Considering a career in Mental Health? 5 Pathways to look at
Photo via Unsplash by Danielle Maccines
I often get asked how I got into my career and how I qualified as a Psychotherapist. Working in the mental health sector can be very rewarding, and there are different career pathways to consider. Experiences of working in the mental health sector are often discussed but not how to get into the field.
1 in 4 adults will experience a mental health illness in the UK. Whilst mental health has become a conversation amongst society, there is still stigma attached to it. Getting into the field can be difficult for BIPOC in particular. If you are a BIPOC, do not be discourage to enter the field, in fact we need more BIPOC in the field to address racial diversity and racial trauma within the field.
The are various routes into the field but first lets talk about job roles that can provide you with experience before you embark on a mental health profession.
Mental Health Care Assistant
Health care assistants support the patient to feel comfortable within the ward and ensure that they are compliant with their medication, engage in ward based activities and are up to date with health checks. Whether you working within a mental health setting or general hospital setting, some of the day to day duties and responsibilities will be similar. It can be a great stepping stone position into qualified positions in mental health. Most organisations will require you to at least have a Level 2 or 3 Health and Social Care certificate and a DBS - some organisations will help you get one if you do not possess one already.
Assistant Psychologist
APs provide clinical support for patients and are often supervised by qualified Psychologists. However, in order to apply for this type of role you typically need to have a undergraduate degree in Psychology, as it is a requirement for those wish to train as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist in the future. APs are expected to draft reports, maintain written records, letters and observe treatments, as well as documenting summaries of assessments.
SEN Teaching Assistant
Working in specialist schools or SEN Units can be an eye-opening and rewarding experience. I worked as a Teaching Assistant during my clinical training as a Psychotherapist and also delivered clinical interventions whilst training in a SEN School.
An SEN teaching assistant typically supports teachers with children who have special educational needs and disabilities. Its a very demanding job but the working hours typically run from 08:30 am to 3:30 pm, dependent on the school of course. You will need to have at least a Level 2 or 3 certificate in Health and Social Care. In this role you may support a child 1:1 or support the whole class, prepare any learning materials required for class, create a safe environment and contribute to staff meetings if required.
Play Worker/Nursery Worker
This is a fun role, it involves working with children and young people and creating a space that allows opportunities for play. You can typically step into these roles by applying directly to companies or volunteering. Barnet Carers Centre is where I gained experience for nearly 7 years as a Play Worker, supporting the Play Leader in developing games and activities for young carers and their siblings to have some relief from their care-taking duties.
Okay, now that we’ve laid out some pre-careers to gain experience from, here are 5 pathways into higher level mental health roles.
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists are medically trained doctors who have then decided to branch out and train in the field of mental health , and specialise in diagnosis and prevention. Psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals that prescribe medication such as anti-depressants or anti-psychotics. They typically work alongside other mental health professionals in a multi-disciplinary team.
Psychotherapist/Counsellor
The professional title of Psychotherapist and Counsellor these days are interchangeable. It used to be that Psychotherapists had longer training and counsellors somewhat shorter, but the terms have evolved with the times. Training to be a Psychotherapist/Counsellor takes around 3-4 years depending on the modality, combing clinical placement and supervision alongside study.
A Psychotherapists role is somewhat similar to a Psychologists, they provide assessments and treat a range of social, emotional and mental health issues. Because the field of Psychotherapy tends to be a postgraduate career route, you will need to have a recognised undergraduate degree in a relevant subject. You can choose to train as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist or as an Adult Psychotherapist.
After training you can work different settings including schools, prisons and hospitals. You also need to be registered to the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) or the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy). Other therapies , for example the Arts Therapies (Art/Music/Dance Movement/Drama) typically tend to be registered to the HCPC (Health Care Professions Council) or UKCP.
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
In a bid to reduce the waiting times when it comes to accessing mental health services, a new role Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner was created. PWPs are trained to assess and support people with common mental health problems, carry out risk assessment, liaise with other professionals and provide guided self-help based on cognitive behavioural therapy. In order to go down this route, you’ll need to apply for a position as a trainee PWP in an IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies), and complete an accredited course consisting of academic work and supervised practice. Many PWPs sometimes use this route into the Clinical Psychology training.
Clinical or Counselling Psychologist
A Clinical Psychologist provides clinical assessment and clinical interventions to people of all ages, with a range of mental and physical health issues. Before we jump in, there are different types of psychologists:
Clinical Psychologist
Counselling Psychologist
Educational Psychologist
Forensic Psychologist
Neuropsychologists
Sports Psychologist
Business Psychologists
In order to become a Clinical Psychologist you will need to train on a Clinical Doctorate course - which consists of clinical placements, assessment and interventions, risk assessments and summaries. You typically need to have studied an undergraduate degree in Psychology or have a Masters Degree in Psychology. Its also possible to do a psychology degree conversion. Upon becoming a Clinical Psychologist you can choose where you would like to specialise and the type of client group you would like to work with.
Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN)
A RMN is a Registered Mental Health Professional who trains and specialises in the area of Mental Health. In order to qualify you must complete a 2-3 year degree (Undergraduate or Postgraduate course) which consists of theory, research and clinical placement. RMNs plan and provide support, medically and psychologically. RMNs typically work within forensic settings, children and young people mental health services and care homes. Upon qualifying, RMNs need to be registered to NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council).