One in five students suffer from mental health issues. Therefore, some of these students will undoubtedly be included in the 20% of individuals who wish to study mental health as a topic. With so many different courses, emerging research, therapeutic and counselling professions and training available, mental health is a diverse area of interest for many individuals, with or without their own mental health issues.
If your desire to learn about mental health is rooted in an aim to heal yourself, let’s see what this means for your personal wellbeing, as well as your professional future.
What are the benefits of studying mental health?
- You will learn things about yourself, the issues that affect you and how to better cope with those challenges.
- You will gain a better understanding of the mental health field, the challenges and solutions found so far and the diversity around mental issues.
- You will debunk some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding mental health.
- You will become more compassionate toward your own conditions and understand how tolerance is essential in this line of work.
- You will see things from the other side of the fence, as the professional helping others to overcome their own mental health issues.
Are there disadvantages to studying mental health for your own healing?
Yes. You can enter the field of therapy or mental health care with the aim in mind to heal yourself as well as others; however, you need to be in a good, healthy place mentally before you can actually help others. Otherwise, you will end up putting yourself and your clients at risk and maybe even find that your own issues get worse.
There are no problems with studying mental health to purely further your own knowledge though. But, the best way to address your own issues is through therapy or counselling. Of course there is nothing stopping you from studying and having therapy sessions at the same time: it is not a mutually exclusive arrangement.
Furthermore, whilst there may be topics that directly apply to you, you will find others that are completely unrelated to your condition. So, to make the most out of your learning journey, you should enjoy knowing about the entire mental health picture, not just about the parts that apply to you.
The NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Mental Health will, for example, walk you through the context of mental health and wellbeing and give you an understanding of its consequences and associated issues, but it will also look at the legislation, regulations and support services available too. It is a comprehensive online course for those with the practical aim of working in mental health. It will still provide answers to a lot of questions about very real issues (like understanding suicide, challenges and prevention), but it will also get you ready for a career in helping others.
So, can you be a mental health professional (psychologist, mental health nurse, therapist) and suffer from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder etc.? Yes. Yes, you most certainly can. Therapists are people too. They have their own challenges. The only issue is that health issues, like anxiety and low mood, can seriously affect your studies and motivation. But that’s not exclusive to those interested in studying mental health.
The great thing about an online course is that you can take the time you need to recover from a bout of anxiety. You won’t need to go outside if you experience a panic attack and you won’t have the unnecessary stress of pressing deadlines. Our courses are nationally approved alternatives to traditional classroom education, and they were specifically designed to meet individual needs.
Don’t just take our word for it. Try it for yourself.
Get started with a mental health course today. Learn about yourself and discover how to help others around you.
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