I wanted to do a placement mostly to gain some experience within the community regarding mental health.
Career Connect
The application process was pretty simple overall. I had to fill in an application form through the career connect website which was made up of various questions such as why I wanted to do the placement and what experience i could bring to the role. I then had to attend an interview with the founder and another team member from Space to Breathe. This was held at their offices and was quite informal. As part of my interview process I had to come prepared with a 5 minute meditation that I would run through for the two of them.
I chose Space to Breathe because I liked that they were a small company trying to make a difference in terms of mental health. My goal has always been to support others struggling with their mental health and this seemed like a company where that would be possible.
Most of the time I would be creating content for the 'Well?' subscription that Space to Breathe offered to people who wanted to gather resources in order to help them with their mental health and wellbeing. The content went out every week to client's and was around a different topic each week too. I would write blogs around topics such as the benefits of boundaries and video meditations around freeing stress from our bodies.
A typical day would generally involve creating content for wellbeing resources. Other days I may have attended sessions such as the wellbeing Wednesday in which I would go and play games and help provide meals for vulnerable people within the community.
I really enjoyed that I got to work with a small team of employees who all brought different strengths and perspectives to the work carried out. I enjoyed being able to get involved with the community and help provide support for those struggling with their mental health. It was great being able to make my own videos and meditations for Space to Breathe as well as writing helpful blog posts.
The most challenging aspect to me was creating video meditations for the Space to Breathe 'Well?' subscription. This was something I had never done before and it really took me out of my comfort zone and into a new area of learning and mental health.
I used many skills that I had learnt on my course particularly around understanding mental health and the different types of support available for people and the benefits each of those have for people dependant on the issue you're facing.
My time on the placement has just helped reiterate the future career plans I had in mind. Which is to become a clinical psychologist and help provide therapy and support for people struggling with their mental health.
I am planning to go on and do a masters in psychological research methods at the university of Sheffield in order to build up my knowledge regarding psychological research. In order to then go on and gain experience hopefully as an assistant psychologist.
Form completed: 30 Oct 2022