From Radiography to Psychology | It’s Never Too Late to Change

Changing careers in your 30s or 40s can feel daunting — but it might also be the best decision you ever make. In this episode of The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, Dr Marianne Trent talks with a former cancer-care radiographer who retrained as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP). They explore the emotional impact of working in healthcare, recognising burnout, overcoming fear, managing finances, and pursuing a career in psychology later in life. This episode is packed with motivation and guidance for anyone wondering how to start a psychology career, apply for the PWP course, or rediscover purpose through compassionate work. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: When your career no longer fits 01:14 – From radiotherapy to mental health support 04:18 – Why therapeutic work felt more fulfilling than clinical treatment 06:04 – Recognising compassion fatigue and value misalignment 09:11 – Balancing family, health and the decision to retrain 11:31 – Funding, salary changes and managing the practicalities 13:13 – Health as a motivator for career change 16:04 – How NHS experience supported the PWP application 17:31 – What it’s like to train and qualify as a PWP 19:14 – Starting again in your forties: challenges and mindset shifts 21:51 – Accessing academic and wellbeing support during training 23:48 – Why it’s never too late to thrive professionally 25:10 – Permission to pursue fulfilment and alignment 26:33 – The “Smile File” strategy for motivation and reflection 29:18 – Closing reflections: authenticity, courage and growth 🫶 To support me by donating to help cover my costs for the free resources I provide click here: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support 📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0 📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97 💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/membership-interested 🖥️ Check out my brand new short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/short-courses ✍️ Get your Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/supervision 📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent 💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved: If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes. If you'd like to learn how to record and submit your own audio testimonial to be included in future shows head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/podcast and click the blue request info button at the top of the page. Hashtags: #aspiringpsychologist #dclinpsy #psychology #assistantpsychologist #psychologycareers #podcast #psychologypodcast #clinicalpsychologist #mentalhealth #traineeclinicalpsychologist #clinicalpsychology #drmariannetrent #mentalhealthprofessional #gettingqualified #mentalhealthprofessionals #traineepwp #mdt #qualifiedpsychologist #traineepsychologist #aspiringpsychologists #wellbeing Mentioned in this episode: Sponsored by WriteUpp Tap to Pay This episode is sponsored by WriteUpp. Their Tap to Pay app turns your smartphone into a card reader, helping private practitioners take secure payments without additional hardware. Use code MARIANNE30 for a free 30-day trial and 30% off your first 6 months at this link: https://writeupp.com/?refid=142336