Best route to working with young people in mental health care - confused!

TheBellJar

I’m a little bit lost and would appreciate any pointers at all

Current status: I currently have an unrelated undergrad and 1 yr voluntary exp mentoring a teen with severe learning disabilities. I’m 27 this year, working full-time and I want to change careers and work with kids/adolescents in a mental health care capacity.

Possible roles I have in mind
Social Care
Residential care unit staff member (not sure on roles?)
Guidance Counsellor
Social Worker
Youth worker
ABA tutor

Routes I’m looking at:
Social Care BA
Social Work BA
Applied Social Studies – I’m not sure how relevant this is to what I’m looking for.
Postgrad Psych DBS (PSI accred)

I need to study part time in evenings and only route I can see working is DBS; could I get into the above roles with a psych PG? There doesn’t appear to be a good part time option for Social Care.
Finances are tight so OU isn’t feasible.

I’m just very confused in terms of what route is best for me and also if I’m missing any other possible options!

Thanks a mil
TBJ

Odysseus

TheBellJar wrote: »

I’m a little bit lost and would appreciate any pointers at all

Current status: I currently have an unrelated undergrad and 1 yr voluntary exp mentoring a teen with severe learning disabilities. I’m 27 this year, working full-time and I want to change careers and work with kids/adolescents in a mental health care capacity.

Possible roles I have in mind
Social Care
Residential care unit staff member (not sure on roles?)
Guidance Counsellor
Social Worker
Youth worker
ABA tutor

Routes I’m looking at:
Social Care BA
Social Work BA
Applied Social Studies – I’m not sure how relevant this is to what I’m looking for.
Postgrad Psych DBS (PSI accred)

I need to study part time in evenings and only route I can see working is DBS; could I get into the above roles with a psych PG? There doesn’t appear to be a good part time option for Social Care.
Finances are tight so OU isn’t feasible.

I’m just very confused in terms of what route is best for me and also if I’m missing any other possible options!

Thanks a mil
TBJ

I actually started in a programme for under 18s who had drug problems, tbh I glad I only work work with adults only now;) But fair play to you, it is an important area.

I can't really help you much, however, I notice you mention youth worker as one area. When I used to vol with youth groups most of the staff had done the two Dip in Youth Work/Studies [can't remember the exact name] run by Maynooth. At that time is was considered an essential qual for a youth worker.

TheBellJar

Odysseus wrote: »

I actually started in a programme for under 18s who had drug problems, tbh I glad I only work work with adults only now;) But fair play to you, it is an important area.

I can't really help you much, however, I notice you mention youth worker as one area. When I used to vol with youth groups most of the staff had done the two Dip in Youth Work/Studies [can't remember the exact name] run by Maynooth. At that time is was considered an essential qual for a youth worker.

Ah thanks. I did look at those but I think I want a broader qual? Just got off the phone to a friend of mine who is in the sector; I think she might be able to help me out..fingers crossed!

TheBellJar

Guess no-one else works in the sector? Would love to hear personal exps!

Odysseus

Things can be a tad slower here when compared with other forums; but I would say to you don't get dishartened.

What type of role are you hoping to work in? Saying in a mental health capacity leaves things very open; I know you then mention a few roles like youth worker, guidance counsellor; however, whilst having a understanding of developmental and various other psych related issues can be very beneficial to a youth worker, they have no clinical role.

Now personally when I think of a mental health capacity I think working in a clinical setting with clients/patients; I know that is limiting things a bit, but do you get my point.

Going from what you have posted I don't think you are really that interested in working clinically or am I way off the mark? I ask because if you want to work clinically you will need more tha a psych degree.

There are some social care courses run by Ballyfermot College which seem good, I know a few people woking in a care environment who have done it. However, their work would be very different to mine.

Does that help or make any sense?

Anyway don't worry too much about your age, I was 30 when I got my degree and 32 when I got my masters.

TheBellJar

Odysseus wrote: »

Things can be a tad slower here when compared with other forums; but I would say to you don't get dishartened.

What type of role are you hoping to work in? Saying in a mental health capacity leaves things very open; I know you then mention a few roles like youth worker, guidance counsellor; however, whilst having a understanding of developmental and various other psych related issues can be very beneficial to a youth worker, they have no clinical role.

Now personally when I think of a mental health capacity I think working in a clinical setting with clients/patients; I know that is limiting things a bit, but do you get my point.

