Courtney Vasey

I am a dedicated, compassionate, reliable person with an aptitude for improving the mental wellbeing of others and supporting people to reach their full potential. During my psychology degree, I have consistently been motivated to gain insight into clinical psychology, CBT therapy, and mental health symptom presentation. Alongside my degree (Psychology, BSc hons: (1:1)), I have honed my interpersonal skills by taking part in a counselling course, volunteering as a mental health youth worker, and working in a specialist emotional and behaviour residential home.

The skills I have learned throughout my experience have prepared me for a role as a trainee psychological wellbeing practitioner - I am extremely passionate and hopeful about pursuing this career.

Residential Care Officer, 07/2023 - Current Auton House - Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear 

•  During my current employment as a residential care officer at a trauma-informed residential home, I gained valuable experience in building rapport and providing therapeutic intervention to at-risk young people struggling with anxiety and depression, alongside anti-social behaviour, self-harming, trauma, neurodevelopmental conditions, and learning disabilities. 
• I adapted my practice and provided a personalised therapeutic approach based on: previous knowledge of the symptoms associated with residents' conditions and behaviours; meticulously studying personalised care plans and risk management plans; keeping consistent communication with multi-disciplinary professionals and family members; and reflecting the views and opinions of the young people. 
• Alongside this, I demonstrated enthusiasm, team work, and self-motivation by effectively using supervisions to develop and take on extra responsibilities including devising risk management plans and liaising with a clinical psychologist about how to cater theory into practice with a resident. I ensured I kept first-class, accurate, and up-to-date reports for the young people and safely stored them following the company data protection policies. 
• Additionally, I received training in complex trauma, self-injurious behaviour, GDPR, safeguarding and equality, diversity and cultural competence. 

NCS , 07/2022 - 09/2022 Children North East - Newcastle, Tyne and Wear 

•  During my role as a team leader for the national citizenship service, I expanded my knowledge of safeguarding, diversity, and working with vulnerable people as I was committed to providing the best quality of care 
• I lead a group of vulnerable young people to achieve in a range of physical, academic, and social activities.
•  I consistently displayed my problem-solving skills as my team struggled with a range of difficulties, including mental health, physical health, and learning difficulties. Hence, I identified everyone's talents and tailored the programme to allow each team member to build confidence, tackle challenges, and fully participate regardless of the activity.
•  I demonstrated my leadership skills by actively listening and showing respect towards team members' limits during tasks, breaking tasks down into achievable components, and continuously showing perseverance and optimism while motivating young people to recognise their progress and capabilities 
• Furthermore, I remained calm and professional and used evidence-based practice when helping young people during high pressure situations including young people demonstrating highly anxious, withdrawn, and overwhelmed states. 

Youth Worker, 01/2019 - 03/2019 Children North East - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear 

• I supported a young person with complex depression, self-harming behaviours, and suicidal ideation, which allowed me to gain experience in conducting in-depth consultations to assess a young person's needs. 
• I remained vigilant and acutely observed both verbal and non-verbal signs of distress. 
• Furthermore I demonstrated leadership and organisational skills, as I organised a programme consisting of one-to-one sessions to improve mental well-being, independence and confidence. Furthermore, I routinely adapted each session to cater to the young person's goals using their feedback, self-reflection and supervision. 
• Additionally, I used therapeutic intervention with the young person by helping them to learn new coping strategies, supporting them to use guided self-help, and showing them support agencies to reach out to when they needed help outside of the boundaries of my role.

Additionally, my undergraduate degree has prepared me to effectively identify clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression, understand cognitive behavioural therapy concepts, engage in evidence-based practice and to administer psychometric tests. Modules in clinical psychology have provided me with: knowledge of the symptoms and difficulties associated with a variety of mental health problems; the latest research on effective treatments and assessments for these; and insight into how clinical psychological research translates into evidence-based clinical practice. Additionally, my counselling course allowed me to practice the skills of counselling including empathy, active listening and respect.

Furthermore, it helped me to understand the importance of understanding ethical practice and cultural competence. Finally, I practised self-reflection, professional boundaries, and self-awareness. Throughout my education, I displayed excellent consistency, time-management and organisational skill, as I balanced coursework, group tasks, presentations, volunteering, and employment, whilst consistently achieving a 1.1 in my work.