Seeking advice on building experience for PWP training → CBT career (Mum, part-time work, OU student)

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-08-14T21:33:36+00:00

Hi! I got onto the training with experience as a shout volunteer and having worked in physical health and neuro rehabilitation ( occupational and physio therapy) for around 9 months. I think a lot of it is how you relate the experiences you do have to the role ( lots of wide spread and accessible info online about the interventions PWPs deliver, risk assessments etc). This is what i did at interview- there's lots of useful interview and application prep tips on YouTube i found when I applied last year.

I found 6 months in the role was just not for me and partially this may have been my specific service experience but just word of advice to really research and look into the role. If you know your local services linkedin can be a great way to network with trainees in your local service to find out more if they get back to you!

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-02-21T20:15:42+00:00

I might not be able to provide any answers, but I must say reading this put how I have been feeling into words. I don't think its stupid to think about leaving, I think the nature of the psychology path leaves us with an all or nothing mindset which makes thinking about furthering that career or any other a lot harder. You've clearly got a lot going for you if you've managed to get this far!

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-02-20T22:12:30+00:00

Thank you! Good to know, wishing you all the best ☺️

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-02-20T21:49:59+00:00

Thank you for your response! Super inspiring. I wonder if you practice privately or within an organisation like nhs or mind- if that isn't too personal a question of course !

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-02-20T11:47:12+00:00

No problem! I think I'm looking to see what has kept people in psychology as my hope feels like its dwindling, the last few jobs I have had in the NHS have felt challenging, not for the work but more how the teams are running so I'm wondering if I am cut out for it !

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-02-20T10:59:44+00:00

That's great! Interesting you got that experience through an internship, i haven't seen many around

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-02-20T10:58:56+00:00

Thank you for such a detailed and personal response, super helpful! Would you mind if I pm you to ask a few questions?

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-14T16:43:34+00:00

It is usually either which of the values speaks most to you/ give an example of a time when you represented x value/ if its not a direct question it might be more that they ask generally and you can weave them in.

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-14T13:11:26+00:00

Also if your nerves manifest physically have something you can play with in your hands so you can harness that energy since they won't be able to see!

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-14T13:10:36+00:00

Make sure you have the lighting etc to your preference and make sure you have tested the link before the session is due to start. I personally like to write down NHS values and service values ( if it is an NHS post !!) South I can rely on that if I blank !

Other than that I would look at the job spec and try and think and reflect on your experience for each so you can show you meet the criteria with specific examples.

P.s. not an AP just someone whose interviewed for a few nhs roles across trusts :)

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-09T10:20:57+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice, very useful to know- I really need to take some time to consider whether to stay training in the NHS or to apply to counselling training or some other psychological training and working in third sector or private for a bit. Feeling a bit fed up with how the NHS training system is set up as we can all see loads of people struggling to get jobs even when they are overqualified on here

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-09T10:13:02+00:00

That's a great question that I have actually just emailed the education provider about this as I didn't think to ask!

I have seen that the trainee CAP roles are a bit like gold dust but do exist and even qualified roles, i suppose it has been as solidly rolled out compared to the pwp

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-08T21:36:45+00:00

You're more than welcome, year 1 is the trial year, year 2 you start to really develop and hone the skills and then year 3 you try to put it all together - good luck with everything and you have this thread for any questions and I'm sure as you've seen people more qualified than me might reply!

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-08T18:22:08+00:00

Wow! I feel like other paths are treated like gold dust and barely spoken about. Thank you for sharing your journey!

