Gina
What were you doing before this?
I spent 30 years working as a civil servant, starting in a benefits office and working my way up to more senior roles in policy and strategy.
It wasn’t my first choice of career but it’s where I ended up, and I’d been quite good at it, so for a while I felt a bit trapped there.
I’d always wanted to work in mental health, so when the opportunity came up, I took early retirement and decided to retrain. I did a psychology degree and then found out about the Think Ahead programme which ticked so many boxes for me.
How did our attributes fit with your skills and experience? Did you have any gaps?
Relationship-building was always a part of my career. Working in the benefits office I often met people who were distressed and worried, and I’d need to find a way to talk to them and create a collaborative dynamic.
I also led teams throughout my time at the civil service and over time the view of leadership really changed. It used to be very hierarchical, but it became more collaborative as I realised how important it was to model what you wanted to see in your team.
That aligned very well with what Think Ahead was looking for – a more holistic approach to leadership.
Was there anything you were hesitant about when you were applying?
I was worried about the practicalities of living on a bursary. I did my maths and made sure I had the buffer that I needed to meet my financial commitments.
Other than that, I was ready to go. Because I’d recently completed my psychology degree, I was fully in the flow of the academic work – although that had been daunting at the start of my degree.
It also helped that I felt I understood the role of a mental health social worker pretty well – I’d met lots of social workers in my time as a civil servant.
How are you finding the role and training?
It is more intense than I thought – but it’s great. It’s brilliant to be able to qualify in a year. Working with people accessing the services is my absolute highlight.
Some of the more difficult bits are the organisational and structural limitations, and sometimes there’s a mismatch in what I want to be able to provide to someone I’m supporting, and what I am actually able to provide.
I get through difficult times with support from my peers, and I really make the most of my supervision with my consultant social worker. I’ve learnt to accept limitations, but to keep chipping away at things too.
Do you have any advice for applicants?
Make sure you really explore and research the role – getting some kind of experience would be useful if you can too.
You need to be ready for the grittiness of it all – you can’t have a rose-tinted view of mental health social work.
You have to be all in – don’t do it half-heartedly. When you make the decision to apply, go into it with heart, body and soul.
I wanted to be able to contribute to something meaningful, that I absolutely love and believe in. That has been highly motivating for me.