Based in the UK, Alp de Waal serves as registered manager at Berkeley Psychiatrists, where he guides several aspects of daily operations. Overseeing management, he ensures that services provided are responsive and safe, and that they meet the highest regulatory and legal compliance standards. Alp’s responsibilities extend to budget oversight. He has also fostered a positive workplace where practitioners proactively collaborate. He serves as the main point of contact with the Care Quality Commission in ensuring its mandates are met.
Alp de Waal regularly coordinates care for those with conditions such as ADHD through the keeping a comprehensive list of GP Practices that have accepted shared care proposals from Berkeley. This helps patients whose shared care proposals have been refused by their GP and who need to register with a practice that accepts shared care.
His colleagues cooperate to deliver expedited and accurate medical diagnoses across conditions of neurodiversity such as ADHD and autism.
Alp de Waal also helped compiling data for the study “Prescribing Habits for the Treatment of ADHD: Experience from a Large London Clinic.” He compiled information that helped in examining medication interventions with stimulants and factors predicting continuing medication use. He also quantified clinician-patient facing time and shared care protocol. He holds a Master of Science degree from Queen Mary University of London.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
A typical day includes checking emails, liaising with administrative staff and clinicians, responding to any queries they may have, and meeting with third parties. I try to use technology as much as possible to stay productive, setting up reminders for meetings and tasks that need to be completed.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Discussing them with partners is key. Autonomy is nice, but it is always very helpful to gain knowledge and guidance from specialists.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I hope this is not just a trend, but the increased awareness of neurodiverse conditions, such as ADHD and autism, really excites me. When I was growing up, many people were not aware of them, and I’m glad to see that changing.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I make a to-do list every week, usually on weekends, in preparation for the upcoming week, and I cross things off as I go. There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing progress. Email reminders help me prepare for important meetings, but manually going through my list helps me stay productive on a day-to-day basis.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Keep pushing forward, stay consistent, and let your perseverance lead you to success.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I think multitasking is a myth. Doing one thing with full attention is actually the fastest way to get everything done.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Create to-do lists.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I try to divide the tasks ahead of me into smaller, manageable steps and take things one at a time. This helps me stay focused, calm, and in control.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Perseverance has greatly helped me. Refusing to give up when faced with significant challenges allows me to not only overcome them, but also to optimise my efforts, effectively reducing the magnitude of the obstacles.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I didn’t get great grades in school initially and performed poorly in my A-levels due to personal challenges I was facing at the time. However, I realised that these setbacks were not the end of my journey and worked hard to pull myself up.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
One business idea I’d love to share would be a platform that connects local community members who want to trade skills or services. For example, someone could offer guitar lessons in exchange for gardening help, or tutoring in exchange for baking classes.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Semble and Microsoft Office Suite are very helpful. I use them daily.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The best £100 I recently spent was donating to an LGBT charity in the UK that supports mental health and community programs. It felt meaningful to contribute to a cause that helps people feel seen, supported, and safe.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I love listening to audiobooks. Recently, I have been listening to some great narrations by Nancy Wu.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I enjoyed watching Adolescence on Netflix and now watch Below Deck as a guilty pleasure. I also used to watch My Brilliant Friend.
Key learnings
- A bit of a cliché, but don’t give up too early. Opportunities can present themselves later in your career.
- Try to minimise and break down tasks if you find them overwhelming.
- Learn more about neurodiversity and listen to people’s experiences.