Psychology and Mental Health

A degree in psychology is attractive to employers because it gives you transferable skills that can be used in lots of different job roles. The combination of science (analytical thinking, objectivity, research skills) and humanities (understanding human behaviour, relationship building) gives you a broad choice of where you can go on to work.

Explore Job Roles

Many psychology graduates go on to work in related fields such as health, education and in the community or go on to postgraduate study.

Other pages in this section:

Continue on this page to explore different roles within psychology and mental health.

Use the Job Profiles below to find out about skills, entry routes and experience.

Building Skills and Experience

If you want to qualify as a psychologist or mental health professional then building up experience in a clinical, community or educational setting is crucial for many jobs, post-graduate study or training programmes. It will enable you to discover your strengths, passions and interests, as well as gain broad experience for your CV to discuss with potential employers.

Use our transferable skills pages to explore ways to gain the top skills employers are looking for

Try to get as much relevant experience as you can! Volunteer with a variety of client groups to explore what it might be like working in different settings.

  • Look for roles where you can support individuals or groups of people; consider searching for 'support worker' vacancies to build skills working with a range of young people and adults from a variety of backgrounds and support needs.
  • To further your research skills, consider approaching your academic advisors and lecturers to ask about volunteering or looking into supporting a postgraduate student's research.
  • Work shadowing (or a short meeting with an aspirational professional) will help you gain insight into a specific job role.
  • Contact companies and organisations not currently hiring to ask for work experience. They might be able to accommodate you for a placement or at least offer some advice.
  • Start building your network and meet relevant contacts. Consider investigating organisations such as the British Psychological Society who offer student membership and organise several events and conferences for their community of psychology professionals. Reach out to recent University Of Manchester Psychology alumni via the LinkedIn Psychology Graduate Network Group, and ask for advice.
  • All experience is useful. If you want to build up your transferable skills, then working part-time, volunteering or taking part in UoM schemes such as STELLIFY, will help to make you employable and attractive to future employers.

Finding and applying for jobs

There are several places where you can find jobs in the mental health and psychology fields. Psychologists work in a range of settings and some websites cover different sectors:

  • Jobs in Psychology The official jobs board for the British Psychology Society.
  • NHS Jobs Search and apply for roles within the NHS.
  • Creative Support Care agency with a range of Support Worker vacancies.
  • Turning Point National Charity providing a range of mental health and wellbeing services
  • Civil Service Range of roles available and offers Fast Stream graduate programme.
  • Charity Job Find jobs with a vast range of charities in the UK and internationally.
  • Jobs.ac.uk Main website for finding vacancies within Universities and Higher Education providers.

There are a number of graduate schemes that may be of particular interest to psychology graduates (note: some do not run every year), including:

Further Resources

Next Steps

When planning your next steps, you may start to think about postgraduate study or training routes into some of the roles we've covered on this page.

Look at the above job profiles for specific information on further qualifications/experience you may need. If you are thinking about continuing your studies in Psychology at The University of Manchester, then see information on the Taught Masters or PhD Research on the website.

For additional information and support please see the links below:

Taught postgraduates – current and recent

All our careers staff are experienced in supporting our taught masters (includes MA, MSc, MRes etc), postgraduate diploma and certificate students.

We recognise that your experience and career ambitions are different from our undergraduates and tailor our support accordingly.

Whether you’re just starting out, are an experienced professional or changing career, we have the resources and people to help you manage and develop your career.

Try our online career planning resources - just for taught postgraduates

We understand that you’re on an intensive programme, with a lot of employer and postgraduate recruitment activities taking place in the autumn, often shortly after you start. Our resources and services will help you find your way through this important time.

Access our on demand online resources, specifically for taught postgraduates:

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Taught postgraduates: which jobs should I consider?
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The recruitment year for taught postgraduates
Find out "what happens when", to make sure you don't miss out (interactive resource, opens in new tab)

Thinking of a PhD?

Make the most of your taught postgraduate study

How can you really make your taught postgraduate programme work for your career and future?

Our interactive resource looks at

  • How to build your experience, skills, connections, knowledge and insights throughout your programme - and for those at the end of their programmes, reminds you how far you have come.
  • How to really understand what recruiters are looking for - both employers and potential academic supervisors
  • How to promote your taught postgraduate experience effectively to help employers and academics understand the benefit you could bring

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Making the most of your taught postgraduate study
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Further careers support

As you’re a postgraduate, we know that planning your career needs to be accessible as to suit your busy schedule. Therefore, we've focused on making as much support as possible both self-service and available 24/7.

Careers events, including talks and workshops, employers and alumni activities

Join in the wide range of sessions including workshops, employer webinars, careers fairs, our "meet the professionals" alumni panels and career skills sessions to boost your professional profile, including our popular LinkedIn workshops

Many of our events, particularly those including employers and alumni, run only once a year - keep track of what's on when so you don't miss out. Find out more with:

News and updates

Look out for regular postgraduate careers tips with our monthly careers newsletters, specifically for taught postgraduates. Keep up with our blog and social media for the latest articles, news and tips for all students.

Need further support?