Saturday, December 05, 2009

Career prospects: psychological therapies

Find out what you can do with your degree at http://www.whatcanidowithmydegree.nhs.uk

Career prospects: psychological therapies

Career news at a glance:

The job prospects for psychological therapists look bright at present, as across the board the NHS, government departments and private companies are investigating therapy-based solutions as alternatives to drug-based treatments. In addition, the government is funding a project to improve access to psychological therapies in the mental health sector.

Career health advice:
  • The various titles of practitioner psychologist are now statutorily regulated by the Health Professions Council. Psychologists will need to be registered with the HPC in order to work under any of the designated titles.
  • Counsellors and psychotherapists will also be regulated by the HPC from 2012.
  • A degree is not always sufficient for many forms of therapy. Some therapies require a practical component of supervised case work and this is usually undertaken at postgraduate level.
  • Employers often prefer to appoint a chartered psychologist because the title is the public’s guarantee that the person is properly trained, qualified and answerable to an independent professional body.
  • In addition to consulting NHS Jobs, don’t forget the professional body journals listing job advertisements.
  • Consider assistant jobs or voluntary work. Most jobs for psychological therapists, due to the independent nature of the work, require experience. Working as an assistant psychotherapist or assistant psychologist whilst training will provide invaluable experience.
  • Be open-minded when looking for posts, as many job titles will not necessarily mention the terms psychotherapy or psychology. Other titles include mental health practitioner or primary mental health worker.
  • Certain skills are more in demand than others. There are currently national shortages of clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists, and there is increasing demand for counselling psychologists. The need to lower levels of obesity also means more opportunities for health psychologists and exercise psychologists.
  • Psychotherapists often work in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or ‘talking therapies’. The Government has promised more money and access to talking therapies for mental health patients and GPs are being urged to offer CBT to patients with low-level mental health problems.

Career health warnings:

  • As more NHS services are shifted into the community it is likely that many more of the psychological therapies will move to primary care or community settings.
  • Look for job opportunities throughout England as you are more likely to be successful in securing a job if you can be flexible about where you live and work.
Working in the NHS:

Psychotherapists often work in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or ‘talking therapies’. The government has promised more money and access to talking therapies for mental health patients and GPs are being urged to offer CBT to patients with low-level mental health problems. With larger health centres opening up in primary care settings, it is possible that GPs will want to employ more psychotherapists to treat mental health patients and those chronic-disease patients at high risk of depression.

Child psychotherapists work in specialist child and adolescent mental health teams. Increasingly, they also work in jointly-funded positions within schools, social services and hospitals.

Health psychologists and exercise psychologists are increasingly used in primary care, as GPs are given more say over health budgets and changing people’s behaviours.


Working in the private sector:

Psychological therapists often work in private practice and will treat self-referred patients as well as those referred from private clinics, hospitals and doctors.

Occupational psychologists often work for large companies with human resources or personnel departments, or as overseers of change management.

There is a small, but growing, number of sports psychologists who work either as consultants and/or are employed by elite athletic and sports teams.

Psychology graduates are prized by market research firms, personnel management firms and employment agencies. There are also opportunities for psychology lecturers in nursing and medical schools.

As the NHS opens up to other providers many private clinics and hospitals are starting to expand and employ greater numbers of psychologists and psychotherapists.


Working in the independent/charitable sector:

Many charities and voluntary organisations employ therapists, particularly those dealing with children and young people, inter-cultural relations and ethnic minorities, drug and alcohol dependencies and sexual health agencies. Job opportunities for graduates in these organisations may grow in the future as some charities prepare to take on NHS services.

The current opening up of NHS services also opens the way to groups of therapists working in not-for-profit companies, to contract their services to the NHS or GPs.


Working abroad:

Each country has different regulation and education requirements for counsellors and psychotherapists. Graduates looking to work overseas need to research these and the rules each country operates in admitting overseas workers.


Future forecast:

In general the job prospects for psychological therapy graduates look very good. The overall demand for therapists is increasing due to the government’s focus on improving mental health, public health and obesity.

In psychotherapy there is likely to be a big demand for less intensive therapies, such as CBT, for minor mental health problems.

In child psychotherapy there are many more new jobs being created than in the past, particularly jointly-funded posts between the NHS, social services and education departments.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Funny things degrees

Psychology is a funny thing!

Why? Just think about it what do you know about Psychology weather you're a student, graduate, someone who has heard of it somewhere or just interested in the subject.

Ask yourself what do you realy know about it?

For me, my experience of studying it and my knowledge after, to be honest hasnt really changed... I am still confused!

OK where am I headed with this... to be honest I have been struggling with where I am headed and how am I to get there... Psychology as a degree is a funny thing, you cant really get far with it.

As with many degrees the current climate for graduates dont look so promising, even if you have a first class degree (which by the way I dont have). Things will still be hard....or do they have to be?

Psychology, does it have a place in the world when ts just as degree level?... JUST at undergraduate degree level? It doesnt sound like much to me now, now after around 4 years after graduation, I look back and think how far have I really come with my degree. Can I really look myself in the mirror, can I really look at my CV and say, "yes doing that degree was worth it"?

In fact can YOU?

Can you justify those 3 or 4 years at university all that money spent, and say... "Yes those years were worth it"...

If you can or if you cant... tell me how you have come to where you are...
How succesful are you... do you think?
How has it changed you?

More importantly as I think about mine...what is your next step?

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Islamic Counselling in London

Assalamu alaykum

This sounds interesting...

