From delivering workshops to parents and carers, providing wellbeing support in the community, and working with children and young people in schools, we are dedicated to offering high-quality mental health support. As part of this commitment, we recognise the importance of training the next generation of professionals to continue this vital work.
One of the ways we do this is by offering hands-on placement opportunities for counselling students. We’ve teamed up with Leeds Beckett University to work alongside passionate, skilled individuals who are eager to make a difference in the lives of those we support.
Tackling a lack of diversity
“My passion for mental health support and helping individuals through difficult times drove me to join a mission-driven charity, where I can try to make a meaningful difference.”
As part of this partnership, we offer a number of fee bursaries for the MA Integrative Counselling course to support Black, Asian, and other people of colour who are traditionally under-represented in the counselling and mental health professions. We have prioritised placements for these students to further support their professional development. Over the past few years, we've supported twelve students through their scholarship scheme.
We're passionate about encouraging a more diverse therapy workforce, and are aware of the challenges that Black, Asian, and other people of colour can face when accessing training to become qualified practicing therapeutic counsellors - and as such, remain traditionally under-represented in the counselling and mental health professions. These bursaries offered jointly with Leeds Beckett University is just one small way in which we're trying to redress the balance.
To explore the impact of these placements, we caught up with Aishwarya, an MA Integrative Counselling student, currently undertaking a nine-month placement as a student counsellor with us.
A day in the life of a student counsellor
“My day begins with a cup of coffee to fuel me up for the day. I have regular counselling sessions with parents and carers, to ensure they are receiving the support they need. I then engage in reflective practice, where I analyse my actions and experiences. This has been the most valuable skill I have learnt so far, enabling me to refine my skills and adapt to my clients’ needs. The rest of my day is usually spent managing administrative tasks to ensure safeguarding measures are upheld.”
Beyond direct counselling, Aishwarya dedicates time to professional development, continuously expanding her knowledge and skills in mental health support.
Choosing a mission-driven placement
For Aishwarya, the decision to undertake a placement within a mental health charity has been driven by her ambition to make an impact.
“My passion for mental health support and helping individuals through difficult times drove me to join a mission-driven charity, where I can try to make a meaningful difference.”
Looking ahead
As Aishwarya continues her placement, she is most excited about enhancing her counselling skills and engaging meaningfully with parents and carers.
“I anticipate learning from each session and making a positive impact on mental health, while continuing to grow both professionally and personally.”
Aishwarya is one of four placement students who’ll be working with us this year. Our dedicated placement students will be providing vital counselling support to parents and carers across our Leeds school clusters, making a meaningful difference in our community.