Going from what you have posted I don't think you are really that interested in working clinically or am I way off the mark? I ask because if you want to work clinically you will need more tha a psych degree.

There are some social care courses run by Ballyfermot College which seem good, I know a few people woking in a care environment who have done it. However, their work would be very different to mine.

Does that help or make any sense?

Anyway don't worry too much about your age, I was 30 when I got my degree and 32 when I got my masters.

I'd really like to work with children/teens in a residential care unit or similar. I'm more interested in the personal/behavioral development side of things rather than clinical psych. For example, I'd love to work with kids/teens with autism and helping them to manage their day to day life.

I studied Media in BCFE a few years back but I'm looking for an evening course now, that's the prob; can't afford to quit my job to study. My friend is a social worker and is sending me info on some short courses/certs I can do to build up my CV and I'm going to try get some more voluntary exp. She was saying I may also be able to find a house/unit where I can study whilst working in a lower level role maybe as care assistant or something?

I'm very interested in Psych, but not sure I could hack the 7+ yrs training and to be honest I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for. That said, it was something I wanted to do as a teenager too, til I realised I hadn't a hope of getting the points.

I'd love to work with kids who have difficulties because I can see a huge gap there; one I experienced myself when trying to get help for a teenager a few years ago.

What I'm wondering is whether I could move into Social Care with a psych PG; my friend told me I don't need the PG and may not even need a BA in social care to get into it, but I'd love to do the PG out of personal interest if it would also carry over for me to a social care role.

LadyMayBelle

TheBellJar wrote: »

Possible roles I have in mind
Social Care
Residential care unit staff member (not sure on roles?)
Guidance Counsellor
Social Worker
Youth worker
ABA tutor

There doesn’t appear to be a good part time option for Social Care.
Finances are tight so OU isn’t feasible.

If I were you Id research a bit more into what each of the above professions involves/expects; they are similar, in some areas but very different in others. That'd be my first bit of advice; even ask to shadow some people in those roles in various settings if at all possible. Wokring in a school as an ABA tutor is very different to to being a residential care worker....

NUIG used to do a Part time distance learning Social Care BA (have a look). That's 4 years part time (one eve a month).

TheBellJar

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

If I were you Id research a bit more into what each of the above professions involves/expects; they are similar, in some areas but very different in others. That'd be my first bit of advice; even ask to shadow some people in those roles in various settings if at all possible. Wokring in a school as an ABA tutor is very different to to being a residential care worker....

NUIG used to do a Part time distance learning Social Care BA (have a look). That's 4 years part time (one eve a month).

Hi there. I mentioned that my preference is for working with kids in a residential home; the ABA is something I see as a good add on to that - no?

I looked at NUIG but it seems to have a bad rep online?

bisset

If you want to work in residential care with young people as a career the B.A. in social care if probably your best bet. HIQA would want all staff in this sector to be professionally qualified. Be aware that many people burn out in residential work but the qualification would also qualify you to work in Family Resources centres as a project worker. With the advent of the new Child and Family Support Agency there may be more opportunities in this area in the future. I think you should read some of the inspection reports on the HIQA website as it will give you an idea of the issues that arise in residential care. good luck

TheBellJar

bisset wrote: »

If you want to work in residential care with young people as a career the B.A. in social care if probably your best bet. HIQA would want all staff in this sector to be professionally qualified. Be aware that many people burn out in residential work but the qualification would also qualify you to work in Family Resources centres as a project worker. With the advent of the new Child and Family Support Agency there may be more opportunities in this area in the future. I think you should read some of the inspection reports on the HIQA website as it will give you an idea of the issues that arise in residential care. good luck

That's really helpful ! Thanks a million !:)

I know you only want to do a part time course but I am surprised no one has mentioned mental health nursing followed by something like a masters in forensic mental health, if you were in the UK and in a setting dealing with teenagers with mental health problems some of the staff would be mental health nurses.

TheBellJar

mariaalice wrote: »

I know you only want to do a part time course but I am surprised no one has mentioned mental health nursing followed by something like a masters in forensic mental health, if you were in the UK and in a setting dealing with teenagers with mental health problems some of the staff would be mental health nurses.

