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18 Oct / 17News
Impact Review launched: The journey we’ve been on, and our ambitions for the future
Supporters of Think Ahead gathered on Tuesday night for the launch of our first Impact Review. When we began in 2014, we set out to inspire a movement to advance our vision: to see a society where everyone with mental health problems can flourish. Now, with nearly 200 participants going through the programme, we’ve launched […]
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4 Sep / 17Expert insight
“I really enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work” – watch Think Ahead participant Maisie discuss her work
Last July our first intake of talented graduates and career-changers began training as mental health social workers on the Think Ahead programme. One of these was Maisie Satchwell-Hirst, an Oxford graduate, who joined a community mental health service in Cambridgeshire. In the film below Maisie talks about her experiences in her unit, led by experienced […]
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14 Jun / 17In the media
Radio 4’s All in the Mind follows participant Al on the job
BBC Radio 4 programme All in the Mind has spent a day following Think Ahead participant Al Tooms – giving a rare insight into the complex role of a mental health social worker. To hear the full programme you can visit the the BBC website. Or you can listen to Al’s segment here: During the piece, Al […]
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24 May / 17In the media
Radio 4’s All in the Mind follows participant Charlotte on the job
Radio 4 programme All in the Mind has spent a day following Think Ahead participant Charlotte Seymour in her role training to be a mental health social worker – getting a unique insight into the kind of work she does supporting people with mental health problems. To hear the full programme you can visit the […]
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7 Dec / 16In the media
2016 participants speak to Radio 4’s All in the Mind
Two of our 2016 participants have spoken to BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind about their motivations for joining the Think Ahead programme and the work they have been doing in their community mental health teams since September. I feel incredibly challenged, I feel inspired, I feel that this is the right place for […]
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11 Nov / 16Expert insight
Film: “I really enjoy learning about people’s stories”
Deborah Waller was working in science communication when she heard about the Think Ahead programme. She graduated from UCL in 2011 with a degree in Human Science, but last year decided to look into changing career. Deborah said: “My focus was brought to mental health whenever it came up so I thought, this is something […]
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1 Nov / 16Expert insight
Film: “I wanted to do something that helped others”
Al Tooms was studying English Literature at the University of Lancaster when he came across Think Ahead. Al was looking for a graduate programme that would lead him into a rewarding career, having previously done some volunteering with young people with mental health problems. After finding out more about what mental health social workers do, […]
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11 Oct / 16Expert insight
“Social work is therapeutic input at its best”
Alivia Bray, a Think Ahead participant, has written about her experiences in her first few weeks of on-the-job training to be a mental health social worker. In a piece written for the Guardian, Alivia has reflected on her first few weeks working in a community mental health team, which she joined in September. She writes: “I […]
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2 Sep / 16In the media
Think Ahead featured on BBC Radio 4
Think Ahead has been featured on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme. Reporter Andrew Bomford visited our Summer Institute, to interview some of our participants and record them practising their skills as they prepare to begin their on-the-job training next week. Participant Ben Roderick told the BBC: “I was looking at what people might see as more conventional career paths […]
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1 Sep / 16Expert insight
“It’s really given me confidence”: A participant’s reflections on the Summer Institute
This Monday Think Ahead participants will join community mental health teams across the country to begin their on-the-job training as social workers. Here, Jenni Wingrove, a participant who will start training in Luton, shares her reflections on how she’s feeling ahead of starting the role, and the best bits of the six-week Summer Institute. Why […]
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19 Aug / 16Expert insight
Ensuring social work perspectives are valued: week five at the Summer Institute
It’s the penultimate week at the Summer Institute, and communication has played a big part in this week’s learning. Communication skills are hugely important for social workers in many elements of their job. Of course, being able to build relationships with service users is crucial – as Frances Turner, an experienced mental health social worker […]
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17 Aug / 16In the media
“When I shadowed social workers, I saw how they fight for people”
A Think Ahead participant has shared their reflections on a day they spent shadowing a mental health social worker before they joined the programme. In an anonymous piece published on Guardian Social Care, the participant follows a social worker on visits to two service users. Although some of the interactions witnessed were challenging, the participant reflects: “Often […]
