Interviewed and Written up by Ellie Eckersley 

Each edition of the Policy Voice Newsletter features Just One Thing, spotlighting people who are making a difference in the sector. For this month’s article, we spoke with Dr. Iyabo Fatimilehin, Clinical Psychologist and founder of Just Psychology, to hear more about her journey, her passion for prevention, and her commitment to culturally competent approaches for children and families. 

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From the NHS to VCSE Health and Wellbeing 

Iyabo trained as a clinical psychologist and spent over 20 years working in the NHS across Nottingham, Leicester, Liverpool and other parts of the UK. Much of her experience was within CAMHS and community child and family services. 

Iyabo explained how the system within the NHS changed over time – “when I first started, you could do a lot more innovation in the NHS. People were able to be a bit more creative. But over time that reduced, and you had to stick to strict structures, processes and bureaucracy. I liked doing projects in communities, but that space became smaller and smaller.” 

Her final role within the NHS was as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool leading community services for children and families from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, but it became clear that the system wasn’t allowing her to do the prevention work she knew was needed. She shared one key example of how this applied to her role within the hospital, “because it was a children’s hospital, we couldn’t provide therapeutic interventions to anyone over the age of eighteen, even if this included parents of children we were working with. Yet often the work that was most important was with parents, even when a child didn’t have a problem yet. That preventative work didn’t fit with the structures of the NHS.” 

Iyabo also felt that the significance of cultural competency and social justice work was often overlooked within the NHS – seen as a nice “add on” rather than something essential to good practice. She witnessed changes that made it harder for local Black and Minority Ethnic communities to access healthcare and psychological support. One example was the introduction of a system where families had to travel to a single hospital for an initial triage, even if they lived just across the road from another hospital. 

Iyabo decided to leave in 2008, initially working as an independent practitioner providing family court assessments and therapies, however, she soon realised her passion was for early help and prevention, as well as working within a team setting. “There’s nothing more frustrating than working with someone and thinking, if only someone had picked this up earlier. That’s when I knew where I wanted to focus.” 

In 2011, together with colleagues she had worked with in Liverpool and Manchester, she founded Just Psychology CIC. 

Building Just Psychology 

Just Psychology provides emotional health and wellbeing services for children and families, with a strong focus on cultural diversity, cultural competence and social justice. 

Iyabo explained, “delivering services to diverse communities is really important, but it’s also about knowing how to address these diverse needs. Social justice is also really important, it’s not just about therapy and early intervention, but about real prevention work and community, for example, upskilling people from within communities and working with services to understand the direct and diverse needs.” 

A key part of this is collaboration and co-production. “We never go into a community assuming we know best. We develop services and projects together, so it’s not our idea but something that comes from them.” 

To do this, Just Psychology works with cultural consultants – people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities who bring lived experience of different cultures. “We train them in how UK services work and in professional issues, such as confidentiality. They are then able to act as a bridge with professionals. It’s important that their expertise is valued and that they are paid for their time.” By centring lived experience in this way, Just Psychology ensures services don’t rely on assumptions or generalisations, but instead are shaped by real voices from the communities they serve. 

Iyabo also highlighted the importance of paying consultants for their time, recognising them as experts by experience. “They are actively contributing to the system while drawing on their lived experience,” she explained. “Payment and recognition are essential if co-production is going to be genuine.” She added that no matter how much research or reading you do about a community, things are always shifting. “You can never assume you know what certain communities are going through, whether it be issues related to gender, social class or ethnicity, you can’t assume the best way to engage or communicate with people. It has to come from them.” 

These consultants also feed directly into training. For example, Just Psychology has worked with the Greater Manchester Bereavement Service, where a cultural consultant explained cultural practices around grief in Chinese communities. “That kind of insight is extremely invaluable,” Iyabo says. 

Although this can be difficult to achieve with commissioning, where you are often told what to deliver, it is something that Just Psychology, and Iyabo personally, keep at the heart of all their practice. 

Prevention and Flexibility –“We know what leads to certain problems, so why don’t we tackle them?” 

Something Iyabo is especially passionate about, within health and wellbeing work and in creating a just society for everyone, is the importance of prevention. 

“Prevention is not the same as early intervention,” Iyabo explained. “It’s about tackling issues before they even start. It’s like public health – you don’t wait until someone gets an infection from dirty water, you clean up the water.” 

One key aspect of this that Iyabo highlighted was that prevention also means looking systemically, connecting the dots of a wider picture. “Health, education and social care are all connected, but as a society we’re not very good at joining things up. For example, think about children in the care system – what happens to them down the line, not only on a personal level but also in terms of money for education, healthcare or even the criminal justice system. The problem is these systems don’t work together, and each has its own budget to manage. I’ve also seen it with adult and children’s services operating in silos, even though they are often working with exactly the same family.” 

Iyabo emphasised. “You can’t just see individuals, you need to see the whole system,” which is ultimately the aim of Just Psychology. 

Crises will always demand an immediate response, but prevention is what creates lasting change. For Iyabo and Just Psychology, it is the foundation of their work, addressing issues before they escalate, supporting families earlier, and building stronger, more just systems that allow children and communities to thrive. 

What Keeps You Going? 

“The impact of what we do keeps me going, sometimes hearing quotes I hear how it has made a real difference, for example what parents had said.” 

Despite the challenges, Iyabo remains motivated by the impact of the work. She reflects on the Trafford Sunrise Service, which closed earlier this year after running for eight years. 

“One of the staff in a school we worked with wrote an astonishing testimonial about the difference the service had made for children and families in schools. It was painful to see it close, but hearing that feedback reminds you of the impact.” 

Another thing that keeps Iyabo going is the people she works alongside, speaking with real warmth about her colleagues, past and present, describing them as passionate, committed and inspiring. “They are amazing,” she reflected. “Being able to work together with people who care so deeply has been the highlight of my career. Even those I no longer work with directly, I still keep in touch with, because their passion continues to motivate me. That’s what keeps me going.” 

Building Trust and Strengthening Impact Through Collaboration 

Iyabo stresses that developing trust within diverse cultural communities often begins by working with organisations that already have established connections, such as schools, charities or local networks. “By collaborating across the sector, you can have a far greater impact than working alone,” she said, highlighting examples like Rainbow Haven, GMAIU, and the British Red Cross as key partners who are essential in driving the impact of Just Psychology. 

For Iyabo, recognising and celebrating community strengths is key. “It’s really important to see the positives rather than just the negatives,” she pointed out. “Lots of people have skills and knowledge within their communities that others could learn from. And it’s vital that this is fed back to the community so they feel valued.” She added, “There are so many negative categories, but instead of focusing on what people can’t do, we should celebrate all the wonderful things happening and recognise the strengths in every community.” 

Iyabo believes this approach is entirely achievable. “Each organisation can celebrate the communities they work with and integrate this recognition into everything they do,” she said, underlining how such collaboration builds trust, engagement, and lasting impact. 

Looking Ahead to the Future