Samantha Gleed

I was inspired to study this degree at university when I studied A Level psychology. I was really interested in the psychopathology module which looked at mental health. I have always known I wanted to work with children and help others, so when I found the course it was perfect and combined my interests and passions. All the modules have been extremely relevant to my career so far, I have a really good understanding of all different aspects of mental health which has been really beneficial when working in this sector. My placement helped prepare me for direct work with young people and the research internship allowed me to build on my knowledge within research which I use everyday on the inpatient ward.

I loved the campus, this is what drew me to Edge Hill. It feels like its own community with Ormskirk down the road. The course itself is a highlight as it was exactly what I wanted, it looked at subjects I was interested in and I had a placement which was amazing. I had really good support from everyone at Edge Hill throughout my time there and I continue to have support from my lecturers for references and support with applications.

My favourite thing about studying this degree at Edge Hill was the support from my lecturers. I loved the layout of the course, I had an interest in all the modules and really liked that placements were involved too. The placements gave me really valuable hands on experience. I also completed a research internship which helped to build on my research and data skills. In my first year I accessed a CV writing workshop which was really helpful in helping me to build a CV. I would say that the top three skills I have learned are research and data interpretation skills, critical thinking and effective communication in written and verbal work.

Whilst at university I was a member of the gym, which was really beneficial for my wellbeing. It has all the equipment needed and the student price made it more affordable. I was also part of the netball team which was an amazing experience, helped me to make friends and gave me something to go to when I didn’t have plans. Moving far away from home and not knowing anyone was difficult but the gym and netball alongside the course tutors made this feel a lot easier.

When I left university I was a healthcare assistant on a children’s mental health ward, after this I applied for a youth worker role within the CAMHS crisis team. I was then able to develop into an assistant psychologist role within the crisis team and doing one day a week on a children’s inpatient ward to support my development. Currently I am an Assistant Psychologist within the Manchester NHS Foundation Trust CAMHS crisis team covering Manchester and an Assistant Psychologist on a children’s specialist inpatient ward. Every day is different, on the inpatient ward I help the young people to complete their outcome measures to track their progress, I write their care reports and run the art therapy group. Within the crisis team I see people for either 72 hours or up to 6 weeks to provide intensive mental health support. I will go to young peoples homes and complete intervention work with them based on what they are struggling with. This may include work on self-esteem, sensory work or looking at negative thoughts.

I love meeting and working with the young people, I learn so much from each individual I meet. Every young person is different and finding different ways to engage each young person is a really interesting part of the job. Going forwards I would like to do the clinical psychology doctorate and continue to progress within children’s mental health remaining in a patient facing role.