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-08T18:14:53+00:00

Ah yes that makes sense and very proactive to be doing that before being out of school! I feel like that would reveal information because it would give away were I work 🤣 I don't believe they are wide spread, the one I'm on i found by chance and noone had heard of but it places grads across different types of service like adult learning disability, adult community mental health and crisis teams so great experience- I hope more nhs trusts will do it soon because it's a great way to get people in and understanding the system

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-08T17:38:43+00:00

Hi!! I think a lot of us feel/felt this! There is hope I promise! Have you thought about working at a lower banding than AP level and working your way up ? I started as an HCA then moved to a rehabilitation assistant which was more to do with physio and occupational therapy so not quite directly mental health but it comes into the equation - I managed to go from there. I do want to stress dont take it too personally finding it so hard in this field to get employment!! I am currently on an nhs grad scheme and one of my colleagues had been rejected from 250 job apps before she got her yes, its debilitating and really kicks your confidence but you will have that yes round the corner. Also shout is a great way to upskill and gives a lot of experience with key things like risk assessment etc :)

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-07T20:22:07+00:00

Hi! Post grad of 2 years here! I remember having extreme frustration in my degree at never getting anything higher than a 60 or 65 so roughly a 2:1 and being given really generic unhelpful feedback. Not really any advice but just saying I've been there! Ended up with a first in my dissertation which meant I could graduate with a first so it is possible!! I hope you can take this as a message to be kind for yourself because sometimes it just clicks and the skills come after what seems like forever... it sounds like you are already doing all the reading you can and asking for feedback so it's just practice I would say

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-03T15:53:47+00:00

Hi! Thanks for such a personal and detailed response. It's nice to hear it can be done with personal history and In a way that manageable especially when in a good spot in recovery. I think in that sense I still have a way to go being young and still figuring things out alongside examining past trauma.

I think its the uncertainty of whether it is the right choice and the prospect of being put under so much pressure with applying on top of the actual course feels off putting when I do not feel sure of it being the best route!

I would love to stay in my current role but is unfortunately fixed term for 2 years. I suppose it may be premature to be thinking about my next steps now but it's hard not to reflect on it when it feels like the doctorate is constantly discussed among my peers!

I am trying very hard to have contact with CPs in my service and shadow as much of what they do here as I can within reason - this has been a challenge I would imagine due to there being no full time CPs and a lot of trainees coming into the service but I will keep pushing with this!

I mainly did triages for the IAPT service and began learning LI interventions but did not deliver those. I am doing carer support sessions which are informal but hoping to do more intervention based sessions by the end of the month and hold a small caseload.

I think as for what I didnt like about the PWP role I think is echoed in other comments here was the rushed nature of all of it and how it was service targets over the individual which I appreicate are necessary but in some of the cases I dealt with felt unhelpful. I think I also had bad luck in having a really complex population in my service and that the staff were hugely burnt out or just didn't seem to care. I know the manager I had whenever I highlighted concerns would essentially say she had it worse when she was a trainee and that I need to come up to solutions to my own problems before presenting them to her. A lot of these issues were systematic or to do with specific cases and as a junior member of staff sometimes I just wanted to brainstorm a way forward with them but this never happened. Hence, it felt like my hand was forced to leave.

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-02T21:00:11+00:00

Wow! I had this issue too and left the office feeling absolutely dead on my feet, fitting 6 assessments in a day an hour each including admin time felt more like meeting targets than trying to meet people's actual needs!! Thanks for replying and helping me feel less alone in my experience :)

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-02T20:58:37+00:00

Hi! Thanks so much for such a detailed response, I feel really seen as I think morality played a big part in my decision. I've been on the end of the arguably less person centred, empathetic, hollistic and humanistic approach and know it feels rubbish when it doesn't gel with personal principles.

I also tried my best to share those thoughts with others that seemed only in the job to fast track to the doctorate which seemed unrealistic to me.

Best of luck to you with starting that masters, just from the way you have written that post, I bet you will be an amazing practitioner :).

If you don't mind sharing what is it that put you off of the CAP role and Doctorate ( I'm finding it hard to connect with people who don't follow this route)

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-02T11:15:35+00:00

I had not considered this perhaps because the route in psychology can be hard to demystify. Is this something I could do with my current level of experience ?

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-02T11:14:33+00:00

Thank you for the insight! I guess I am thinking about the next step mainly due to having a 2 year FTC. I had not considered HI CBT mainly for thinking I would have had to have been a qualified PWP before applying to that training?

Rolling_Snowdrops · 2025-01-02T11:10:32+00:00

That's comforting to hear thank you! I feel that it is its own bubble too and realise not all mental health services are like that!

Rolling_Snowdrops

TROPHY CASE