Driving allied health research

Can you tell us about how you got involved in research?

My journey from practitioner to researcher has been a slow, stop-start journey and has spanned several years. I am a qualified occupational therapist and have worked in a range of different settings over the past 28 years within community, acute and rehabilitation settings. Using the best evidence to base my practice on has been really important throughout my career.

I feel passionately that we can only be assured of providing the best care and intervention to our patients, families and communities through adopting a research-informed approach. Early on in my career, I would say I was less confident in research and so tended to get involved in aspects such as audits and journal clubs. Over time, I moved into specialist posture and seating services, where I discovered a real passion for person-centred practice and pressure ulcer prevention. My PhD topic centred on this, and I have not looked back since.

Why is it important for art therapists and other AHPs to incorporate research into their practice?

It is really important that research is embedded and incorporated in all that we do. Research-based practice for art therapists and all AHPs means using evidence from research studies to best inform and guide clinical decision-making and service delivery. We know that by ensuring practice is based on the most up-to-date knowledge, it optimises patient outcomes and patient experience.

Being involved in research as an AHP in whatever capacity is really exciting and rewarding. It promotes better work satisfaction and helps with job retention. It also allows you to build confidence and skills, and can lead to different career opportunities and experiences.

For art therapists in particular, who value co-production and enabling service users to articulate their needs, involvement in research is a means of helping service users to be more involved. Evidence-informed practice is also fundamental to art therapists for continuing professional development and to building and delivering evidence-informed art therapy services.

How do you envision your new role shaping the future of AHP research in the UK?

My role at NIHR is a brand-new role and it is really exciting and important as it demonstrates NIHR’s commitment to supporting the more under-represented professions, such as AHPs. The role will be instrumental in shaping AHP research as it has a wide strategic reach, encompasses all AHP professions and will be a conduit for change.

The purpose of my role is to develop and implement national initiatives to develop AHP research capacity and capability. I will be working as an ambassador within NIHR and externally to strategically position, promote and lead AHP research momentum at a national level. We will be focusing on equity, inclusion and belonging to ensure NIHR academic research opportunities reach the practitioners, areas and communities where it is most needed.

As part of the role, we will be bringing forward exciting initiatives such as the NIHR AHP Developing Research Leaders (DRL) programme. The programme is aimed at those who aspire to become a research leader in health or social care and are committed to promoting a positive research culture and building research capacity and capability in their organisations. It is currently open for applications until 16 April and the programme will start in September.

What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing art therapists and AHPs in pursuing research careers? How do you plan to address these?

Some of the challenges facing art therapists and other AHPs in pursuing research and research careers are similar. These include protected time for research and staffing shortages that create issues for timely backfill. There is also a challenge around research culture with research activity not being prioritised.

Art therapists are one of the smaller AHP professions so there are smaller numbers of practitioners involved in research to support others through mentoring. The context is also challenging. Art therapists work in a range of settings, not just traditional NHS organisations, such as education and charities. This can create some challenges for accessing research opportunities and funding.

With my role at NIHR, I hope to address some of these barriers by working closely with the AHP community, professional bodies, Chief AHP leaders, NHS England and the Community for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR), to ensure all 14 AHP professions have a voice and are involved in our research developments. It is important that the language we use and how we engage with our AHP communities is open, inclusive and ‘speaks to’ all practitioners that research is for everyone.

I believe that the new Developing Research Leaders Programme for AHPs will be a key enabler for practitioners to be part of mobilising research in their areas, localities and organisations. I hope it will inspire and grow the next generation of research leaders.

What’s your advice to an art therapist or art therapy trainee thinking about building their career in research?

My main advice would be to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Research can, for some, feel out of reach, or just for academics, which is not the case – it is for everyone.

Start small by talking to colleagues about your aspirations and research ideas. Most trainees have to do research in their training, but in order to continue to be research active it is important to find research communities for support.

There are many different resources available to help you. CAHPR is a really good starting point with resources and contacts for support. The NIHR provides various support to help AHPs develop research careers. This includes:

• courses and qualifications for those taking their first steps in research
• flexible training programmes to enable AHPs to balance a research and practice-based career
• support to help AHPs gain skills and experience along their academic career path
• research data and publications from NIHR-funded research
• research leadership programmes for AHPs.

In summary, I would encourage everyone to take a look and take that first step into research – you won’t regret it!