I looked at psych nursing but to be honest I just cannot afford to go back full-time and nursing isn't really a route I want to take.

dar100

Hi,

I started out in youth work, NUI Maynooth do a BA level 8 in Youth and Community Studies, they no longer run the Hdip, the BA is 3 years full time, four years part time. tbh i don't think it is suitable for the type of work your describing here. Social Care degree would probably be your best option particularly if you want to do residential. Although the ABA is also a good option, it will also get you into residential with such organisations as Focus Ireland etc. The ABA would also be more specialized opposed to social care degree which would be kind of generic

TheBellJar

So this is where I'm at.

A friend has advised me to do a few short certs like the ASIST workshop.

I've looked at social care courses and there don't seem to be any part time options in Dublin and the NUIG course requires some class attendance, alongside having a bad rep. I’ve looked at youth and community in Maynooth but again it’s not feasible due to location and also narrows the scope more than I’d like.

So I keep coming back to the pysch PG in DBS; with regards to content it’s the course I’m most interested in and with regards to timing/location it’s the most suitable. The 2 main issues are 1. Cost and 2. Whether I can use it to get a social care position. I can work on the finance part myself; but can anyone here answer this one Q for me – If I do the psychology PG in DBS will I be qualified to work in social care, specifically with young people in a residential setting?

Lunafizzle

TheBellJar wrote: »

If I do the psychology PG in DBS will I be qualified to work in social care, specifically with young people in a residential setting?[/B]

Short answer - no. A degree in psychology "qualifies" you in nothing really. It is just a starter course that requires many many more years of training.

You might be lucky in that the psych degree *might* get you in the door to work in this area, how and ever, it does not provide the training nor the expertise to work in this area. Also, if such a job was up for open competition, I'd say a person with a social work qualification would have a better chance of getting the position.

While I am not overly familiar with this career path, I have a psych degree and I'm doing a MSc in psych so I know what the general content of the courses in Ireland are like.

Also ASSIST training, child first training, etc. although are fantastic initiatives - they only run for 1-2 days, so are not deemed to be equivalent to any HEA qualification, but instead are more "add-ons" for your CV.

TheBellJar

Lunafizzle wrote: »

Also ASSIST training, child first training, etc. although are fantastic initiatives - they only run for 1-2 days, so are not deemed to be equivalent to any HEA qualification, but instead are more "add-ons" for your CV.

Yup I know that I was merely doing them to help me get a job/course place in future.

Lunafizzle wrote: »

Short answer - no. A degree in psychology "qualifies" you in nothing really. It is just a starter course that requires many many more years of training.

I realise this is the case to be a psychologist; but I've seen a few people in social care with their profiles listing a pysch background? Also it's the PG I am referring to.

bisset

Carlow IT run a part time B.A.in social care in Wicklow. If you are not in a position to make that kind of commitment you could start doing Fetac level 5 which is widely available and move on from there

TheBellJar

bisset wrote: »

Carlow IT run a part time B.A.in social care in Wicklow. If you are not in a position to make that kind of commitment you could start doing Fetac level 5 which is widely available and move on from there

Thanks for that Bisset.

It's not really the commitment that's the issue; it's logistics. I can't feasibly get from my work to Wicklow in time for evening classes.

I don't really see the point in FETAC as I'll still need a BA or PG regardless and finances are tight as it is.

God this is all seeming pretty impossible

Lunafizzle

In DBS which PG are you thinking of doing? Is it the higher diploma in psych? If so, this is a conversion course which is 'equivalent' to a degree in psych.

Otherwise, have you contacted agencies directly that hire individuals for the type of job you're looking for? Might be best to check with them so as to gauge what qualifications they look for in potential applicants.

Best of luck

EDIT: just read back over your thread. I see that you'd like to work as an ABA tutor? If you did a psych conversion pg you would be in a very good position to get into this line of work. A few people from my undergrad practically walked into ABA tutoring jobs after their degree.

TheBellJar

Lunafizzle wrote: »

In DBS which PG are you thinking of doing? Is it the higher diploma in psych? If so, this is a conversion course which is 'equivalent' to a degree in psych.

Otherwise, have you contacted agencies directly that hire individuals for the type of job you're looking for? Might be best to check with them so as to gauge what qualifications they look for in potential applicants.

Best of luck

EDIT: just read back over your thread. I see that you'd like to work as an ABA tutor? If you did a psych conversion pg you would be in a very good position to get into this line of work. A few people from my undergrad practically walked into ABA tutoring jobs after their degree.

