Diane Phillips
Diane Phillips
Diploma in Mental Health Support Work
With a long term interest in the field of mental health, Diane Phillips waited until her family commitments were out of the way before starting to retrain at CPIT in the Diploma in Mental Health Support Work.
"I had worked as an interior design consultant in retail for 20 years but once my children had grown up, I was ready for a new challenge and decided to follow my interest in Mental Health support.
"I had studied at CPIT previously and decided I wanted to continue with CPIT for this programme. One of the biggest attractions for me to CPIT are the fantastic library and learning services. The Faculty of Health and Sciences is also very well-regarded in industry which is important when it comes time to find a job.
"In terms of the course content, I really found it empowering to learn how to deal with and help people with mental health issues effectively. It was great to learn so much about how to work within the law and how to work against stigma and discrimination. I also found that I personally grew a lot through doing the course. The fact the classroom environment is so supportive really helps you to develop as a person if you are open to it.
"The tutors at CPIT are so down to earth and so supportive. They are always available to assist, including outside of class hours which was appreciated. They had all worked in the field as well so we were learning from people who had real life experience of what they were teaching as opposed to simply reading aloud from textbooks.
"I did my work experience for the White Wings Charitable Trust, a hostel for men with mental illness. It provides a transition from care to integration with the community and I was involved in helping the men learn self care and supporting them during visits to WINZ, the doctor or employment agencies.
"Now that I'm finishing up my Diploma, I'd like to find work within the mental health field or perhaps be contracted to a large organisation as a support person for staff to educate them about mental health issues. Next year I'd also like to continue my studies part time - either in counselling or adult education."