Trainee Mental Health Social Worker

Join the mental health mission and choose a career that changes lives.
Get paid to train as a social worker and specialise in supporting adults with mental health needs. With Think Ahead, you could:
- Train and work in your local area and make a difference in your community.
- Earn as you learn with dedicated support from experienced social workers and academic tutors.
- Gain a fully-funded postgraduate diploma and master’s degree in just two years.
Do something that matters - apply to Think Ahead today.
The Think Ahead programme
Think Ahead offers a paid two-year social work training programme, partnering with NHS trusts and local authorities across England. Each year we train up to 160 social workers, bringing passionate people into the sector and strengthening mental health services.
Joining a unit of fellow trainees, you’ll learn on the job, working alongside mental health professionals and learning from senior social workers.
By training with Think Ahead, you’ll be joining the mental health mission and beginning a worthwhile career in the social work sector.
Find out how the programme works.
About the role
Mental health social work is a highly varied role that offers a wide range of opportunities to support the lives of people with mental health needs.
Using a social approach, you will help them address a diverse range of factors including relationships, housing, and employment, that are often overlooked in treatment of mental illness.
This might include standing up for someone’s legal rights in the workplace; reconnecting them with friends, family and their local community; or working with local authorities to make sure they are living in accommodation that is suitable for their needs.
For more examples of what mental health social work looks like in practice, visit our about mental health social work page.