From Football Coach to Trainee Psychologist | Jack’s Unconventional Journey

In this episode, I speak with first year trainee clinical psychologist Jack Griffiths about his unconventional journey from football coaching in Wales to securing a training place after six DClinPsy application cycles. We discuss how he used non traditional experience to build his psychology identity, the challenges of being a male applicant in a female dominated profession, the pressure to demonstrate vulnerability in interviews, and what helped him stay grounded through years of uncertainty. Jack reflects on assistant psychologist roles, rejection, resilience, supervision, and the value of authenticity in developing as a clinician. This episode is ideal for aspiring psychologists preparing applications, strengthening reflection skills and carving out their own unique path into the profession.

Highlights

• 00:00 – Introducing Jack’s journey and years of persistence on the path to training
• 01:20 – Meeting Jack and how his football coaching background first caught my attention
• 01:54 – Jack’s route into psychology after repeated ACL injuries led him into coaching
• 02:49 – Working with teenage academy players and using psychology to build culture, leadership and communication
• 03:31 – How a love of psychology began early, and why Jack followed curiosity rather than a fixed plan
• 05:28 – Staying grounded and authentic while entering a new profession
• 06:11 – Using experiences from football and lifeguarding to strengthen reflections and clinical applications
• 07:37 – Applying motivational interviewing and coaching models on the pitch, including autonomy and self leadership
• 09:14 – Bringing personal style to coaching and rejecting outdated coaching stereotypes
• 09:59 – We discuss being male in a female dominated psychology profession and how this shapes vulnerability and growth
• 11:51 – How gender dynamics shape reflection and openness in interviews and supervision
• 14:19 – Applying six times to training, losing confidence and feeling stuck as an assistant psychologist
• 16:23 – Why assistant roles vary, and the emotional toll of years of striving for a single outcome
• 18:25 – Interview challenges: authenticity vs playing “the reflection game” in high pressure situations
• 20:32 – How men in psychology often start at a disadvantage around vulnerability expectations
• 22:47 – Thoughts on equality, diversity and inclusion, and how men sometimes fall outside the conversation
• 24:13 – Navigating assessment during training and handling power dynamics in supervision
• 26:23 – How allowing yourself to start from zero on placement can lead to the biggest growth
• 29:31 – The emotional impact of not being “chosen” for a placement and managing ego and comparison
• 32:17 – Early anxieties about meeting supervisors and fitting into new teams
• 33:42 – Final reflections and encouragement for aspiring psychologists on their own unconventional paths

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