Career-changers: moving into the mental health sector

For people interested in changing careers to mental health social work

It’s a myth that you need social work experience to apply for our programme. Many of our trainees have come from the charity sector, the creative arts, engineering and manufacturing, retail, teaching, property and construction, and beyond.

So how can you transfer your skills to the role of a mental health social worker? What might your career pathway look like after completing the programme? Join us to hear from previous trainees who switched careers for mental health social work and find out what it’s like to earn as you learn on our programme.

You’ll also hear from experienced social workers, people who have used social work services themselves, and explore how you could make a difference to people with mental health needs in your community.

Book your free place now

Event Speakers

Amanda Questel-Lewis: Senior Practice Specialist

Amanda joined Think Ahead’s team of Practice Specialists in April 2019. She has been a Social Worker since 1996 working mainly in the North West within statutory, voluntary and public sectors. She has worked in a Local Authority Children & Families with Disabilities Team, for the NSPCC as a Children’s Service Practitioner, and in Community Mental Health Teams as a Senior Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Practitioner.

She is also a qualified Practice Educator, Systemic Family Practitioner and Coaching/Mentoring who enjoys developing others in their social work experience.

Frances Lester: Think Ahead Alumni

Fran qualified as a social worker in 2021. Currently she is is a family worker and safeguarding lead in an Early Intervention Psychosis Service, and a crisis practitioner in a Crisis & Home Treatment Team.

She’s changed direction a few times. Initially, she studied Law at Manchester University, where she volunteered at the local legal aid centre, led public legal education projects, and completed multiple legal internships. After graduating with First-Class honours, Fran then worked in London’s tech start-up world, in various roles, including tech recruiter, sales executive and customer success manager before joining ThinkAhead.

She is on the Think Ahead Alumni Reference Committee and serves as an assessor for the Think Ahead assessment centres.

Debs Smith: Service User and Carer Reference Group Member

Debs is a former mental health service user and a carer. She has worked both within the health service and social care and has significant amount of experience of volunteering in these sectors in recent years with many different organisations.

Debs has many years of experience advising on research projects around the country as a lay member and has volunteered in the past as a volunteer mental health peer support worker. At the moment she works as a volunteer befriender at her local Christians against Poverty centre.