ABSTRACT
Psychological formulation is key in helping service users and multi-disciplinary teams understand complex mental health difficulties across psychiatric services and health settings more generally. With a growing awareness that many of those entering the field of psychology have lived experience of adversity and mental distress, as do others already within the field, it seems imperative for clinical psychology to apply the same principles of psychological formulation to themselves. This chapter invites readers to consider the utility of psychological formulation not only as a means of personal and professional development, but also, at least in part, as a way of sustaining wellbeing. Two of the authors develop and share their own psychological formulations, using the Power Threat Meaning Framework and cognitive analytic therapy, in order to demonstrate the potential of self-formulation – making sense of our own experiences as clinical practitioners. Through an exploration of the basic tenets of psychological formulation and a sharing of personal accounts, an invitation is extended to readers to apply psychological theory, tools and practices to their own circumstances through self-formulation.
