Career change into mental health in mid 30s – where to focus & what do you wish you’d known at the start
Hello 👋🏼
I’m looking for a bit of advice from people who are further along in their psychology/mental health careers.
I graduated with an MA in Psychology back in 2015, but instead of going into the field, I ended up building a successful career in events/ project mgmt and working internationally. I’ve reached a point where I want more meaning and purpose from my work and have decided to make a career change into mental health and living back in the U.K.
It’s exciting but also pretty scary starting over in my 30s! And from the bottom too!
I’ve recently accepted a MHSW role on an acute inpatient ward, which I know will be a huge learning experience and challenge. I’m also doing a L1 Counselling Skills course and plan to progress onto Level 2 and beyond. I’ve also been accepted as a Samaritans volunteer and start training soon.
I recently applied for a Trainee PWP role but wasn’t shortlisted, which wasn’t really a surprise as I don’t yet have direct mental health experience. I’m hoping the MHSW role and Samaritans will help me build that foundation. I will keep an eye out for future trainee positions and apply once I have a bit more experience to discuss in my application.
My question is: if you were at the very start of your journey again, what would you focus on?
Are there any particular experiences, roles, qualifications, volunteering opportunities, books, or lessons that were especially valuable for helping you figure out what area of mental health you wanted to work in?
I’m still exploring and this new journey is at its infancy. I know I’m interested in psychology, therapy, mental health and helping people, and I’ve always been naturally empathetic and people-focused. What I don’t know yet is whether counselling, CBT, PWP, social work, clinical psychology, mental health nursing, or something else will ultimately be the right fit… I’m a project manager by trade, so naturally, I’m thinking about the next steps but it’s too early for me to know yet!
I’d love to hear from anyone who made a career change into the field, particularly if you came from a completely different profession. What do you wish you’d known at the start, and what advice would you give someone trying to get the ball rolling?
Thanks!