Mental Health and Working in the sector
Research shows that almost 25 per cent of the adults in the United Kingdom experience mental health problems at a particular year. From this, about 35 per cent of them experiences a serious mental condition that affects their quality of life. From these cases, mental health care has been made a prominent part of the health care system in the United Kingdom. Mental health counsellors work with patients to help cope with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and grief. Mental health workers diagnose and treat patients and can work with persons, families and groups. With the increase in mental health cases rising day by day, social work is where you can make a difference. Mental health social workers can have a positive and direct effect on people lives while working alongside the clinical experts.
According to a mental health, social worker Russell White, being a mental health worker is challenging but never boring and provides a chance to build connections with people, helping them to live fulfilling and independent lives. The salary for a newly qualified nurse is £22,128 to £28,746 per year. As you progress, the salary increases with the highest positions receiving a salary of £40,428 to £48,514. Mental health workers usually start on band five and work standard hours of 38 per week. These hours include weekends, evenings and bank holidays. In a hospital and residential setting, 24-hour care is required hence shifts are likely. Workers in this sector receive specific training in psychological therapies, building a therapeutic alliance, dealing with challenging behaviour, and the administration of psychiatric medication.
Qualifications Having first-hand experience can enable you to take the next step which is registered for a degree course. Undergraduates are required to pass through at least a three-year course in social work. Graduates from other courses are required to pass through a two-year MA course. Competition for spaces can be hard, and most universities will be looking for applicants with confirmation to show that they have the communication skills and empathy to work with and motivate many people, the flexibility to be under pressure, and the capacity to perform data analysis.
You can also apply register on one of the selective fast-track systems, which link with a master’s degree with rigorous on-the-job knowledge. The course provides a basis in all features of social work, and comprise of work placements and both academic learning. This training is crucial to developing your knowledge and skills, and gaining a qualification that is permitted by the Health and Care Professions Council is also a necessity before registering with them and practice social work. The majority of the mental health care providers are employed by the NHS. The majority of the work is carried out in the community while some of the cases are carried out in secure mental health hospitals. Some of the care providers also work in units for the telephone lines or prisons. A mental health professional can choose to work with specific groups such as older people or children or within a specific line such as depression of eating disorders. The profession is carried out in multidisciplinary teams, liaising with psychologist, psychiatrists, occupational therapists and other health professionals. A mental health professional will work with patient’s iv various settings which include: Community health care centers Homes Special units such as prisons Hospital outpatient sections Secure residential units Challenges facing mental health care workers However, the simple fact that you will be taking care of a mentally challenged person is a very challenging aspect.
These people do not have the same mental faculties as a normal or average person, and thus, needs extra understanding and care. The need for a long rope of patience is also the key to becoming successful in a mental nurse post. The mental problems that mental nurses can encounter also vary in form and degree. Some mental disorders may be acquired for one reason or another, while some are inborn. Some may be temporary, and some may be permanent. The effects of every kind of mental problem on the behaviour of the patient can also vary in degree, of course. Some patients may be largely lucid, while some may test a mental nurse’s patience. A mental nurse’s job is very important. The growing number of mental health patients is causing alarm in various countries. This shows that the need for people who can dedicate themselves to patient care for those who need it is also huge. A mental nurse should be highly skilled so he or she can properly provide care, help, and treatment for the mentally ill. This field is more baffling than any other field of medicine. Since cases do not always adhere to hard and fast rules about which treatments will work and which medicines are necessary, being a mental nurse is not simple. However, it goes to show that mental nurses are highly redeemed as professionals in the medical field, as they deal with special cases and are in a position that requires more effort than most other nursing jobs. In the meantime, mental health workers are yet to face numerous challenges; there are definite features required before one is considered as one.
Mental nurses should have the dedication and perseverance that the profession necessitates. If not, the tasks cause them to shut down. Many health institutions and providers need candidates to undertake severe filtering prior to accepting them. This is another trial that is connected to mental health workers’ jobs: the challenge of meeting the requirements for the job. Many mental nurse job postings already require dedicated, experienced and qualified workers. The personality of the worker is also an essential factor in whether they can get a mental care job. A mental professional ought to be keen and aware that the work comes with its challenges. First and foremost, mental health workers ought to be ready to encounter challenges. Most people expect that mental workers have to be in control of their mental health because they deal and help the mentally challenged patients. This can raise enormous pressure on them.
Additionally, the mental caregivers face an endless experience to stories of personal struggles and behavioural problems, which increases severe emotional toll on mental health professionals. It is estimated that 5 per cent of mental health worker experience burnout, which is featured by exhaustion and feelings of detachment in handling the patients. Moreover, 10 per cent of the workers from a deal with compassion fatigue, which results from emotional exhaustion from taking care of the patients’ traumas. Therefore, workers must continually balance their career’s demand and private lives. Other features of the profession can catalyse and exacerbate this grief. Cuts to stretched services and funding can result in an internal support infrastructure to disintegrate, implying that caregivers requiring help can also fall through the fissures. A study on British Psychoanalytic Council and UK Council for Psychotherapy concluded that workers felt distressed and burnt out because of the activities they encounter at work, while not getting acceptable management to enable them to deal with these issues.
