Psychology students – Emma Palmer-Cooper

British Psychological Society, Psychology students, science communication

What does creativity mean to me

The 2025 Voices in Psychology prompt for The Psychologist was ‘what does creativity mean to me?’Here are my thoughts:

Creativity is most traditionally associated with artistic expression, especially when it results in something that is striking in a tangible or obvious way. But from a scientific perspective, creativity is this and more, and it is this broader understanding that I find truly exciting.

To me, creativity represents a mental and emotional space where we are free to explore, to experiment, to fail, and to grow. Creativity is strongly linked to wellbeing, but this is not because artistic individuals are inherently happier. An ability to think creatively helps us to navigate difficult situations more adaptively. It supports emotional regulation, tolerance of ambiguity, and intrinsic motivation. It helps us remain open and flexible when facing uncertainty, and offers outlets for processing negative emotions, which in itself is a form of problem-solving. It reflects resilience, our capacity to try, to persevere, and to approach challenges in novel ways. While outwardly creativity may appear as a perceptible output or innovation, inwardly, it is more about how we think, how we process complexity, and how we respond to uncertainty.

In our own research on creativity, we used questionnaires asking participants to rate themselves on traditional forms such as painting, music, and the culinary arts. However, what proved most interesting to me was a final open-ended question that invited people to describe any other ways in which they saw themselves as creative. Every response was different. Participants shared examples from fields as varied as carpentry, sports, farming, accountancy, and broadcasting. In other studies, asking students to engage with simple creative activities led to significant reductions in stress and how they perceived stressful situations. What has emerged is a strong sense that creativity is, at its core, our unique ability to approach and solve problems in a positive way.

This is why I encourage students to reflect on their own personal expressions of creativity. Recognising and engaging with it can reveal a lot more about your strengths and abilities than you may see on the surface.

In my own work, writing and creating content about my teaching and research has helped me think about what I do in different ways. I’ve since found that it’s become a very useful tool, finding new angles for my teaching, new research ideas, and new ways of doing work. This freedom to engage with my work in different and creative ways helps me overcome problems and enjoy the process.

My personal creative practice of yarn craft has also led to new and exciting opportunities. From developing research ideas, innovating my teaching methods, and delivering science communication events, creativity in one area of my life has influenced my ability to deliver ideas in the other.

As Psychologists, creativity is not limited to what we produce in research, education or practice. Creativity is a dynamic, internal process that shapes how we experience and respond to the world, and how we approach our diverse and vibrant field.

Book Review, mental wellbeing, Psychology students, science communication, self-reflection

Braintenance – Review

Braintenance: How to Create Healthy Habits and Reach Your Goals – Dr Julia Ravey

If you’re looking for a practical and engaging guide to beating procrastination and building happier habits, I highly recommend Braintenance by Dr Julia Ravey.

One of the things I really like about this book is its clear structure of Why, Sci, Try. For each topic, Dr Ravey first explains why something happens, then shares the science behind it, and finally gives simple, practical steps so you can try new techniques for yourself. It’s a great way to connect research with everyday life, and is written very clearly.

The advice focuses on topics like how to direct your focus, prioritise processes over outcomes, and beat procrastination. Dr Ravey also uses personal insights to make examples more tangible and accessible.

I recommend Braintenance for anyone looking for science-backed advice on how to improve their habits. I think it’s particularly interesting for students to see how scientists can write about their area of expertise for wider audiences.

Buy here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Psychology students, self-reflection

Reflective Practice: A Vital Skill for Every Aspiring Psychologist

Reflective practice is a core skill for any psychologist. Whether you’re aiming to become a therapist, clinical psychologist, or working in research, educational, occupational or forensic settings, it’s a good skill to learn. At its heart, reflective practice involves actively thinking about an experience, particularly one you want to learn from, in order to improve your professional approach.

This means taking the time to pause and examine what happened, your role in it, and how you felt and thought during the experience. It includes evaluating your behaviour, noticing your emotional responses, and analysing your decisions. Through this process, you can identify what went well, what could have been different, and, importantly, what you might change in future similar situations.

Reflection is a structured process of analysing, questioning, and reframing. It enables you to grow not only in self-awareness but also in skill, confidence, and effectiveness. This is known as reflective learning, and it supports continual development across all areas of psychological practice.

Why Reflective Practice Matters in Psychology

While reflective practice is often associated with therapeutic training, it is used across all branches of psychology. Whether you’re working with clients, managing a research team, designing behaviour change interventions, or consulting in organisations, being reflective supports:

Improved decision-making
Greater empathy and self-awareness
Ethical sensitivity and professionalism
Ongoing learning and adaptability

Learning to be a reflective practitioner is, therefore, not just a course requirement, it’s a core skill for growth throughout your career as a psychologist.

How Students Can Practise Reflective Thinking

Psychology students are already developing the habits of critical thinking and evidence-based analysis. Reflective practice builds on this by encouraging you to apply that critical lens to your own experiences, whether in academic work, placements, personal interactions, or your own emotional responses to what you’re studying.

Here are some practical ways to start:

Keep a Reflective Journal

Journaling helps you ‘get your thoughts out of your head’ and onto the page. This can reduce cognitive and emotional overload and often leads to greater clarity. Whether you use a traditional notebook, a digital diary, or record voice notes, the format doesn’t matter, what’s important is that you create a space for reflection.

Create a Reflective Portfolio

Over time, build a portfolio that documents your reflections, learning, and professional growth. This might include reflections on lectures, placement experiences, feedback from tutors, or challenges you’ve overcome. It becomes a tangible record of your development, useful for job applications, supervision, or future training.

I made a downloadable PDF Reflection guides for clinical placements and study skills to get you started.

Ask Reflective Questions

Try using prompts such as (adapted from Bennett-Levy et al., 2009):

What happened? How did I feel? What did I notice?
What did I learn from this? Was it helpful or unhelpful?
What would I do differently next time?
How did this affect my understanding of myself, others, or psychology more broadly?

These kinds of questions can be used in written reflections, discussions with peers, or in supervision. They are also useful in therapeutic work for practitioners and clients to enhance insight and effectiveness.

Looking Ahead: Applying Reflective Practice to Your Career

In later stages of your training, you’ll begin applying these reflective skills more formally, whether through writing about your research, presenting casework, or preparing for publication. Regardless of your specific career path, the ability to reflect critically and compassionately on your work is what will set you apart as an ethical and thoughtful practitioner.

Being reflective isn’t about being overly self-critical or dwelling on mistakes. It’s about staying open, learning continuously, and improving your practice, not just for your benefit, but for the people and communities you aim to support.

Whether you’re heading into clinical training, research, or any other psychological field, reflective practice is a key skill for professional development. Start now, and let it grow with you throughout your career.