Careers in Mental Health

Introduction

Careers in mental health are exciting and satisfying, providing treatment and support to people of all ages with a variety of mental illnesses and disorders. As a professional working in mentalhealth, you can work in a range of fulfilling environments, including

• Residential
• Hospital
• Crisis intervention
• Drug & alcohol services
• Emergency departments
• Rural & metropolitan services
• Forensic agencies
• Training and education
• Psychosocial rehabilitation
• Day programs
• Home based outreach services
• Respite

Public mental health services are part of a broad network of health services with strong links to general hospitals and community health services. Mental health work is about working in partnership with people and ultimately making a difference to the quality of their lives. For general information on how mental health services operate in Victoria, see An introduction to Victoria's public clinical mental health services (PDF file 524KB) - January 2006 which provides an overview of services, issues in mental health and skills required for workers.

Occupational groups who may work in Mental Health Services:

• Nurses
• Doctors
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologist s
• Social Workers
• Occupational Therapists
• Drug and Alcohol Workers
• Youth Workers
• Support Workers
• Consumer Consultants
• Carer Consultants

Mental Health Nursing

What does a Mental Health Nurse do?

How do I become a Mental Health Nurse?

Mental Health and the Graduate Nursing Program?

Further Information

Mental Health Services provide a broad range of highly developed specialist skills depending on professional background and skills, particularly in the areas of:

• Ability to work autonomously as sole practitioners and as an integral part of a multidisciplinary teams
• Support and education of families and carers
• Counselling and other treatment interventions including individual, family and group work
• Assessment including health, mental health and mental state
• Formulation and implementation of therapeutic treatment plans
• Engagement and management of clients with serious mental illness
• Management of challenging behaviour
• Psychopharmacological administration and monitoring

If you have an interest in:

• Mental illness
• Understanding human behaviour across the life span
• Planning and implementing programs to meet the needs of individuals and groups
• Rehabilitation
• Education
• Sharing, learning, personal and professional growth
• Development of communication skills
• Working in a biopsychosocial model of treatment and care

Then working in mental health is for you! Mental health matters

To find out more about pursuing a career in Mental Health contact your local area Mental Health Service or visit their web site (see list below).

Metropolitan Services

Rural Services