If you want to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, a career in Mental Health could be for you. From counselling to support coordination or mental health nursing, this field offers numerous opportunities. You might work for a specialist healthcare provider, a community services organisation or a government department. A Mental Health career can be challenging and demanding, but is also rewarding and interesting.
Working in Mental Health requires a caring nature and a patient attitude. You’ll work with people with a range of needs, so it’s important that you are flexible and can understand individual circumstances. You’ll usually be working with multiple clients at one time so you’ll need to be organised and able to multitask. Mental Health workers should be able to communicate with people from a range of backgrounds and enjoy being part of a team.
If you’re interested in a career in Mental Health, the following courses can help you get started:
Certificate IV in Mental Health
A Certificate IV in Mental Health can give you the practical skills you need to start a career in this field. You'll cover a range of topics including building relationships with your clients and working productively with other service providers. This course addresses issues affecting people with mental health disorders such as trauma or drug and alcohol abuse. You’ll conduct work placements as part of your studies in this course.
Diploma of Counselling
A Diploma of Counselling will prepare you for a range of roles in community service agencies. You’ll learn about various counselling strategies and develop your skills with clients who may be dealing with mental health issues or other challenging circumstances. This course covers topics including communication, micro-counselling and interviewing skills.
Diploma of Mental Health
A Diploma of Mental Health is an excellent qualification for anyone hoping to embark on a career in mental health. You’ll learn to support people dealing with mental health issues and may take on a counselling, support coordination or case worker role. This course covers issues such as personal safety, working collaboratively, facilitating recovery, managing grief and trauma and helping people affected by drugs and alcohol.
A Mental Health qualification could lead to a range of careers including the following job roles:
Mental Health Nurse
A Mental Health Nurse assists patients dealing with mental health issues. You might work in a hospital, a mental health care facility or for a community service provider. Mental Health Nurses administer medication and work alongside other health care professionals such as doctors, psychologists and counsellors to carry out care plans.
Mental Health Worker
A Mental Health Worker supports clients who are living with mental health issues. You might work with individual clients or deliver programs in a group setting. Mental Health Workers might focus on a particular area of mental health or specialise in issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, trauma, grief or homelessness.
Peer Support Worker
A Peer Support Worker provides a range of support services to clients dealing with mental health issues. You might offer counselling or give advice on available support services. Peer Support Workers may organise group support or activities or they might work with individual clients.
Getting started
If you’d like to start a career in Mental Health, it’s important that you gather information from a range of providers before you choose a course of study. There are usually some differences in the way providers deliver their programs, so getting all the details will make it easier to find the right course for you. Make sure you get information about course duration, costs, any prerequisites and the content the course will cover. Once you have all the information you can compare details and work out which qualification is the best fit for you.