#2: Conversations with Real Space Psychologists
It's not always what you know, but who you know
Linkedin is an incredible tool.
I use it extensively in my business to build an online presence, more so since I quit other social media platforms earlier this year (with the exception of Bluesky). When I found out ‘space psychology’ was a real thing, one of the first steps I took was to search on Linkedin for ‘space psychologist’. To my delight that turned up several results. I followed everybody I could find in the hope that one day we could have a more meaningful conversation — when I had figured out what I wanted to ask them!
This week I was fortunate enough to finally connect over a virtual coffee with not one, but two space psychologists: Annahita Nezami and Laura Thomas. Coincidentally they have both also completed the doctorate in counselling psychology (DCounsPsych), which is the post-grad qualification I’m most interested in currently. And this comes off the back of my chat last week with Dr Brian Murray, who is the Chair of the Division of Counselling Psychology at the British Psychological Society.
It is worth at this point calling out their generosity in sharing their time with me, to answer my questions and point me in the right direction. Thank you.
First, Annahita shared how her path into space psychology began with a fascination for altered states, awe, and the Overview Effect. She co-founded EarthScapeVR, which develops immersive digital therapeutics designed to support wellbeing and mental health using virtual reality. Her work blends counselling psychology with space health, nature therapy, and tech — underpinned by her DCounsPsych training. She shared thoughtful advice on routes into the field, including clinical training, research, networking, and visible contributions. She was also incredibly generous, inviting me to collaborate on an upcoming VR pilot evaluation project — an opportunity I’m really excited about.
Next, my chat with Laura was packed with practical wisdom. She didn’t set out to work in space psychology — her background is in counselling psychology, and she followed her fascination with extreme environments and high-performance settings. Over time, her work with military pilots, corporate leaders, and analog missions naturally evolved into a space-focused career. She spoke about building a relevant profile piece by piece: writing, presenting at conferences, networking, and getting involved in expeditions. Her advice was refreshingly grounded: combine your passions with practical steps, keep showing up, and let opportunities compound over time. She also shared a helpful overview of training routes, noting that organisational psychology (especially when paired with coaching) might offer one of the clearest paths into this field.
It’s that last point that is worthy of further consideration. After graduating, I plan to take 6-12 months out just to rest. It’s been a long 4.5 years, with many changes across my personal and professional life: coming out of pandemic lockdown, moving home twice, changing job twice before burning out, starting a business… I feel I need a period of consolidation and application of all my new knowledge and skills, before launching into the next big course. That time will also give me space to figure out which direction to take, because it feels like I’m at a real bifurcation point: counselling psychology or organisational psychology?
Those are the two paths that interest me most. The third common route into space psychology is human factors, but that feels too dry for me, and Laura advised it’s more closely aligned with engineering. Between the other two, I’m torn. Counselling psychology speaks to the depth and intimacy of therapeutic work, but it's emotionally demanding and not a decision to take lightly. Organisational psychology has a more natural fit with my background in leadership and coaching, and aligns closely with the kind of work space missions will increasingly need: team dynamics, trust, performance under pressure. Either way, I think I’d prefer to go straight to a PhD rather than spend time and money on a Master’s. I know this makes the process more competitive, but I’m willing to rise to the challenge.
Why do I want to do a PhD? First, it’s a necessary step if I want to become a Chartered Psychologist and register with the HCPC, which confers a protected title. Second, and perhaps more personally, studying my degree has changed what I believe about myself. For years, I believed the reason I dropped out of Law when I was 20 was that I was stupid or undisciplined, but actually it was because it was the wrong course completely and I had unmet support needs as an undiagnosed autistic. Finally, after two decades of being a generalist, this next phase of my career is an opportunity to specialise and go deep into a particular topic. There’s something about the idea of becoming the ‘expert’ in a particular domain. It also feeds my egoic need for legacy, as my thesis will contribute to expanding the sum of human knowledge in some small way, that will shape the thinking of some future academic that I will never meet. A connection from present to future humanity.
In the meantime, one action I will take is to research analog missions. These simulate living in space, in habitats constructed on Earth — on land and underwater. They are important sites of space research, and Laura recommended I get involved so I can experience firsthand what astronauts go through, both in training and on real missions. It’s also an opportunity to undertake research, which could be my own projects of interest. There’s a few companies that run analog missions, such as Lunares and Spartan Space, and I plan to reach out to them next week.
