Think Ahead - MyPlus Students' Club

Company
Programmes
Application Advice
Disability Support

About us

At Think Ahead, we want to see a society where everyone with mental health problems can flourish.

That won’t happen unless people can improve their social circumstances – because life issues like relationships, living arrangements, and employment have profound effects on mental wellbeing.

The Think Ahead programme is a new route into mental health social work, for graduates and career-changers remarkable enough to make a real difference to people with mental health problems. Our two-year graduate programme combines on-the-job learning, a master’s degree, and leadership training, all of which help our participants to become great social workers, strengthen mental health services, and spread social approaches to mental health across society.

As a mental health social worker, you will empower individuals with mental illness—and their families, carers, and communities—to lead fulfilling, independent lives. Through talking therapy, support, and advocacy, they enable people to manage the social factors in their lives—like relationships, housing, and employment—that allow them to get well and stay well. Building resilience in individuals, their networks, and their communities transforms people’s wellbeing and improves our society and economy.

When you complete the two year programme, you will become part of the Think Ahead alumni network. Most people choose to stay in the social work profession, but there will be a number of career options available to you including becoming a leading frontline practitioner, moving into service leadership, or using your leadership experience in an alternative career.

Did you know?

Some 10% of the participants in the 2020 cohort of the Think Ahead programme declared that they had a mental or physical health condition.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We aim for diversity within each of our cohorts, as we think it’s important that the social work workforce represents the people it serves. We welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds, including disabled candidates, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, LGBTQ+ as well as non-binary candidates, and those with experience of mental health problems.

Programmes

Graduate jobs

Current opportunities

Find available graduate jobs

Graduate Opportunities

Our two-year graduate programme combines on-the-job learning, a master’s degree, and leadership training, all of which help our participants to become great social workers, strengthen mental health services, and spread social approaches to mental health across society.

On Think Ahead’s paid two-year programme, you will:

Take on a challenging and varied role, with responsibility from day one.
Be paid to spend two years training on-the-job and working in a community mental health team, alongside clinical professionals.
Make a significant difference to the lives of people with mental illness.
Gain two qualifications, qualifying as a social worker and gaining a master’s degree.
Start a fast-track career with leadership training and transferable skills.

Think Ahead is a highly selective programme. While you need no prior experience of social work to apply, our criteria states that you must:

Hold or achieve at least a 2:1 degree or equivalent in a subject other than social work
Show a passion for improving the lives of people with mental illness.
Demonstrate key attributes including resilience, empathy, and communication skills.

For more information please visit our website:

https://thinkahead.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3T_xxRI8-k

Learn more

Application advice

We are looking for exceptional individuals who have the potential to become excellent mental health social workers and go on to lead change in their fields.

You don’t need any prior experience of social work, but you will need to demonstrate that you have the attributes necessary to excel on the Think Ahead programme and beyond.

To be successful, you will need to demonstrate all of these attributes:

Leadership

The ability to act as a professional role model, demonstrate initiative, and engage others and enable them to achieve their goals.

Motivation

Personal commitment to transforming the lives of people with mental illness, with an understanding of the positive impact of social work and the Think Ahead mission.

Adaptability

Resilience and flexibility in changing circumstances, with the ability to work under pressure and deal with uncertain or unexpected outcomes.

Relationship-building

Empathy and respect for all individuals, with the ability to build relationships and understand people’s motives and perspectives.

Communication

The ability to collaborate with and influence a wide range of people, in person and through written communication.

Problem-solving

The ability to objectively analyse situations, using evidence and clear judgement to generate effective solutions.

Self-awareness

The ability to understand, and reflect critically on, both your own personal development and how your actions affect others.

Disability support

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and you can declare disabilities at application stage. If you have a disability, we will contact you in advance of the assessment centre and do our best to make any adjustments to the assessment process. Just some examples of adjustments we offer include:

Additional time for reading information
Adjustments to the scheduled timings
Enlarged text for visually impaired candidates
Adjustments to physical assessment set-up for hearing impaired candidates
Access for wheelchair users

If you have any further queries or would like to discuss your individual circumstances, please email recruitment@thinkahead.org

Workplace Support

Think Ahead and Middlesex University provide a diverse range of support services and resources for participants throughout every stage of the programme to enhance their learning experience and development – this includes:

A dedicated University Academic Tutor – who will oversee your academic learning and provide you with regular one-to-one and group tutorials throughout the programme to help embed the learning into your work. They will also provide you with pastoral, well-being and additional learning needs support as and when needed.
A highly qualified Consultant Social Worker – who will oversee your placement learning and provide you with weekly one-to-one supervision and pastoral support to help you to apply the teaching into practice. As you progress through the programme, your Consultant Social Worker will provide you with opportunities to work on cases of increasing complexity to further develop your skills.
A committed Practice Specialist – who will undertake a range of quality assurance activities and use their experience as a qualified mental health social worker to ensure that an excellent practice-learning environment is provided for you at the placement. This includes attending case consultation meetings frequently, coaching and mentoring your Consultant Social Worker to deliver the programme effectively and providing you with additional pastoral support at the placement.
Access to the University’s Counselling and Mental Health Team – which provides free and secure one-to-one counselling, daily drop-ins, Connect and Support Groups and group workshops on topics such as stress management, overcoming procrastination and achieving a study-life balance
Access to the University’s Disability & Dyslexia Service – which provides free confidential one-to-one appointments to support participants who have a physical or sensory disability, long term health condition, autistic spectrum disorder, diagnosed mental health condition or specific learning difference. The team will help to identify and put in place additional adjustments on the programme tailored to your needs.
Access to the University’s Learning Enhancement Team – which provides free one-to-one study support and tutorials for academic writing and numeracy skills.