Psychological wellbeing practitioner

You could do a degree in psychology or health and social care subjects then apply for a place on a postgraduate training course.

After your degree, you'll need to get a job in healthcare while you complete Improving Access to Psychological Therapy training approved by the British Psychological Society.

This 12 month course is made up of a day of academic study and 4 days of supervised practice each week.

Entry requirements

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You could do a psychological wellbeing practitioner degree apprenticeship.

You may need a degree in a relevant subject like psychology or nursing or experience of working in mental health to do this apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

• a degree in a relevant subject

More Information

• guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels

To get into this role you'll usually need a lot of experience of working with people who have mental health issues. This can be from paid work or volunteering.

You can:

• get work experience in the NHS
• search for roles on NHS jobs , like community support worker
• find opportunities with Mind , Rethink Mental Illness and Turning point

Career Tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would impact your work, if applying for jobs in the NHS.

Further Information

You can find out more about working as a psychological wellbeing practitioner from Health Careers .

You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions .

As part of your day to day duties, you could:

• conduct interviews to assess and support the patient's needs
• design and run group therapy sessions
• signpost patients to other helpful services
• keep accurate and up to date patient care records
• support and train other healthcare professionals
• develop and set up new mental health support services

You could work at a health centre, at a client's home or at a GP practice.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.