Championing Mental Health
Meredith Danks always knew she wanted to work with children. But it was her Psychology and Child Development degree that set her on the path to supporting young people with mental health issues.
She now works as a trainee education and mental health practitioner in Staffordshire. The job takes her into primary, secondary and specialist schools, where she helps pupils who are struggling with depression and anxiety.
It’s a “low intensity” service, which focuses on young people with less complex issues. She does assessments and individual interventions based on cognitive behavioural therapy.
“It’s really rewarding when you see the support and its impact. Mental health is a huge thing for young people,” said Meredith.
She initially wanted to become a teacher, but got her first taste of studying psychology at A-level and “absolutely loved it”. She went on take a degree in the subject at University of Staffordshire.
Since graduating in 2021, Meredith has been gaining as much experience in the field as possible. The 24-year-old, from Cannock, said: “My long-term goal is to be a clinical psychologist, which is very competitive to get into as a career.”
Placement Success
Studying at University of Staffordshire really opened Meredith’s eyes to the different career possibilities linked to psychology.
She said: “There weren’t many other universities offering child psychology and the course appealed to me. When I looked round, I also got a nice feel. It really fitted me.”
Meredith, who was keen to stay local, was particularly drawn to the placement year. She spent her placement working at Midlands Psychology, which specialises in mental health support and areas such as autism. As well as helping with autism assessments, she got to create content for young people.
Midlands Psychology was so impressed with her that Meredith was offered a part-time role as a psychology support worker during her final year at university. The experience also helped to inspire her dissertation topic.
“I did it on primary school teachers’ understanding of autism. I was really passionate about it. The dissertation is something that sticks out from doing my degree,” she said.
Meredith has since adapted her thesis and it is being reviewed for publication.
During her course, she also spent a summer break working as voluntary research assistant, where she supported a staff research project. It was just one of the many opportunities she got at university.
“We also had external speakers come in so you could see how the knowledge you were learning applied to real life,” she added.
Every day is different...
After graduating, Meredith landed a job as an assistant psychologist with Outcomes First Group, which provides specialist education services. She would go into several special schools to support pupils, assess their needs and deliver interventions. She also ran support groups.
“I did whole-school approaches as well, including staff training and making the settings more mentally healthy,” she said.
When she applied for her current job with the NHS, it was a natural progression. She is now studying for a postgraduate diploma in Mental Health and Education alongside her work.
“The role I do is relatively new. It’s to help with the demand for mental health support and to take pressure off central CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services). It can be quite challenging. But every day is really different. It’s a fulfilling job.”
Meredith has kept in touch with some of the staff from her University of Staffordshire days and has valued their support.
And just as she heard from guest speakers while she was a student, she is now going back to university to deliver talks. She added: “I’ve talked about the realities of roles and different career routes. It’s things I’ve found useful along the way.”
Meredith, whose long-term goal is to become a clinical psychologist, graduated from University of Staffordshire in 2021 with a degree in Psychology and Child Development.
Alumni Connected Community
Connect with your classmates, receive career support, mentor future alumni, update your details, expand your professional network, create your own groups, share events and so much more. Or just keep in touch with us and let us know what you are up to.