ACCREDITED ISLAMIC COUNSELLING TRAINING (C London)

We are pleased to announce the availability of places on our part time VRQ Level 2 Certificate in Islamic Counselling. The course will be running from 24th September 2009 to January 14th 2010 and will be based near Edgware Road in London. These courses have been attended by teachers, scholars, social workers and counsellors in the past, all of whom have found them to be beneficial. If you are interested, do contact us at your earliest convenience as spaces are limited. Applications must reach us by 18th September 2009.

Our training is experiential. This involves learning by doing, which means that trainees are clients for each others' work in the development of their skills and knowledge. This work is
supported by traditional tuition, reading and assignments. Trainees are required to develop a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates their competence. Portfolios include documentary
evidence such as learning reviews, assignments and tutor observations.

For further information please contact:
E-mail: stephenmay@mac. com
Website: http://www.abraronl ine.net/en/ islamiccounselli ng.pdf

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Make It Different

From Muhammad Alshareef

ITS ON!

As salamu alaykum

You know what I'm talking about...Ramadan: It's ON!

We had so many things recently; Ramadan Ilminar, releasing the digital HeartWheelJournal, and then the printed version.

So now, who are YOU like?

Muslim A) In full-throttle Ramadan mode
Muslim B) Already started Ramadan *without* a plan

Whichever one you saw yourself as, I've got something for you.


...HeartWheel Journal ONLINE
http://www.heartwheeljournal.com/

Not just digital pdf.
A super software to do the HeartWheel Journal online.
http://www.heartwheeljournal.com/

=============
Do this right away:
1) Create account, still Fr-ee: http://www.heartwheeljournal.com/ (20 seconds)
2) Watch the WalkThrough video (2 mins)
2) Start from Day 1 (even if you're late, just start)
=============

With best wishes to see you succeed at the highest level!
- Muhammad Alshareef

PS: Be the first to experience the HeartWheel Journal.
http://www.heartwheeljournal.com/

PPS: Watch these "WalkThrough Videos" for the online and printed HeartWheel Journal by Nahyan, one of our DiscoverU LifeCoaches.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6FC244019EAC9552&sort_field=title

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Anger Management - 'An Islamic Approach'


Anger Management

An Islamic Psycho - Spiritual Approach
Anger is a powerful emotion. It can be used either in productive or counter-productive ways. It can lengthen or shorten our lives. Anger is a natural human emotion that everyone experiences at one time or another.

Examples of common factors that can make people angry are:

• Losing someone you love (grief)
• Sexual frustration
• Being tired, hungry or in pain
• Physical withdrawal from certain medicines or drugs
• Conditions, like pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)

Anger management is a form of counselling to help you cope with any angry feelings you may have that affect your health, work, social behaviour or personal relationships. This course on 'Anger Management' shall focus on psycho – spiritual approaches to anger with the Islamic theoretical aspect using Imam al-Ghazali's ‘Diagnosis of Anger’ and others, and practical steps in dealing with anger.

Special guest speaker includes Cici Collins [BAAM], a consultant dealing with anger.

The Prophet [s] said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." [Al-Bukhari]

Who should attend this course:

• Any person suffering from anger and rage
• Front-line employees/staff
• Parents who have difficulty dealing with their angry children
• Anyone who knows of someone suffering from anger issues
• Teachers who need to find creative ways of managing disruption in the classroom
• Health and care professionals

INSTRUCTORS
Dr. Mamoun Mobayed MD, DPM, MSc , Psychiatrist
Cici Collins Consultant [BAAM], Life Coach, EFT Practitioner, Cici Collins was Channel 4's Celebrity Wife Swap consultant

DATE Saturday 18th July 2009
TIME 9.00am – 6.30pm
VENUE Ebrahim College, 80 Greenfield Road, London, E1 1EJ
(behind East London Mosque [ELM]) (nearest tube station: Aldgate East and Whitechapel)
REGISTER Online at www.iidr.org
INFORMATION T: 07092 813 541
E: info@iidr.org

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Future Focussed plus dua!

Assalamu alaykum!

I just wanted to share this with you, a great future focussed hadith and dua which was e-mailed to me...


((مَا مِنْ فَجْرِ يَوْمٍ يَنْشَقُّ إلاَّ وَيُنَادِي مَلَكَان, يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ أنَا يَوْمٌ جَدِيْدٌ, وَعَلي عَمَلِكَ شَهِيْدٌ, فَتَزَوَّدْ مِنِّي فَإنِّي لا أعُوْدُ إلى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَة))

“Not a single dawn breaks out without two angels calling out: ‘Oh Son of Adam, I am a new day and I witness your actions, so make the best out of me because I will never come back till the Day of Judgement’” (Al Ma’thur of the Prophet (saw))


Subhanallah, what better drive is that then that! To be reminded that today has gone, another sun has set on a day which we can never bring back. If we were able to reply this day what would we be proud of…? What would we change…?

Tomorrow, Alhamdulilah is another day; I pray Allah gives us the life to live to see that day, so we can implement anything we learnt form today… Ensure our actions are the best; our outcome is the finest, so that our judgment is successful.


"اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ يَوْمَنَا حَيرًا مِنْ أمْسِنَا وَجْعَلَ غَدَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْ يَوْمِنَا"

“O! Allah, make our today better than our yesterday, and make our tomorrow better than today”

So if one of your action points was to learn a new dua... how’s this one to learn? :)

Ma'salam

Friday, June 26, 2009

Reflections


on the slippery road of life even the greatest of men and women need to take small safe steps