{"id":2113,"date":"2021-02-26T12:29:35","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T12:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=2113"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:15:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:15:52","slug":"finding-a-job-in-mental-health-boosting-your-skills-whilst-a-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2021\/02\/26\/finding-a-job-in-mental-health-boosting-your-skills-whilst-a-student\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding a job in mental health - boosting your skills whilst a student"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/02\/support.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2114\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/02\/support-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A colourful drawing of two hands.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/02\/support-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/02\/support-323x215.jpg 323w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/02\/support.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We often get queries from students wanting to boost their CV with additional and often costly courses or experiences that they find online or to do during holidays. Students often forget that there are lots of relevant and transferable skills and experiences that can be had that are free and that be achieved through academic study, a part-time job or through volunteering. Here are some tips for you to consider when deciding on what experiences to focus on when boosting your CV for a job in mental health.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are looking for advice for relevant work experience for after your degree, please have a look at our\u00a0<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.bath.ac.uk\/s\/myfuture\/docs\/detail\/52?filename=careers-in-psychology-and-mental-health.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">c<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">areers\u00a0<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">helpsheet<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.bath.ac.uk\/s\/myfuture\/links\/detail\/250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">sector briefing<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As there are many different mental health\u00a0<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">career pathways<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0with different entry requirements, research is vital.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Part-time jobs<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are lots of jobs that can give you relevant or transferable skills for a graduate job in mental health which you can do alongside your studies. First step should be to have a look at\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesubath.com\/jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bath SU Jobs<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0site for current vacancies. Consider what skills these jobs will give you that would be useful for a job within mental health. If you look at prospects job profiles for\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prospects.ac.uk\/job-profiles\/clinical-psychologist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">clinical psychologist<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, for example, you see that some key skills are empathy, respond well to challenges, apply psychological research, ability to deal with people in distress to mention a few. You may find support worker, mentoring, teaching assistant, and other caring roles that will help you achieve many of these skills. You may find bank support worker roles through local hospitals. You may also find a <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2021\/02\/19\/how-to-find-research-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">part-time research assistant role<\/a> by networking with your academics.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Summer internships or work\u00a0<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">experience<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are very few advertised \u201cinternships\u201d which are relevant to mental health and psychology, and you would be looking at similar roles as suggested above. However, there may be roles within summer schools or summer activity centres (some may focus on young people with disabilities), there may be short \u2013 term summer work experiences within some mental health organisations (sometimes unpaid) or some graduate schemes may have summer internships. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Wellcome<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Trust, T<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hink Ahead<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or Unlocked have had summer internships in the past.\u00a0 Lastly, there may be health policy and research internships within charities, higher education<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, think tanks<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or public sector available. Look at some of our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.bath.ac.uk\/s\/myfuture\/workflows\/detail\/18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">careers\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">helpsheets<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0in our Get Started Career Options guide<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0for ideas on where to look for vacancies, or you may have to find your own speculatively.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Volunteering<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Volunteering is highly sought after by many employers within mental health. Many of the key skills mention above can be achieved by volunteering for many local charities, such as Off the Record, Mind, Samaritans, Julian House, Genesis Trust or Age UK, for example. If you are interested in forensic psychology, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prisonadvice.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PACT<\/a> is another organisation to look at. Consider what client group you would like to work for and see what opportunities may be available, however be open to various experiences to widen your skill \u2013 set, as mental health charities often get a lot of volunteering requests. Any volunteering with a psychological element to it will be beneficial. On campus or virtually, there are also opportunities within Nightline, Student Minds, peer mentoring to mention a few. Make sure to have a look at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesubath.com\/volunteer\/volunteering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SU Volunteering for roles<\/a>.\u00a0 If you <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">are able to<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> regularly be supervised or meet with psychologists, this will strengthen a further study or job application later and increase your awareness of their roles.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Additional evening or online courses<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There is a myriad of online courses out there, from free MOOCs in psychological theories and research methods that you can find on platforms such as\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Futurelearn<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or Coursera to<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0sometimes<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0costly courses in counselling, coaching or psychotherapy.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">First of all<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, depending on where you are at with your studies, consider what courses would be useful for you right now. If you decide to do a counselling course but have no opportunity to practise what you learn, how useful is it to spend money on<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0this<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0right now?\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you decide to spend money, have you checked whether the course is accredited and have talked to previous students about how useful the course has been for them? If you are applying for specific jobs, have you researched job adverts to see what courses they ask for in the person specification? Have you spoken to your academics or\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.bath.ac.uk\/s\/myfuture\/infoPages\/detail\/112\/online-networking-through-bath\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bath alumni<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0about what courses would be useful for your chosen career?\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In many cases, what you learn in your degree will be enough academic experience for many roles and getting actual practical experience will often be more valued than\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">additional<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0courses.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are looking for counselling courses, it is\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">advised\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">to read through the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prospects.ac.uk\/job-profiles\/counsellor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Counsellor job profile<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0on Prospects for recommended accrediting professional bodies and advice.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fee-paying<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0internships and experiences overseas<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are several options with regards to paying for mental health and clinical-based experiences overseas, however\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.bath.ac.uk\/s\/myfuture\/links\/detail\/327\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">according to an interview<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> with the previous admissions tutor for Clinical Psychology at Bath, these experiences are not usually highly valued when applying. Consider your reasons for taking this internship or experience and its financial implications for you. Have you checked with previous attendees to see how these experiences helped them in their career? Have you researched exactly what type of activities you will be doing and consider how this will support you in a job application? Another top tip here is that many mental health providers will prefer UK experience over overseas experience so you will most likely have to find additional experience when your return home. An overseas internship can be a great experience but before you make the leap, make sure this is the right step for you<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Other experiences that may be useful<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are interested in finding out more about different job roles within mental health, work shadowing may be an option. Reach out to alumni or other contacts working in different roles, but please be aware that due to confidentiality<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0issues<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a virtual coffee chat through\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unihub.bath.ac.uk\/s\/myfuture\/infoPages\/detail\/112\/online-networking-through-bath\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">online networking<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0may be a better option.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">However<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0you never know what is possible before you ask!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In addition, do your online research to really explore what experiences and qualifications are needed for different pathways. In addition to the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">helpsheet<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and sector briefing mentioned above, have a look at\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthcareers.nhs.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">NHS Health Careers<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bps.org.uk\/public\/become-psychologist\/career-options-psychology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">BPS Careers<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ppn.nhs.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Psychological Professions Network<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We often get queries from students wanting to boost their CV with additional and often costly courses or experiences that they find online or to do during holidays. Students often forget that there are lots of relevant and transferable skills...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":827,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[748],"tags":[94,39,388,298,236,400,84],"class_list":["post-2113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-charity","tag-internship","tag-mental-health","tag-networking","tag-part-time-work","tag-psychology","tag-summer-internship"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/827"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}