Training our Mental Health Professionals to Manage the Impact of COVID-19
- Thursday, June 4, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it’s becoming clear there will be a growing negative impact on the mental health of many people in the UK. The adjustments and effects of COVID-19 have led to unprecedented changes to our lives, and mental health support will be increasingly vital.
The need for qualified mental health professionals has therefore never been more critical. For those working on the front lines in healthcare, our keyworkers, careers, as well as children, adults and the elderly dealing with the impact of lockdown, access to professional support will be essential in our recovery.
At the University of Roehampton, we’re committed to training Allied Health Professionals who will go on to work with a wide range of service users. From the Arts and Play Therapies and our Counselling and Psychotherapy programme, to our Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, our specialist programmes will aid more individuals to become qualified practitioners, able to offer support to those in need.
Beverley Harden, the Allied Health Professionals Lead at Health Education England, has said, "The sustained commitment of our students, our universities and our organisations to supporting Allied Health Professional students to contribute to the delivery of care during the pandemic, whilst still learning and developing as clinicians, is so wonderful to see. Every student is a precious part of our future and to the contribution of AHPs to critical care delivery and so importantly to drive rehabilitation pathways to get people back to work, back to care and back to life.” At Roehampton we’re striving to do exactly that. Through our specialised postgraduate programmes, we’re continuing to train passionate individuals as Allied Health Professionals, equipping them with the skills to work through the challenges COVID-19 has brought.
Dr Yannis Fronimos, Head of Psychology at the University of Roehampton has said “We are so proud to be contributing to this unimaginable crisis through our programmes, and the work of our trainees and graduates in various health settings. I am in admiration and respect of our academic experts for their resilience, resourcefulness and professionalism as they rise up to the challenge to support our trainees and prepare them to become the future professionals that our world needs”.
Find out more about our degree programmes here.