Interested in a career?
Personal experience in mental health and addictions
Sometimes people are attracted to careers in the sector because they have experienced mental health and/or addiction problems themselves, or they have known someone who has experienced a mental illness. Personal experience of mental illness or addiction brings a greater understanding and empathy for mental health service users and can be a desirable, and sometimes essential, criterion within mental health job descriptions.
Read Ivan Yeo's peer support worker profile for insight into how personal experience of mental illness can be a positive experience to bring to a job.
Do your research
It helps to talk to people and get a feel for the environment before deciding upon a specific career path. Contact managers or team leaders at your local district health board (DHB) or within community based mental health and addiction providers and hospitals. Show your interest in working for them by asking about the roles. Organise a visit. This website has lists of non-government organisations (NGOs), many of which are community based, where you could make a start.
To learn more about the range of mental health and addiction career options go to roles and profiles, where there are several interviews with people who have found their way to working in mental health.
Check out vacancies and websites of other mental health and addiction organisations - a list of these have been provided for you on our career and job links page. Keep an eye on general employment websites, such as Seek. Watch out for vacancies advertised in local and regional newspapers.
Analyse job descriptions and profiles to see how your current skills and knowledge fit with what is asked for. Ask whether the requested qualifications could be gained while in the job, or investigate whether your current qualifications can open doors to further postgraduate qualifications that will give you the specialist knowledge you might need.
What if you have no qualifications?
No problem! Many of the skills you've developed through other jobs, or parenting, will be enough to get you into an entry level job. Many people enter the sector unqualified, for example a peer support worker or mental health worker, and train while working.
Build up qualifications
Mental health and addiction employers are often keen to help you develop knowledge and skills through study and training while working. Many courses, particularly at certificate and diploma level, offer the flexibility of part-time study so people can combine work with study.
Training institutions welcome mature students, as well as school leavers.
Visit our training database or professional development pages to search for courses, seminars, conferences and qualifications.
Voluntary work
Although privacy laws prevent volunteering in some areas of the sector, there are organisations that welcome volunteers. Working as a volunteer is a good way of getting first-hand experience of the sector. It can also open doors to paid work or a place on a course.
Volunteer telephone counselling organisations such as Youthline, Lifeline and Warmline (phone 0800 200 2070) are excellent places to get an introduction to mental health and addiction training and work. There are also youth support groups such as Vibe in Wellington. District health boards also have a range of volunteer programmes.