From Therapy to Best Selling Author: Dr Martha Deiros Collado’s Psychology Journey

Behind every bestselling psychology book is a story and a person. But what does it take to build a fulfilling psychology career and balance it with family life, writing, and impact beyond the therapy room? In this 199th episode of The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, Dr Marianne Trent is joined by Dr Martha Deiros Collado, clinical psychologist and author of The Smartphone Solution and How to Be the Grown-Up. Martha shares her inspiring journey from struggling to secure AP posts to thriving in paediatrics, leaving the NHS after 12 years, and now combining private practice, public psychology, and authorship. We explore training, family therapy, multidisciplinary teamwork, resilience, and why perseverance pays off for aspiring psychologists. Whether you’re applying for AP roles, preparing for training, or curious about career journeys in psychology, this episode is packed with learning, encouragement, and real-world insight. This episode is filled with inspiration, resilience, and lessons for aspiring psychologists about perseverance, identity, and finding your own path — a perfect lead-in to the upcoming 200th episode celebrations! #PsychologyCareer #AspiringPsychologist #ClinicalPsychology ⏱️ Highlights & Timestamps: 00:00 – Introducing Dr Martha Deiros Collado and her journey into psychology 01:14 – From wanting to be a doctor to discovering psychology 03:11 – University, first interests in forensics and health psychology 04:53 – Early AP role in paediatrics: epilepsy, brain injury, and brain surgery 05:53 – Training placements: psychodynamic year, CBT, and paediatrics at UCLH 07:45 – Discovering family therapy and blending approaches 08:42 – How children and families shaped her values and practice 10:49 – Leaving the NHS after 12 years: supervision, caseloads, and lessons learned 12:39 – Loving the work: privilege, variety, and the power of stories 14:26 – Balancing private practice, motherhood, and self-care 15:39 – Struggles with securing AP posts, honorary roles, and resilience 17:15 – Why unpaid roles were problematic and perseverance matters 19:08 – Courage to change paths: friends who retrained in other professions 20:58 – Valuing all roles in multidisciplinary teams 22:13 – Martha’s books: How to Be the Grown-Up and The Smartphone Solution 25:02 – Where to follow Dr Martha online 25:46 – Reflections on consultation, public psychology, and widening impact 26:46 – Thank you and a look ahead to episode 200 celebrations Check out Dr Martha's previous episode talking about smartphone boundaries: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/5342ebb9-2735-45e5-ade3-db687c4fa249/ or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mRs709Omu0o?si=VJTZzozXi5HpQIBv Links: 📚 Grab Dr Martha's Books: The Smartphone Solution: https://amzn.to/42BhcBZ How to be the Grownup: https://amzn.to/42ApOJ4 🫶 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