I decided to do my university placement year at Sheffield Mind because I wanted to gain real life experience in the mental health industry that I could have never got from simply learning and reading about psychology at university. I wanted to really get a feel for the industry before deciding if I want to pursue a career in mental health. Also, it is beneficial to have a year away from studying to be able to return to the final year of university with new skills and a more open mind.

My typical day starts usually with a team meeting at 9:30 to discuss any issues and distribute tasks for the project. The rest of the morning I will therefore be usually responding to emails, calling clients, data input tasks or conducting assessments to assess client’s eligibility to join the anger management course. In the afternoon, the anger management course runs from 1:30 – 4:00 where I will co-facilitate the course over zoom. Until around 5:00pm I usually update any relevant excel sheets and complete any other admin that needs updating after the course.

I enjoy the openness and flexibility of working with the anger management team. At the start of volunteering, I was quite overwhelmed by how involved I was with the project. However, now I appreciate this opportunity immensely as it has provided me with more confidence in my abilities. I also enjoy seeing the impact of my work as this is very rewarding.

 I would encourage others to volunteer as volunteering at Sheffield Mind for me has been an experience I will never forget. In particular, I would encourage individuals starting out their careers, or students to volunteer with Sheffield Mind as it opens so many doors and gets you really involved in the projects they run. Also, knowing that you have positively impacted others lives, is a feeling you will hold onto for a long time.