An image of a female, name is Natalie Cairns and she is a mental health professional answering some questions

Q&A with Mental Health Professional, Natalie Cairns (Issue 1)

Welcome to Professional Perspectives, a little page of the WINGS newsletter where I ask mental health professionals some questions and get their expert insights so that others can learn from them. This is our very first issue and Natalie is in the Hot Seat!

What is your name, where are you based and what is your professional role(s) in the field of mental health?

My name is Natalie Cairns, I am based in the North West of Ireland. My professional roles are, Trauma Counsellor, Mental Health Facilitator and Counselling Lecturer.

How long have you been in this role(s)?

I have worked in the field of mental health all of my adult life, I started when I was 18 being a listening ear for Calms Stress Management. I then qualified and worked in counselling for the last 12 years, specialising in trauma the last 3-4 years. I am only new to lecturing and I have been lecturing now for the last year and a half.

Can you tell me what education and training you needed specifically for this role?


The education and training that has been core to the jobs I am in currently has been a certificate in counselling, a degree in integrative counselling and a degree in psychological trauma. I have also done other short term courses along the way that has enhanced my ability to do lecturing and teacher and incorporate some integrative and creative therapies.

What other additional training have you found helpful?


I've done numerous other courses such as business management, some beauty therapies, creative therapy treatments - but I think the one that stands the most has probably been a hairdressing course because although I'm being creative and doing hair, it's actually taught me a lot about building up a relationship with a client to achieve a specific goal, so I was doing a lot of communication skills and building trust very quickly.

What does your typical day in this role look like?

Its hard to say what my typical day looks like because there are no two days in the week or month that are the same. With the teaching aspect of things I could be trenching in the evening or I could be teaching during the day depending on the course and the level. With counselling, the thing that keeps me intrigued, is you never know what to expect, you have to expect the unexpected. No two individuals are the same, and so you cant make assumptions about what a client is going to bring, so even if you plan a day out and you plan a session out, peoples lives are forever changing, so you don't know what it's going to bring. So I think its the element of surprise and difference and diversity is the thing that keeps me doing this job but it also makes it difficult to describe your typical day. One of my main things that is consistent in my life is that I'm a mammy as well. So making sure I have a good work-life balance and trying to be there for my children as much as I can and enjoy times with them.

What are some highlights you’ve had working in this field?


There loads of wee highlights along the way in my career that probably go unnoticed for a lot of people and I think that's down to confidentiality, you cant share the stuff that you talk about with somebody in the therapeutic process. It could be something as subtle as where someone feels they cant get themselves out of a rut or they have no hope for the future and you sit with them and listen and have genuine empathy for them and you provide some support and guidance for them, then they begin to believe that there is some home, that they have some home and it gives them the encouragement to keep going on. So it's wee wins like that every single day, that you can't come home and talk about are the ones that mean the most to me. 

Other things to note would be, I was recognised and made a finalist as inspirational women of the year, on two occasions. for Local Women Magazine, so I got down to the top 8 in NI for inspirational women. So that was really great to be noticed and to be recognised and celebrate that achievement with other inspirational women

Is there anything you would like people to know about your role(s) or working in mental health in general?


It would be good to highlight that it takes someone who is really resilient, courageous and has determination to do this job and that it is not for everybody because it can take a toll on your own life and your wellbeing, so you have to be very proactive in terms of your own mental health. I don't feel the job that mental health professionals do, is recognised enough in society. People do recognise that mental health is something we should prioritise and look after which is great, but to actually get enough funding or paid work within this profession, it's very very challenging and it is very frustrating for someone who spends a lot of time, dedication and many years of study and learning continuously about yourself and about other people and behaviours, and then not being able to find work because it's not funded enough or valued enough within society and it doesn't get the right government backing.

The lack of adequately paid work will then have a knock on effect in morale of mental health professionals, which will then have a knock on effect on the services that people are looking for to manage their poor mental health. I think there needs to be more money, support and awareness into preventative measures rather than trying to fix things when its already in a bad condition. So things like education for children and their positive mental health needs to be highlighted a lot more than it already is, and if children do struggle their should be early intervention services there to support them on an individual level and face to face as well. Children are human beings who need that face to face connection too. The services that are doing this are over stretched, and under funded. Prevention is better than cure so I would urge politicians to consider the detrimental effects lack of funding in the mental health field specifically in NI is having on a society as whole.

You can find Natalie's counselling page on Instagram @unity_counselling

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