From Volunteer to Mental Health Practitioner: Katie's Journey
5th February 2026
Katie Ashbrook’s passion for working with children has been clear since her school days. Now 23, with a psychology degree in hand, she’s turning that passion into a career in children’s mental health - thanks to a volunteering opportunity that opened doors and deepened her understanding.
Discovering the Right Path
While volunteering in primary schools after graduating, Katie realised she needed broader experience in a healthcare setting to truly understand children’s mental health. That’s when she found Helpforce’s Volunteer to Career programme at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP).
“The programme offered a varied experience that I couldn’t get elsewhere. It was the perfect way to explore different roles within children’s health,” Katie explains.
Starting in February 2025, Katie volunteered one morning a week for six months at the Starting Well children’s centre in Ellesmere Port. Her role gave her a unique insight into the many facets of children’s health, from pre-natal checks to speech therapy.
Highlights of her placement included:
- Greeting families and supporting them through appointments, gaining an understanding of the centre’s operations.
- Helping lead play sessions for children under five, observing family dynamics and building connections.
- Supporting parents and carers, including encouraging a father who initially felt out of place to engage confidently in the group.
- Inspiring a mother to find her own volunteering role and pursue further education in youth work.
“Early intervention is so important. Being there for families when they need support can truly make a difference,” Katie reflects.
Throughout her volunteering, Katie was supported by her coordinator Donna Cain, who helped her identify next steps and connect with professionals in her chosen field. This guidance led Katie to apply for a trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner role with Wirral’s schools-based Mental Health Support Team.
Now, Katie splits her time between working in schools - helping children manage emotions like anxiety and supporting parents - and studying clinical psychology at the University of Manchester. She is on track to fully qualify as an Education Mental Health Practitioner in September 2026.
Making a Difference Every Day
Katie’s work is varied and rewarding. She visits schools for one-to-one interventions, advises staff on mental health strategies, and runs workshops on topics like digital wellbeing. This mix allows her to support both children and adults, creating positive change across the community.
Looking Ahead
Katie encourages others interested in NHS careers to consider volunteering.
“Volunteer to Career opens up opportunities and helps you understand the roles available. It’s a fantastic way to gain experience and build connections,” she says.
Katie continues to stay involved with the children’s centre, recently returning to help with a project and share her progress.
Her story reflects the transformative power of volunteering and how Helpforce supports volunteer services in helping volunteers to build meaningful careers that improve lives.
Volunteer to Career also supports a key objective of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan: to train more NHS staff domestically, reducing reliance on international recruitment and agency staff - with an ambition that in 15 years’ time, around 10.5% of the NHS workforce will be recruited from overseas, compared to nearly a quarter now.
With programmes like Volunteer to Career, we help unlock the potential of volunteers to make a lasting impact in healthcare, supporting staff and patients whilst exploring a career in healthcare.