My role is the Consultant Nurse for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in North Wales, and I thought it might be helpful for enthusiastic and ambitious future nurses to hear a bit about the journey that led me here.
Steve Riley
When I was approached almost 20 years ago to form the role in CAMHS Nursing, my first thoughts were “what’s a CAMHS?” But after doing some research, I understood that this was an exciting opportunity in Nursing, and I applied even though I felt I was lacking in areas around the academic side of the role. And guess what? I got the job!
The role was a bit different – I wasn’t going to be managing so much anymore, instead the role was going to be more focused on development of services for young people’s mental health needs. The awareness of those needs has been in focus for me throughout my career. Even back in 1992 when I was working as a Nurse, I was introduced to different therapies that have stayed with me ever since.
Now I had the opportunity to put some of these into practice, as well as offer some professional development! I was lucky enough to qualify and register as a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist through this new role.
I was now also able to work across different sectors of my community, developing mental health services with the Youth Justice Service as well as others. This was a really different and exciting professional experience which also meant that I was able to do work on the academic side of things, too.
I’ve since worked with a Professor of Psychiatry in Reading University to look at and better understand different interactional processes in families, and take part in some exciting research that I’d never thought possible for myself before. Mrs Thomas, my year head in school would never have believed it either!
Fast forward to today, and my work is still dynamic, challenging, and engaging. I get to work with other clinical stuff – other Nurses, Healthcare Support Workers, Doctors – as well as young people who engage with CAMHS. Some days I work with families and some days I focus on the strategy for the services we provide.
Working in Mental Health Nursing comes with its challenges, but I get to do so many different things and work with so many different people that I think it’s wonderful. As Consultant Nurse I also get to work with the next generation of nurses coming through, and I feel proud to think of all those that have gone on to have successful careers in Mental Health Nursing.