The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast Assisted Dying in the UK: A Psychologist’s Perspective on Choice, Suffering & Compassion
Should assisted dying be legal in the UK and what role can psychologists play in this deeply personal, ethical debate? In this episode of The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, Dr Marianne Trent shares reflections on end-of-life care, personal experiences of witnessing suffering, and the psychological complexities surrounding assisted dying.
You’ll learn about the current legal stance in the UK, the role of moral injury in healthcare, and how psychological professionals can support compassionate, person-centred conversations around death, dying, and autonomy.
Whether you're a mental health professional, aspiring psychologist, or someone interested in end-of-life rights and ethics, this episode explores the emotional, systemic, and clinical realities behind one of the most important debates in healthcare today.
Related Reading & Watching
🕊️ The Grief Collective – Dr Marianne Trent’s book exploring real stories of loss, life, and healing: https://amzn.to/4hNHru5
🎙️ Previous episode: Death Anxiety – What It Is, Why It Happens & How Therapy Can Help (with Tia Urgasova) https://youtu.be/yz1GEN-yhQU or https://player.captivate.fm/episode/011a5be0-2468-4fe1-915f-67b6d98fb8c2/
Highlights:
- 00:00 – Marianne shares her father’s end-of-life story
- 05:00 – The need for dignity, choice, and “a good death”
- 08:30 – Reflections on hospice funding and access
- 09:49 – Moral injury and the psychological workforce
- 10:49 – Jeremy Vine’s emotional statement on assisted dying
- 12:00 – The difference between trauma and grief in bereavement
- 13:36 – ACP-UK’s stance on legal reform and clinician voices
- 15:43 – Becoming a thought leader in difficult conversations
Links:
🫶 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
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