Here we have our fifth and final Q&A session, and this is one of our Senior Counselling Therapists – April Mangion. April has been kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about what it is like working in mental health, the highs and the lows, as well as a fact we didn’t know about her beforehand! Check out her answers below.
What does your role at BLT entail?
Hi, I am April a Senior Counselling Therapist at Brighter life Therapy. I work with a range of clients from age 12 upwards.
I am trained in a number of modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which focuses on thoughts, emotions, and behaviours; Psychoanalysis, which identify unconscious internal process affecting outer life; Existential therapy, aimed at life in general problems such as loneliness, meaningfulness, and death; Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), a skilled based therapy to help with distress, emotional regulation, and interpersonal issues; and finally EMDR, a trauma processing therapy based on eye movements.
My training means I can treat a wide range of mental health issues. In the past have worked in various settings, treating depression, anxiety, stress, anger, grief, relationship issues, trauma, psychosis, and addiction, to name just a few (but we don’t work with psychosis and addiction at Brighter Life Therapy).
And we’re lucky to have you! What about any other roles, do you have other training outside of Brighter Life Therapy?
At the moment I am in my final stages of a counselling psychology doctorate, after which I will be a qualified psychologist. The doctorate is taking up a huge chunk of my time as I am writing my research thesis which is on childhood trauma and self-identity. I also have a small private practice where at the moment I focus mainly on non-active addiction.
Wow, that is a lot to have on your plate! We wish you the best of luck with your doctorate and practice. A job in mental health can be as challenging as it is rewarding. What is your favourite part of the job, and what do you find most difficult?
My favourite part about my job is simply the wide range of people I get to meet. I always feel extremely privileged that my clients trust me at such a difficult moment in their lives. The worst part, however, is definitely the admin-side. Thankfully there is not much at Brighter Life, as it has really good systems that are not overly time consuming. This makes it much easier for admin-haters, such as myself, and for clients who don’t have therapy interrupted by the admin side.
What advice would you give to those wanting to pursue a career within the realm of mental health?
I think it is important to try out therapy yourself for a good period of time before entering training. Find out what it is like to be in therapy and familiarise yourself with the different therapy modalities. If you can get some experience (either paid or voluntary) in mental health support beforehand, that would also be really beneficial. It helps to have an idea of what type of therapy and mental health issues you are best suited to as this can determine which course you need to join.
What mental health problem do you find most interesting to work with?
At the moment, I enjoy working with issues related to anger. I think it is a really misunderstood emotion that is very often easier to treat than expected.
What is your one top tip for overcoming this problem?
My top tip for anger is to actually stop using the word anger to define the emotion. Often anger is a accumulation of many other emotions, for example, frustration, disappointment, disapproval, and loneliness. Once you can identify which emotions lead to anger, then anger can be reduced by addressing those separate emotions.
That some really interesting insight – thank you. And last but not least, we know you’re doing a doctorate and that you have your own clinic, are there any other interesting facts about you that we don’t know already?
Not sure how interesting this is to others, but it is a massive part of who I am and what I do: I have two teenage daughters who I love spending time with and watching grow. I have learnt so much watching them take on what life has thrown at them. Unfortunately for them, I am a rather annoying mum! I love a practical joke. Hiding in wardrobes and jumping out to surprise them is one of my favourite ones right now!
How you can contact us
If you would like a session with April or another member of the team for depression or anxiety based problems, feel free to contact us. We provide fast access to CBT and counselling treatment, which you can read about here.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on 0118 40 50 108, or by emailing info@brighterlifetherapy.co.uk.
You can also follow us on our Instagram and Facebook for more information about this topic and other mental health discussions.