are equally alarmed by recent dialogue that speaks of this division and I imagine that many more might be horrified to find that this type of status-driven grading of voluntary ability is being positioned as the appropriate way forward for a volunteer-led and volunteer-reliant organisation. That you can study masters level psychology but still not be permitted membership should already be ringing alarm bells for equitable and accessible provision, so for those who have managed to get the hallowed accolade of GBC to even still want to contribute and volunteer after having jumped through so many hoops and so much personal expense, they should be welcomed with open arms and encouraged to bring challenge and curiosity to the established way of doing.

On top of this whole debacle, swathes of brilliant and committed volunteers have recently felt that they have no other choice than to step down, myself included, due to the toxic environment and diversionary tactics at play. Whilst this type of behaviour is unacceptable in a typical employment relationship, often resulting in claims of constructive dismissal, I find it particularly galling when the work is being undertaken in a voluntary capacity and the opportunities for support or escalation of these issues rely on the offer and resilience of equally disillusioned and browbeaten volunteers. I am not clear what the process is, nor confident that my largely anecdotal and minimal personal experience would constitute anything strong enough for the BPS to take any decisive action, but for me the shine has gone from the society and it will be a long time before I consider coming back to volunteer. I believe this will be the same for others. I urge the DOP to take heed, to pause and reconsider the value that their members of all abilities, ages, backgrounds and qualifications* can bring. To see this not just as one angry voice but a plea for fairness, kindness and representative process that affords everyone the opportunity for community, development and contribution to their profession regardless of their journey to find it. Through senseless division we only find an echo chamber and stunted progress. Through diversity of voice we find growth, challenge, opportunity, success.

*As long as you’ve got GBC, of course