Becoming a Senior EP

Making sense of the role. A systems thinking approach to the management of psychological services

This 8 session online course is intended for (i) senior EPs (management or specialist) and (ii) EPs with 3 years experience who are considering a senior EP role. It is designed to develop and clarify ideas about psychological service management and leadership.

The course leader is Dr Roger Booker, Honorary Lecturer, ex Associate Professor, staff member of the UCL Educational Psychology Group and developer of the highly successful Leadership Programme for Principal EPs, now in its 6th year.

Online management and leadership training via Zoom has been successfully delivered with participants from all areas of the UK and internationally. Feedback regarding on line presentations and small group work has been consistently positive. Opportunity to participate regardless of location is therefore being maintained with on line delivery.

The dates are selected Tuesday evenings in 2025: Jan 7, 14, 28/ Feb 11, 25/ March 18, 25 /April 1st. The sessions will run from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm.

The course fee is £450.00.

The aims of the course for participants are:

To develop confidence in participants that a progression to management is right for them To develop thinking about the service as a system operating in a dynamic and complex environment To acquire a systemic framework for management and leadership which enhances their management practice To provide opportunities to explore individual challenges and dilemmas arising from their specific contexts in a secure and separate setting To learn from the experience of other participants.

The course leader is Dr Roger Booker, Ex staff member of the UCL Educational Psychology Group and developer of the highly successful Leadership Programme for Principal EPs. Roger has been head of service in Surrey and the London Borough of Greenwich, and is an accredited executive coach.

The design of the course is both didactic and experiential. There will be opportunities to reflect on experience through small “reflecting team” coaching groups – a major resource for the course will be the experience of the participants and will take account of the different service contexts (ie: local authority, independent, social enterprise) that are represented in the participant group. Each 3 hour session will be divided between a formal input and work groups of 4-5 which will either explore the implications of what has been presented or provide a coaching opportunity to explore a specific individual dilemma through a reflecting team structure. Two sessions will comprise an input from an EP with significant senior management experience.

An underpinning assumption is that all EPs, regardless of any formal position they hold, think systemically and exercise significant management skills in their core role. The course builds on these. The formal outline of the course is as follows:

Session 1: A systems thinking approach to the service and its context; the manager located on the boundary of the system Session 2: The manager as a systemic questioner; making sense of specific incidents Session 3: Purposive systems; aims, values and accountability; management and leadership; taking on the role of manager/leader Session 4: Input from experienced Senior EP Session 5: Conflict management – theory and practice Session 6: Input from experienced Senior EP (2) Session 7: Supporting staff Session 8: An overview of theories of Leadership.

Feedback from the previous management course included the following:

  • “I enjoyed the course; it has given me some nice frames of reference for thinking about the challenges that have already arisen since I became a SEP”
  • “Very thankful and feel inspired to carry on learning into this new role”
  • “A truly excellent preparation for becoming a senior – should be compulsory for anyone embarking on a senior role?”
  • “A superbly planned, organised and facilitated course”
  • “Really enjoyed getting to know some new fellow EPs”
  • “… something I will reflect on in years to come”
  • "The course has been so helpful .... It has felt like career coaching and not just about the senior role."
  • "Thank you - an excellent and informative springboard into the world of senior EP leadership."
  • "Made 5-8pm sessions very manageable. Testament to your ability to engage."
  • "Very helpful and enabled me to really have the time and space to reflect on my role as a SEP, which is still very new for me. It has been very helpful to attend with another SEP from our team."
  • "Just what I needed!"

Applicants should be committed to attending all 8 sessions to ensure that the membership of work groups can be maintained. Course membership is restricted to 15 on a first come first served basis; no more than two members from any one service should apply for the current course; a waiting list for future courses will be created if interest exceeds this number of places.

The course is scheduled to run during the start of 2024: 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm on Jan 7, 14, 28/ Feb 11, 25/ March 18, 25/ April 1st.

The course will take place online.

The fee for the programme is £450.

Applicants interested in future runs of the course should contact us to be put on a mailing list.

Programmes