How to become
You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.
University
You could do a degree in psychology or health and social care subjects then apply for a place on a postgraduate training course.
After your degree, you'll need to get a job in healthcare while you complete Improving Access to Psychological Therapy training approved by the British Psychological Society.
This 12 month course is made up of a day of academic study and 4 days of supervised practice each week.
Entry requirements
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
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Apprenticeship
You could do a psychological wellbeing practitioner degree apprenticeship.
You may need a degree in a relevant subject like psychology or nursing or experience of working in mental health to do this apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
Employers will set their own entry requirements.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
a degree in a relevant subject
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Volunteering
To get into this role you'll usually need a lot of experience of working with people who have mental health issues or disabilities. This could be from paid work or volunteering.
You can:
- get some work experience in the NHS
- search for paid and volunteer roles on NHS jobs, such as community support worker
- look at volunteer opportunities with Mind
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Career tips
Experience of working with people with mental health problems will be helpful.
Further information
You can find out more about working as a psychological wellbeing practitioner from Health Careers.
You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions.