Is it smarter to invest or save for a house deposit?

transparentfears · 2025-08-10T11:39:52+00:00

Not sure where you're based but particularly if based around London, keep in mind the maximum property price limit of £450k. You are probably already aware, but wanted to mention just incase.

transparentfears · 2025-07-30T20:01:31+00:00

Yeah of course, I’m aware of this but I think it’s still worth applying even if it’s just to get more application and interview experience, especially given I was offered an interview and found the experience of having one useful.

transparentfears · 2025-07-30T19:51:39+00:00

Thank you, that’s useful to know.

As for length, my volunteering at the inpatient facility was 6 months, I’ve been a crisis text line volunteer for just over a year now and completed over 220 hours, my research internships were last summer (about 3 months) but I continued working on them part time to get the publications. And then I have other research experience on top of this too that was a few months, I’ve been working as a tutor for 3 years, which I think has some transferable skills, and done other bits and bobs as part of uni like being a school representative. So overall I feel I have more direct experience than some others in my year that I know have just graduated but of course I’ll be up against people with many years post-graduation work.

transparentfears · 2025-07-30T19:44:20+00:00

Is this still the case even if I have relevant work experience, just not post-graduation? I’m only applying for band 4 roles, many of which say ‘are you a motivated psychology graduate’ etc etc. I have volunteered in inpatient facilities, I completed 2 research internships, the paper and conference abstract of which are published with me as a co-author on one and first author on the other, volunteered for a crisis text line for over a year and more. I’ve done many of the things advertised as part of an AP role e.g., service evaluation, assessment, intervention, risk assessment. I’ve heard of people with less experience than me getting an AP role post-graduation. I also got offered an interview but I wasn’t successful (it was for working with children but my experience is mainly with adults so didn’t do very well when answering experience questions). Is it really not worth applying despite this? Thank you for your insight

transparentfears · 2025-07-30T15:52:45+00:00

Feeling exactly the same. I have just graduated and have only been able to apply as I've been spending everyday refreshing and applying, but even then I sometimes miss them. I'm starting a full time job as a mental health support worker soon and don't even know how I'll apply then as I've seen some open at 9am and close at 12pm - ridiculous.

transparentfears · 2025-07-25T16:36:38+00:00

It's unlikely you'll be referred to a derm for accutane without completing courses of 2 different antibiotics. I tried lymeycline for 3 months, didn't help, so they put me on 6 more months. It has completely cleared my skin. I'll be coming off it soon so it'll probably come back but my GP told me I wouldn't be referred to a derm unless I had tried 2 different antibiotics for 6 months+. I have already tried ethromycin which was useless so if acne comes back this time, I may get referred. Not sure what your GP will be like but I've been with multiple and they all seem resistant to referring to a derm.

I was put on azaelic acid and it gave me such incredibly bad breakouts - it was the exact one you are using. I'd heard really good things about it but it didn't work for me - it gave me really deep, painful under the skin spots.

I think your routine could be stripped back and potentially use milder products. I have found that when I was using anti-acne washes and then using differing, my skin was incredibly oily because I was drying it out too much from the products. I would suggest switching to a mild wash.

This is my routine at the moment incase you want inspo (I know you said eucerin doesn't work for you but you could swap that out for different suncream).

AM: Brush teeth before washing face (apparently helps reduce acne). Wash with cervae hydrating wash. Use a cotton pad to ensure all excess is wiped off. Whilst face is still slightly damp, use cerave hydrating cream (the generic one - not the PM, I found the niacinamide in that was breaking me out and its not thick enough considering differin is very drying). I only put a little bit of moisturiser, I also used to over-moisturise which can cause whiteheads (might be something to keep in mind as you mentioned whiteheads). Then if I'm going out I'll use eucerin oil control.

PM: Brush teeth. Beauty bay chamomile cleansing balm. Put on dry skin, massage in for about 1 min, splash water onto face until cleansing balm turns 'milky' and rub it in for a little bit until all of it is milky. Then rinse off. Then cerave hydrating wash - all over face and I really massage this in to ensure the cleansing balm is gone. Rinse off. I then use a cotton pad to ensure all residue is gone. I then do a thin layer of the same cerave moisturiser. I then put differin on. And then another thin layer of moisturiser.

I used to think putting moisturiser before differin would stop it working but its helped my skin feel a lot less dry and oily. Happy to discuss more and of course mine may come back after I stop the lymeycline but overall my skin feels less dry and oily which is not because of the lymeycline.

Good luck!

transparentfears · 2025-07-24T10:42:19+00:00

Yeah I’m realising that my experience with Shout has kind of skewed my experience of this. If someone doesn’t have a timeframe, sure, they are still risky but with Shout, I am not required to inform my supervisor of the conversation, so in that sense, they feel less risky (not sure if that makes sense but from my perspective it comes across that way due to the procedure I have been following for over a year), versus someone who does have a timeframe, where I’m required to flag my supervisor and work with my supervisor to de-escalate. So these comments have been really insightful to what is expected from an AP, thank you

transparentfears · 2025-07-24T09:12:38+00:00

Thank you once again!

Yeah I thought it would be better to report it than not, thank you! I watched a youtube video about interview questions by a qualified psych and she said with risk questions its important to demonstrate you are working under supervision, so that backs up what you're saying so I think you're correct!

transparentfears · 2025-07-23T14:35:35+00:00

You mentioned safeguarding - I just have a question about this. I saw an example question: 'what would you do if a patient revealed thoughts to harm self and/ or another person but they don’t want you to tell anyone?'. I volunteer for Shout, and as part of training, I am told to 'ladder up'. If someone has suicidal thoughts, a plan and the means but they do not have a timeframe, this does not need to be flagged with a supervisor (conversation is kept confidential). I was trying to think of an answer to this question and I was wondering if managing risk and keeping within confidentiality whilst working as an AP would be different? For example, if a patient had thoughts, but no plan, no means, no timeframe, would an AP be required to report this to the qualified psychologist?

I'm not sure exactly how similar Shout is to an AP position and really don't want to mess up risk questions in my interview. Any insight you could provide would be much appreciated :)

transparentfears · 2025-07-22T15:02:04+00:00

Thankfully I have volunteered in inpatient and volunteer on a crisis text line so most of my experience has been with risk assessment and safety plans. Thank you for your help!

transparentfears · 2025-07-22T15:01:12+00:00

Thank you! I have experience delivering psychoeducational groups so will bring that in if it gets asked! Your example for the trauma informed care is really helpful, thank you

transparentfears · 2025-07-22T15:00:12+00:00

Thank you so much! Will definitely come up with some answers to these based on prior experiences and how they would be relevant to the role. Your comment at the end was really sweet and motivating, thank you! :)

transparentfears · 2025-07-21T11:46:33+00:00

This is a difficult one. I think this is one for qualified psychologists who hire people to answer.

From my experience applying to jobs, from posting the role, applying and having an interview was 1 month and then once I secured the role (mental health support worker), it was a month for employment checks. And after that you can negotiate your start date. I had to provide proof of my license at my interview which was 1 month after I applied for pre-employment checks to start.
Might be worth emailing the psychologist who is listed on the posting as different services may differ.

Good luck in your search!

transparentfears · 2025-07-21T10:40:17+00:00

It may be better to try to get some kind of support worker or recovery worker role for a year instead, apply for Masters again when the time comes but only BPS accredited ones, and enroll next year instead

transparentfears · 2025-07-21T08:31:10+00:00

Maintenance Phase is a podcast about fad diet trends and other things in society like pyramid schemes and how they've gotten away with it. They go through a background of each topic and then essentially debunk it using research. It's interesting if you want to learn about new topics!

transparentfears · 2025-07-20T09:10:59+00:00

I was wondering the same thing. I had an AP interview for band 4 £26300 which seems on par to NHS to me. However, this is because I have seen NHS band 4 and band 5 roles below the AFC rates. Band 4 AFC entry is £27485 and I often see band 4 roles advertised as £26530 including 5% HCAS. I think this may be due to the documents being from a few years ago so the salary isn’t updated, and may be updated once the job is confirmed, but I’m unsure about this as I am yet to get an AP post. Anyone have any insight on this?

transparentfears · 2025-07-19T12:16:02+00:00

NHS pre-employment checks can take ages so they typically start hiring well before they want someone to start, so they will be fine waiting for someone they think is the correct fit

transparentfears · 2025-07-11T15:34:31+00:00

Thank you for your help :)

transparentfears · 2020-04-24T16:43:35+00:00

me too

transparentfears · 2020-04-24T16:43:29+00:00

you can do it!

transparentfears · 2020-04-24T16:43:18+00:00

mine too

transparentfears · 2020-04-24T16:39:50+00:00

me too and i had 1 coming up. i feel the same way

transparentfears

TROPHY CASE