Mental health jobs often get put under one category. Yet, the roles and responsibilities of these various jobs can differ massively. In this article, we will look at a few different types of jobs that all come under the umbrella term of mental health. Hopefully, you’ll see how different skill sets, frames of minds, and attitudes are needed for each of these different roles. While at the same time seeing the qualities and attributes that link them together.
Clinical Psychiatrist:
A psychiatrist is a medical professional educated to the level of doctor, that has gone onto specialise in mental health. Being medically trained allows them to help bridge the gap between emotional and physical problems. Psychiatrist are the only Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) within mental health that can prescribe medication for mental problems, due to their high level of training.
Counselling Psychologist:
A counselling psychologist’s role in many ways is to evaluate a client’s mental health status. As well as their emotional health too. These types of roles are often based within hospitals, or within the criminal justice system on some level. This might be with victim support, or working with offenders in prison.
Registered Mental Health (RMH) Nurse:
RMN jobs are often the ones that come with the most contact time with patients. Therefore, they are often the face of the mental health team in any hospital. Therefore, alongside a deep knowledge of nursing, both in terms of physical health and mental health; a RMH nurse must also be personable, and in many ways a very human figure to people going through these processes.
Marriage and Family Counsellor:
Away from hospitals, mental health still plays a large role in our life. Marriage and family counsellors help people cope with day-to-day challenges of interpersonal relationships. A level of guidance will normally be given to these couples, while at the same time, the counsellor should be laying foundations that help people reach a point where they can sustainably and healthily help themselves, and each other.
Substance Abuse Counsellor:
Substance abuse can affect absolutely anyone from all walks of life. Conditions that arise from substance abuse can be life threatening, but they are nearly always treatable. Substance abuse can often reach a point where there is both a mental and a physical dependency on a certain drug. A substance abuse counsellor’s role is to help facilitate the necessary change on the mental health side of things, so that a client is able to begin to help themselves.
