Although it may feel like some other-worldly experience now, almost three years on we are still feeling the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world.
From financial crises to global conflicts to long-lasting physical health issues, the impact of the coronavirus cannot be understated. Research shows that the pandemic had a particularly potent effect on the mental health of the world. Two in five social media posts during the first wave of lockdown in the UK contained words like ‘anxiety’, ‘frustrated’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, ‘scared’, ‘guilty’, and ‘worried’.
Because of this lasting impact, mental health professionals have never been in higher demand, especially among those disproportionally affected by COVID-19 – young adults, older people, those with pre-existing mental health problems, those with long term physical health conditions, single parents, transgender people, and people of colour. It has been estimated that up to 10 million people are likely to need new or additional mental health support as a result.
Let’s take a look at the supportive people we’re leaning on to aid our emotional recovery post-pandemic.
Counsellors and psychotherapists
Counsellors and psychotherapists are professionals used to support with emotional problems and mental health conditions.
Those offering counselling are usually trained therapists who will work with an individual, couple, or group to help them look deeper into their worries or tackle issues like depression and anxiety.
Sessions are usually conducted regularly, are completely confidential, and can take place in person or remotely depending on the professional.
Counsellors and psychotherapists may offer different types of treatment including psychoanalytic psychotherapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, humanistic therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and much more.
These professionals are sought after by both the NHS and private companies, or you may wish to set up your own practice or rent a therapy room – there are psychotherapy rooms to rent in London, for example, which are more cost-effective and stress-free.
As a profession, there is lots of room for growth – both developmental and financial. Routes into this role include university courses, college courses, and training with a counselling organisation, and most options include a level of practical skills training and supervised work placements.
Social workers
When we think about a career in social work, we may underestimate the level and scope of work these professionals do.
A lot of this has to do with the stereotypes attached to social workers – far from being pencil pushers who seek out to remove children from their homes, newer social work trainees are systemically trained and therapeutic professionals.
There are even some calls for the name of the role to be changed from social workers to social therapists, to better reflect the degree and frequency of interpersonal conversations with children and adults.
The social work profession is currently in crisis: there are huge numbers of vacancies and staff shortages, meaning staff are overworked and councils are becoming increasingly reliant on agency staff.
Although the social work task may appear daunting, there are attractive schemes in place to recruit new trainees, including the UK government’s Step Up To Social Work and the Frontline programme which both offer a training scheme plus bursary.
Many children and families are struggling in the wake of the pandemic and need the support of social work professionals.
Mental health nurses
The UK’s entire nursing workforce is currently facing a staffing shortage, and around 20% of the vacant positions are in mental health nursing.
This is unsurprising given the tensions within the NHS at the moment, nursing strikes, and a cost-of-living crisis, however mental health nursing remains a uniquely expanding and evolving area of nursing that is often overlooked by budding trainees.
The Government are committed to improving the workplace benefit offer to nurses, with prospects like better job security, increased pay, and more opportunities for career progression and specialisation.
It’s worth unpacking what a mental health nurse actually does. These professionals help patients with their feelings, their low mood, their loneliness, and, in extreme cases, their suicidal thoughts.
Mental health nurses aid the recovery of these patients, providing the necessary support and shoulder to cry on as they work through their challenges with other psychological treatments.
As these professionals progress in their career, they can choose to work with particular groups of patients like children, older people, and even offenders. Depending on the location and setting of their role, they could even become Advanced Clinical Practitioners or Nurse Consultants.
As many as one in four people are estimated to experience a mental health issue each year in the UK, so it’s easy to see why the demand for mental health nurses continues to rise.
Addiction specialists
The pandemic led to an increase in the use of substances like drugs and alcohol, and it’s easy to see why.
Many people were isolated, physically unwell, mentally drained, and financially burdened by the impact of COVID-19, and some turned to substances to lessen the emotional weight. As a result, addiction is on the rise, and thus so are addiction specialists.
The term ‘addiction specialist’ encompasses a wide variety of roles: these professionals can be substance abuse counsellors, addiction psychiatrists, and even medical doctors.
It’s a highly specialised field and many mental health professionals do not have the knowledge or experience required to properly diagnose and support with addiction. However, there are entry level positions out there which can help early careerists on the road to becoming an addiction specialist.
Drug and alcohol workers, for example, are in high demand. On a day-to-day basis they deal with outreach work, support in drop-in centres, dabble in counselling and rehabilitation, support those arrested for drug-related offences, provide education and training, and help with practical tasks like needle exchange.
The work can be challenging and the hours can be unsociable, but drug and alcohol workers report having a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same and job satisfaction is high.
Working with addicts requires an empathetic and calm approach, an understanding of substance misuse and how it can affect people, and most importantly, a non-judgemental attitude.