Hi there, thanks for much for that! I know people want me to be specific but I'm very open to be honest; I'm really interested in working with/helping young people and I'm also interested in the psychology side of it. I'd love to be a social worker and manage cases with families but that's just not possible in terms of finance etc. I can't afford to go back and study that. I'd also like to work in social care and work directly with families. But as well as that, I really enjoy seeing kids learn and connecting with them and that's what I loved most about childminding, so the ABA thing appeals to me a lot.

I haven't called companies but I've spoken to a friend of mine who is a Social Care Worker for that HSE and she working on helping me define some kind of career path, so I outlined the below as things I've love in a job spec:

• Work with kids/adolescents with mental illness/ learning disabilities/disadvantaged in a residential or education setting
• Monitor their behaviours/progress/learning
• Equip them to better manage day to day life/adapt to environments
• Family counselling/refer to appropriate therapist
• Help them with social skills
• Educational support
• Play therapy in the case of younger kids (this interests me but it's not something I would like as a primary position, more of an add on to another role)

TheBellJar

hey guys, just a quick follow up on this - my friend has come back to me with a list of courses and to be honest I'd already found them myself so I'm in the same situation. She is of the same mindset that my only real option is the psych conversion course with DBS. She also knows a number of people who have got into social care (including herself) with a psych BA. I just can't afford to study full-time. Now the problem is that the course is 4500 per year, which I also can't afford. So it's looking like I won't be able to start this for a year or two In the meantime I'm going to try to build up my CV with short courses, voluntary work and workshops. There is the option of the 1 year psych diploma in DBS which covers 3 modules of the conversion course, but I don't really see the point of doing that when I know I'll be going for the full higher dip eventually anyway.

Odysseus

TheBellJar wrote: »

hey guys, just a quick follow up on this - my friend has come back to me with a list of courses and to be honest I'd already found them myself so I'm in the same situation. She is of the same mindset that my only real option is the psych conversion course with DBS. She also knows a number of people who have got into social care (including herself) with a psych BA. I just can't afford to study full-time. Now the problem is that the course is 4500 per year, which I also can't afford. So it's looking like I won't be able to start this for a year or two In the meantime I'm going to try to build up my CV with short courses, voluntary work and workshops. There is the option of the 1 year psych diploma in DBS which covers 3 modules of the conversion course, but I don't really see the point of doing that when I know I'll be going for the full higher dip eventually anyway.

If you complete the Dip aren't those courses taken into consideration when you move onto the PG? As far as I remember they are.

So it would just mean that you are doing it over a longer period. Also again as far as I remember you can do the PG part time by just doing a few of the courses each semester.

TheBellJar

Odysseus wrote: »

If you complete the Dip aren't those courses taken into consideration when you move onto the PG? As far as I remember they are.

So it would just mean that you are doing it over a longer period. Also again as far as I remember you can do the PG part time by just doing a few of the courses each semester.

You read my mind, I just emailed them 10 minutes ago asking the same thing! Although, how would it take longer? I asked them if it would leave me exempt from Year 1? Wishful thinking?!

The PG is part-time, it's 2 evenings a week - when I referred to 'fulltime' in my previous post, I was referring to Social Care courses not the DBS course.

TheBellJar

Bugger, I just called DBS (got impatient!) and they said it allows exemption to the BA but not to the H.Dip.
There are also apparently no other payment options bar 50% upfront and 25/25

EDIT: I just got this reply to my email from someone else in there. Funny that, since the other girl was adamant is wasn't possible!
'It may be arranged that you can make smaller monthly payments as a standing order. There is a €75 fee to set this up initially.'

ellefolk

Thebelljar i was talking to them before and they mentioned that is possible to pay in installments, but you have to attend four evenings a week if you want to graduate within 4 years.

TheBellJar

ellefolk wrote: »

Thebelljar i was talking to them before and they mentioned that is possible to pay in installments, but you have to attend four evenings a week if you want to graduate within 4 years.

Hey there, this is actually a 2 year course - 2 evenings a week. It's the conversion H.Dip.

ellefolk

It seems hard to understand that it would take you the same amount of time to get the diploma than the full timers by attending half of the lessons.

It seems that DBS is giving away mixed info all the time

TheBellJar

ellefolk wrote: »

It seems hard to understand that it would take you the same amount of time to get the diploma than the full timers by attending half of the lessons.

It seems that DBS is giving away mixed info all the time

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