Dr Tara Porter Talk – GDST Sixth Form Book Club
On June 17th we were delighted to host the GDST Sixth Form Book Club, with guest speaker Dr Tara Porter. We were joined online by students from Wimbledon High, Streatham and Clapham and Nottingham Girls High Schools.
Dr Porter shared her pathway to becoming a clinical psychologist & her new book ‘You Don’t Understand Me: The Young Woman’s Guide to Life’ which speaks directly to girls & young women, offering an insight into their own psychology.
She spoke about her experiences working as a clinical psychologist in a variety of very different places, from prisons to sexual health clinics, although the majority of her career has been focusing on children and adolescents, largely at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead where much of her work is related to eating disorders.
In a Q and A with the students, Dr Porter answered a number of questions, including the rewarding nature of her work, how studying psychology at school and university can help prepare you for a career, the separation between work and personal lives, the importance of curiosity, and how to build trust with young people.
Dr Porter was also asked why she had decided to write a book. She explained how psychology books can be quite dry and she was interested in writing something which spoke to young women about their own mental health and wrote it in the same tone she would use with a patient she was working with.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed the talk and discussion, with one commenting “It was really valuable to gain her insights from working as a clinical psychologist, especially since she works with many young women.” Another said that “it was fascinating to learn more about clinical psychology as a career path, and it was nice to see that there are so many options in terms of types of therapy that can be offered or types of people you can work with.”
A big thank you to Dr Porter and the GDST for a very insightful talk as part of the GDST Book Club series. More on Dr Porter’s book, ‘You Don’t Understand Me: The Young Woman’s Guide to Life‘ here.
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