Allied Health Professionals play an important role in supporting people with a wide range of physical and mental psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
There are many different Allied Health Professional (AHP) roles working in mental health services to help make sure patients get the right support and care at the right time. As champions of physical and mental health AHPs provide a strategic link across care pathways for people.
This infographic, published by Health Education England, demonstrates to employers and workforce planners how AHPs can make a unique contribution to mental health services.
The main route into becoming an AHP is by taking a degree. During your studies, you’ll complete placements, meet other specialists and get a taste for what the role’s really like.
Alternatively you could choose to become an AHP support worker, working in a multi-disciplinary team, for example as a Therapy Assistant.
- There are plenty of varied AHP roles working in mental health settings that have different responsibilities
- Art Therapists offer psychological therapies which are not solely reliant on verbal communication
- Dietitians understand the complex relationship between nutrition, mental health, and the impact on physical health
- Drama Therapists offer psychological therapies to enable people to express emotion
- Occupational Therapists have expertise in rehabilitation, enabling people to recover their independence
- Physiotherapists help people improve their mobility and regain their independence
- Speech and language Therapists help people to participate in decisions about their care and engage in psychological therapies to support recovery
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I work in the core CAMHS team in North Manchester within a team that is made up of various different professions such as; mental health nurses, paediatric nurses, social workers, psychologists and assistants, CBT therapists, family therapists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Our service supports young people experiencing a range of different difficulties such as; anxiety, low mood, emotional dysregulation, trauma, attachment difficulties. Our service also supports many young people with neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism and ADHD where there are co-morbid mental health difficulties.
I previously worked in inpatient adult mental health services and then moved on to an inpatient CAMHS service as I wanted to aim to support young people at an early life stage. When working in inpatient CAMHS I was able to see the value of the OT role however noticed that when young people were being discharged there was no access to mental health OT in the community to carry on with interventions. A post was advertised to scope out the gaps for OT within CAMHS and I was keen to move to this role to be able to evidence how OTs can bring value to CAMHS settings. It was from this scope that I was able to secure my full-time post as an OT in north CAMHS, which was the first time this had been done.
Each day can be different in this role depending on the young person and the work I am completing. When I am working solely in my protected time as an OT I can be seeing young people at clinic to complete initial assessments, visiting young people at home, going out into the community to develop life skills such as; going on the bus, paying for items in shops, ordering drinks and generally building their confidence. I have also done additional training and complete sensory assessments and carry out interventions such as sensory ladders. I recently started an OT creative group too which is focussed around engaging in a meaningful activity each week to support reducing anxiety, increasing mood and building social skills.
I attend a 3 monthly CAMHS OT forum within MFT where all CAMHS OTs in the trust meet to think about professional issues, training needs, peer supervision and networking. I have attended additional training to add to my core skills as an OT such as; sensory integration, sensory attachment intervention, DBT and EMDR. Within our team we also have a CPD slot once a month where we can learn about different topics and sometimes outside agencies come in.
Being able to set goals with young people that are personal to them and being able to see them achieve these through engaging with OT. It is rewarding when I can help a young person be able to see that they can achieve their goals and problem solve ways to manage their difficulties.
Being passionate about working with young people in mental health and having excellent communication skills to be able to build rapport with young people. It is also important to be able to work in a team alongside other professionals and be able to advocate for the role of OT. OTs work in a very practical way and help young people and families to develop their independence and coping skills therefore it is essential to be a creative thinker and good at problem solving.
Have experience of working in mental health and have strong emotional resilience. To be assertive and passionate about OT to be able to advocate for the profession in this type of setting.
A person is able to work in this setting with a degree in occupational therapy however experience of working in mental health is essential. An OT would benefit from additional training and knowledge in trauma, attachment, mental health conditions and risk management.
I do not use technology to see young people due to the type of work being very hands on. I will use technology to support young people with certain tasks e.g. using different apps to help with routines.
I enjoy connecting with the young people and feeling that my role can try and even make a small difference in a young person’s future. I am also very passionate about continuing to build the OT workforce in community CAMHS.
