Become a mental health social worker: apply today
Applications for our 2025 entry to our mental health social work programme are now open. Gain a fully-funded postgraduate diploma and master’s degree in social work. Be an advocate for local people in your community with mental health problems. Earn as you learn with dedicated support from experienced social workers and academic tutors. Start a […]
-
27 Nov / 20News
Mental health social work is “so much more than the health silo” – Shadow Mental Health Minister meets Think Ahead community
We were delighted to welcome Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, Shadow Mental Health Minister, to an online event this week with our current trainees and alumni of the programme. Part of an ongoing series of events with leading figures in mental health and social work, the interactive session tackled a range of issues mental health social […]
-
18 Nov / 20News
The frontline reality of mental health services during Covid – as featured in The Metro
With their support arguably needed now more than ever, mental health social workers are on the frontline in this pandemic. Like all of us, they’re doing what they can to limit face-to-face contact, but that’s not always possible when you’re working with someone who has a severe mental health problem. One of our past participants, Thea Radburn, wrote a piece for The Metro […]
-
11 Nov / 20In the media
“I love seeing people flourish, and wanted a career that would push me to keep challenging myself and learning” – Think Ahead alum tells Professional Social Work magazine
In this thoughtfully written piece, Think Ahead alum Mariah Wilde describes her humbling experience as a mental health social worker and the lessons she has learnt from the people she has worked with. With dignity and respect forming her guiding principles for mental health, Mariah firmly believes that people are experts on their own experience. […]
-
20 Oct / 20News
“This profession is about making a difference and each and every one of you has done that”- Think Ahead’s 2018 Cohort join our alumni network
We were delighted to welcome another cohort of participants into our alumni network at a virtual ceremony on Monday 19 October. After spending the last two years training and working as mental health social workers, participants from our 2018 Cohort looked back on their experiences, as they became members of Think Ahead’s alumni network, joining […]
-
3 Oct / 20In the media
“You are working with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and with that there is a huge responsibility” – The Times covers Think Ahead’s expansion
Think Ahead’s Chief Executive, Ella Joseph, and alum Levi Chambers-Cook (pictured) have been featured in The Times as part of a news piece about Think Ahead’s expansion. We announced earlier this week that the government has awarded us up to £27m to expand the Think Ahead graduate programme. This funding covers at least the next two cohorts, and allows […]
-
29 Sep / 20In the media
“Improving the nation’s mental health has to be a top political priority” – Think Ahead’s Chief Executive writes for PoliticsHome
Think Ahead’s Chief Executive Ella Joseph has written an opinion piece for PoliticsHome, a leading political news and commentary website. In it she discusses the mental health crisis brought on by Covid-19 and how today’s announcement of £27m of Government investment in the Think Ahead programme will contribute to tackling this crisis. The investment will […]
-
29 Sep / 20News
Applications are open to join the Think Ahead programme in 2021
Update: Applications to join the Think Ahead programme in 2021 are now closed. If you are a talented graduate or career-changer, remarkable enough to make a real difference in tackling the UK’s mental health challenge, the Think Ahead programme could be for you. On our paid, two-year programme, you’ll work to build relationships with adults living with mental health problems, empowering […]
-
29 Sep / 20News
Government provides up to £27m to expand Think Ahead programme
The Department of Health and Social Care has today announced that it has awarded Think Ahead up to £27m, to fund at least two further cohorts of the Think Ahead graduate programme each providing 160 places per year – a 60% increase in the annual intake. Our programme offers talented graduates and career-changers a paid […]
-
23 Sep / 20News
Think Ahead voted a top 40 graduate employer for second year running
We are delighted to announce that Think Ahead has once again been voted into the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list, ranked at number 40. This is our fourth appearance in the list, and the second year running that we have been in the top 40. The list, which was published today, was created based on interviews […]
-
12 Aug / 20News
“You’re coming into working in mental health at an incredibly exciting, and also challenging, time.” – Summer Institute 2020 comes to an end
The Summer Institute for our 2020 Cohort finished at the end of last week – following three weeks of teaching to introduce our trainees to mental health social work and social interventions, and to prepare them for joining frontline services. This group of just over 100 participants are the fifth cohort to join the Think […]
-
23 Jul / 20In the media
“It allows us to be really ambitious” – Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executives speak to The Guardian about joint leadership
Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executives Ella Joseph and Natalie Acton have been interviewed for an article on joint leadership in The Guardian. The article examines the challenges and opportunities of job sharing, especially in leadership roles, and asks whether the pandemic might provide an opportunity for organisations to re-examine their ways of working. Speaking to Graham […]
-
16 Jul / 20In the media
“The mental health workforce is going to be more important than ever” – Think Ahead’s Chief Executive writes for the Independent
Our Chief Executive Ella Joseph has written an opinion piece about how the coronavirus pandemic has been “devastating for many people’s mental health” and what needs to happen in order to expand the mental health workforce to help it respond effectively. Writing for the Independent, Ella explained the key role that social factors play in […]