I’m Charlotte Booker and I’m a trainee education mental health practitioner (tEMPH), working in the Blackburn with Darwen Mental Health Support Team, part of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services – East.
What does the EMHP training year involve?
Lots of hard work! It requires a lot of determination and commitment, but it is such an enjoyable course and now that I’m coming to the end of my training year, I am reaping the rewards in terms of all the new skills and knowledge that I have. The training year involves a combination of practical in-service working days and theoretical study days at university. Assessments are varied and include recording sessions to submit along with a written reflection, presentations, a portfolio and written assignments. It is a demanding year but there is so much support from tutors and management.
What drew you to the role?
I started my career as a primary teacher, where my main priority was always the emotional wellbeing of the pupils I taught. When schools closed due to the COVID pandemic, I knew I needed to upskill myself to support the pupils when they returned, as there would no doubt be high levels of anxiety and worry given everything that was going on at the time.
I completed some fantastic online courses on children’s mental health and I became so interested in everything I was learning. Eventually, I decided that this was the career path I wanted to go down, so I made the decision to leave teaching behind and began working for the NHS. I initially worked for a CAMHS team in Blackpool, where I learned so much and worked with an incredible team. I then became aware of the EMHP role and immediately knew it would be a perfect combination of my previous experiences and the two things I am most passionate about, education and mental health - particularly early intervention.
What does an average week look like for you as a trainee EMHP?
I’m completing my training with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, so Mondays to Wednesdays are when I'm working in the children and young people’s mental health service, and Thursday and Friday are university days.
Mondays usually consist of admin tasks and meetings, including our multi-disciplinary team meeting, clinical case management supervision, consultations with school staff, and developing and organising resources for the week ahead.
Tuesday and Wednesday, you will find me in my schools, carrying out assessments and delivering one-to-one sessions. An important part of the EMHP role is providing early intervention support. We achieve this through our Whole School Approach offer which involves delivering assemblies and staff training, as well as working with groups or whole classes.
Thursday and Friday I'm at university. The weeks are very busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way! It is an absolutely wonderful role.
Find out more about psychological professions on the Psychological Professions Network website.
