Employment
If you have experienced mental health problems, we offer support in all aspects of employment, including voluntary work, training, pre-vocational counselling, paid work and employment advice & support.
How we help
Fancy learning something new?
You can train in almost anything. Courses are available in basic skills, vocational training, further education and professional qualifications and degrees - or you could do one just for fun. We have details on hundreds of courses all over London. Benefits are not affected if you train for under 16 hours per week, and lots of courses offer concessions for people on benefits. We can also help you get funding for materials needed for college.
Voluntary work
There's a wide range of voluntary work available these days. Opportunities include:
- all types of office work
- catering
- advice and support work
- archaeology
- environmental work
- animal care
- the arts
- driving
You can also work with specific groups of people such as children, the elderly, people with learning disabilities; and much more. Voluntary work is a great way to keep yourself busy, learn new skills, try out different work options and meet new people. You can volunteer from two hours per week and choose the days you wish to volunteer. Expenses are often paid and your benefits will not be affected.
Benefits Advice
The biggest obstacle to entering college or work is often benefit worries. We can offer advice about benefit entitlement, both in and out of work. There are a number of benefits to which you are entitled whilst in work, and also ways of trying out full-time work without losing money if you have to go back on to benefits. We may also be able to help with fundraising to pay for college courses.
Counselling and Support
We offer pre-vocational counselling around such issues as:
- looking at choices
- dealing with disclosure issues
- building confidence and assertiveness
We are happy to listen to any concerns you may have. We offer support throughout your chosen training, voluntary or paid work, as required.
Job Search Skills
We can support you in all aspects of job search, including preparing CVs, completing applications and preparing for interviews if you require it. We have a wide range of employment search material, including newspapers, job bulletins and internet access. If you need that extra little bit of support on the day, we can even come with you to your interviews.
Paid Work
For some people, the ultimate goal is paid employment. Voluntary work and training can often be stepping stones to get back into paid work. We can support you in building towards getting back into paid work if this is your goal. We also offer optional support whilst you are in employment. Such support may includer liaising directly with the employer, or providing employment counselling and advocacy. If necessary we can also educate employers about mental health issues.
Referral
You can be referred to this service by your community Mental Health Team or you can refer yourself by writing to us or giving us a call.
Quotes
“I knew about Mind before and that is why I decided to come to them to find a voluntary position. At the time I was in hospital and needed to get into a volunteering/work placement. I was first encouraged to do the Mind Computer Training course and this gave me confidence in achieving what I needed to do. My previous work experience is in Finance, therefore I wanted to carry on with this and develop my career further. Islington Mind helped me into a work placement with Islington Council in the Finance Department. I have now been there for six weeks and I am enjoying the work. It has helped me to structure my days and I have been given support from the department with the tasks I need to carry out. Mind has always been supportive with me.”
William Mulcare.
“I found it very useful to have one-to-one attention from my caseworker who was sympathetic and knowledgeable about my mental illness (bipolar disorder). The work I did with my caseworker led to my getting a job interview for a temporary employment. I did pass the interview and will be starting the temporary job next week. I found the support from Mind helpful. I think Mind have a particular skill to offer as they are specialist in helping people with mental health issues get employment which is slightly different from other employment support organisations.”
Contact
Julie Proudley on 020 7561 5289 or email. Or you can send a letter to our usual address.