Do you feel that despite working hard, you are not doing as well as you know you can? Do you feel run down, frustrated, or concerned about burning out?
Are you wondering what steps to take to move forward while protecting your wellbeing? Do you want to fulfil your potential, be dynamic, engaged, and do stimulating and meaningful work?
If you are at a cross-roads and unsure which way to turn, we can work together to achieve your goals.
I am an experienced Chartered Counselling Psychologist, Occupational Psychologist, and qualified teacher. I have worked in the clinical & educational fields for over 35 years. As a creative thinker, I bring my knowledge, experience, and love of learning to my work as a practitioner and educator.
I enjoy working with people who are curious and are eager to learn, and who are willing to invest in developing their knowledge and skills, to achieve meaningful goals in their personal, academic, and professional lives. .
My approach as an educator, mentor, and guide is to create a supportive environment that fosters learning and self-development. My approach is to start from where you are, identify your interests and goals.
I believe in prevention to protect our health and wellbeing. I also believe in the value of learning and developing skills to do work that contributes to others’ lives in a meaningful way. My work is research-based, practical and solution-focused. Through developing our self-awareness we can restore our energy, sense of self-efficacy and confidence in our abilities to pursue our goals and derive a sense of achievement from our work.
Throughout my professional career, I have worked with individuals to restore their energy and confidence, boosting their motivation and wellbeing. The aim being to achieve their potential and reconnect with what matters to them.
By discussing and developing strategies to enhance emotional intelligence, we can understand ourselves, communicate better with others, and remain motivated to do meaningful work, in studies, as entrepreneurs and as professionals in a rapidly changing work environment.
We live in a time of rapid change and uncertainty. Work and study are evolving exponentially due to Covid-19, and rapid changing technology. In order to do well in studies and at work, we need to become life-long learners as we need to develop our skills to work and study effectively. In order to grow, remain agile and lead a meaningful life, we must develop our emotional intelligence while strengthening our self-management skills.
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” We must be open to learning and adapting to changes in order to remain relevant and successful. This requires a growth mindset, and the motivation and perseverance to keep learning new skills.: (John Dewey, American philosopher)
Dr. Alicia Peña Bizama
Thank you for all the hard work pulling the resilience videos together for the IFPP.
At the North School of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation, we have been delighted to collaborate with Dr Alicia Peña Bizama for our final two videos on ‘Resilience in the workplace’ and ‘Managing challenges and making progress’. Dr Alicia Peña Bizama has been incredibly responsive to our ask in developing these short videos which includes a range of tips and techniques to help build resilience, manage transitions into work, build confidence, manage setbacks and stresses and to help keep well. These videos will be extremely useful in providing additional health and wellbeing support to those provisionally registered pharmacists that have experienced unprecedented challenges and pressures, because of the pandemic, in their training year. With special thanks and appreciation:
Qualifications and Experience
I am a Chartered Counselling Psychologist* and I have a Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology. My research focused on understanding the factors that lead to burnout and explored ways to enable people to return to work.
My research forms the basis of my approach on preparing professionals to develop their strengths to achieve their potential, maintain health and wellness while deriving a sense of fulfilment. Therefore, my focus is on prevention, to reduce distress and protect health and wellbeing so people can fulfil their potential and have a sense of fulfilment at work and in life.
I have experience of working in Primary Care in the National Health Service (NHS) and in the private sector where I worked with adults dealing with a range of mental health problems. I have worked with individuals and in organisations where I provided 1:1 clinical consultations as well as coaching session on work related issues such managing change, dealing with pressure, maintaining motivation and productivity, and preventing burnout. I developed and delivered training for managers and professionals in a variety of professional fields.
Since 2006, I have worked at the University of Reading, currently working part-time managing a psycho-educational programme that I created and have continued to develop for all students at the university. The Life Tools programme is included in the QAA website as an example of best practice.
I am a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language. I enjoy learning about different cultures, and ways of communication to increase understanding and collaboration. I did my postgraduate qualifications in the UK. I have extensive experience in working with international students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, providing knowledge and strategies to manage the transition into living and studying in the UK..
*Chartered member of The British Psychological Society (BPS) C.Psychol, AFBPsS number 074069
Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health & Care Professional Council (HCPC) Registration number PYL17780