In this episode of The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, we explore what it really means to be care experienced and how early experiences of foster care and the care system can shape identity, relationships, and career journeys into clinical psychology.I’m joined by Jacob Maspero Bottaio, one of the youngest trainee clinical psychologists in the UK, who shares his experience of entering the care system at a young age, moving between foster placements, experiencing a failed adoption, and navigating the emotional and systemic barriers on the path to clinical psychology training.Together, we discuss care experience, hyper-independence, attachment, supervision dynamics, readiness for training, and what compassionate inclusion in psychology genuinely looks like. This is a thoughtful, emotionally rich conversation about resilience, systems, safety, and what it takes to feel able to lean on others after a lifetime of survival.This episode is especially relevant for aspiring psychologists, trainee clinical psychologists, supervisors, and anyone interested in widening access to clinical psychology with compassion rather than tokenism.Highlights

(Timestamps)

1. 00:00 – Jacob’s early life in the care system and why his story matters
2. 01:50 – Defining “care experienced” and why it’s broader than people think
3. 03:26 – Why care experience can make psychology careers harder to access
4. 05:29 – Disclosure, stigma, and fear of how lived experience will be received
5. 07:26 – Financial and systemic barriers before training even begins
6. 10:53 – Hyper-independence, driving, and needing control over your future
7. 15:06 – Growing up fast and being “older than your years”
8. 18:27 – Forever people, attachment, and learning to exhale
9. 22:59 – Safety, the amygdala, and relearning trust
10. 27:15 – Adoption, systems, and not being asked what you want
11. 32:35 – Supervision styles, boundaries, and relational triggers
12. 39:46 – Readiness for training and compassion toward yourself
13. 47:35 – Repair, relationships, and what Jacob hopes for others

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