“THE SLOW ROAD TO DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHOLOGY: A PERSONAL JOURNEY FROM FIELD WORK TO CLINICAL PRACTICE WITH WAR AFFECTED PEOPLE”

 

by Dr Tori Snell
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; UK
Director for International Relations – Association of Clinical Psychologists – UK (ACP-UK);
Clinical Associate – Al Razi Medical Centre, Baghdad

 

ABSTRACT

An important direction of travel for psychology involves the deconstruction, or decolonisation, of its largely ethnocentric infrastructure. The need for a more considered path can be applied to (post) conflict settings. Research into the experiences of people affected by war and armed conflict tends to be needs-led e.g., by humanitarian or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or else it seeks to understand the relation between stress exposure and mental health in the (post) conflict context. These approaches can be ‘extractive’, meaning that information is gained in ways that are more transactional than collaborative and with interpretations that risk being over simplified. Reflections on applying psychological theories, diagnoses (including diagnostic screening tools), and interventions with children and adults caught up in war-related violence and its ongoing aftermath in Iraq from 2006 to the present will be shared in this presentation to highlight the authority of their experiences and what was learned. Ethical dilemmas relating to research and clinical practice will be explored drawing from current perspectives.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr Tori Snell, BA (Hons), BSc (Hons), MSc, DClinPsy is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist working in the Addictions Directorate of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL). Having completed a first degree in history, she started out as a journalist with the Washington Post followed by a beat on an Ohio daily (The Medina County Gazette) and, later, Reuters. Tori lived for many years in Southeast Asia, the Gulf and the Middle East as a trailing diplomatic spouse and ‘stay-at-home’ mother. Witnessing the disproportionate effects of historic and ongoing conflict on existing inequalities within these communities was central to her decision to switch careers. In 2008, she gained a place on the NHS-funded doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Leicester. Prior to training, she worked in Jordan with a governmental organisation to assess the psychological experiences of recruits to the Iraqi security forces and with non-governmental organisations, including the Japanese non-profit NICCOD, evaluating psychosocial interventions, and providing support for children and families from Iraq and Palestine. The work with NICCOD was under the clinical supervision of the Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Numan Ali with whom she still works remotely as an associate in his Baghdad-based clinic. From 2007-2019, Tori was appointed to several boards within the Norway-UK based Children and War Foundation and served as the English language editor of the Arab Journal of Psychiatry (2008-2023). Since 2015, she has held an honorary clinical teaching post on the Leicester DClinPsy course; and, as part of advocating for her profession, holds an elected post as a Director with the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK (ACP-UK).