In Australia, few national conversations grip us as much as the one centred around mental health. It is a conversation with many critical strands, perhaps none more critical than the need for skilled and compassionate mental health professionals amid mass resignations.
Anyone who has spoken to someone within the field will attest to the growing need for more mental health professionals. Better yet, they might have walked away from one such conversation thinking, “Actually, I think I want to work in the mental health sector.”
Fortunately, there is actually no single path towards working in the mental health sector. You just need to know which paths exist and where you can join them.
Here are five common yet impactful career pathways in the mental health space, along with the steps you need to take to get your career started.
1. Mental Health Nurse
A far more hands-on role, mental health nurses, like every other nurse, are the vital cogs in our healthcare system. In this role, your support for individual patients often lasts much longer than with patients admitted to a general ward. For this reason, mental health nurses commonly work in rehabilitation services and outreach programs where the most impact can be made over a period of time.
How do I become a mental health nurse?
First, you must complete a nursing degree, either undergraduate or postgraduate, and then become a registered nurse. From there, you will need formal experience in mental health settings.
You can study a master of mental health nursing online to gain further qualifications and career readiness. Online studying is convenient and allows for greater flexibility for busy people looking to change careers or upskill while already working in the nursing sector.
2. Psychologist
Mention wanting a career in mental health, and most people might assume you mean becoming a psychologist. This is fair, as it is the vocation most often associated with the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health issues.
Psychologists are all about the long game, supporting people across many years with concerns like anxiety, depression, and trauma. You will work in a variety of settings as a psychologist, such as private practice, schools, hospitals, and community organisations, which are a few of the common settings. And the ceiling is high with psychology, allowing you to branch off into more specialised fields like forensic psychology.
How do I become a psychologist?
Becoming a psychologist requires a significant amount of academic commitment. You will need to obtain undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, both accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council, followed by registration.
Becoming a psychologist is demanding, yes, but also highly rewarding!
3. Psychiatrist
Not to be confused with a psychologist, both vocations occupy a similar space in the mental health sphere, but with clear differences. The biggest difference between psychiatrists and psychologists is that psychiatrists are qualified to diagnose mental illnesses and prescribe appropriate medication; therefore, they often take into account a patient’s physical health before considering a path forward.
Despite being different in their qualifications and approaches, psychiatrists and psychologists often work together to help a patient, either directly or indirectly.
How do I become a psychiatrist?
Similar to a psychologist and doctor, your path towards becoming a psychiatrist will require completing undergraduate and postgraduate studies, an internship, a residency, registration, and then a fellowship.
If you have the temperament and dedication, becoming a psychiatrist is certainly worth the time and effort.
4. Social Worker
When you think about mental health care, you may likely fix your attention inward towards personal experiences. And while this is fair, the internal story is only half of it.
Enter social workers. These mental health workers consider the external factors that influence what goes on inside; they think about social, cultural, and environmental influences. Social workers take a holistic, bigger-picture approach to support, reaching out to individuals and families, depending on what’s needed.
Social workers advocate for systemic change and access to services that most of us take for granted. Given this scope, the work is diverse, addressing a wide range of problem areas such as homelessness, mental illness, and even domestic violence.
As a social worker, you might find yourself working in a school, a hospital, or a policy development program. If you want direct client work and the chance to enact broader social impact, then social work calls.
How do I become a social worker?
First, you must complete a Bachelor’s or Master’s of Social Work accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Next, you can join the AASW and gain formal experience. As you gain experience, you can pursue a more specialised role as a mental health social worker.
5. Support Worker
For some, it is their personal experiences with mental health that draw them to a career in the field. Peer support workers are a perfect example of this, drawing on their lived experience to support others. Support workers help clients with numerous aspects of their lives, from daily living to wellbeing goals to community engagement.
Choose one of these roles, and you will likely engage regularly with NDIS services and not-for-profits. These are great careers if you want to have an immediate impact before committing to long-term study.
How do I become a support worker?
Typically, you will need to complete a Certificate IV in Mental Health, Community Services, or Peer Work to become a social worker, along with relevant experience or lived insight. This career pathway is much less defined than the ones above, so it will largely fall to your personal preferences and capacity.
Choose The Right Mental Health Career Pathway For You
Careers in mental health share one great strength: they are not one-size-fits-all. You can be drawn along their paths for many diverse reasons, whether for the appeal of clinical practice, community support, or advocacy. Choosing a career in mental health is a matter of aligning your career pathway with your skills, values, and the life experiences unique to you.
Australia’s mental health sector is versatile and flexible enough to meet your needs and demands. Your career might be a seedling in need of nurturing or a vibrant garden yearning for new foliage; either way, a career in mental health is there for you!
The above article is paid content, and any information presented should be independently verified before making any decisions as a result of the content. This article does not constitute advice of any kind, nor does it represent the opinions of the website publisher.