Who Works in Mental Health?

Mental health touches so many of us and so many people work in mental health. The Government of Ontario has set up a website with profiles of the many roles that exist to work in mental health. The following is the introduction. Please visit the page to read the full article.

There is a wide range of careers in community mental health including both service providers and operational personnel. Jobs for both types of work are posted on this web site. Click here for Job Postings.

There are no standard job classifications with the community mental health sector. Mental health organizations may use different job titles for similar positions or use a general job title such as 'mental health worker'.

Service providers are directly involved with providing mental health services to clients. Community mental health services can be provided in a variety of settings such as primary health care settings, the agency's office, the client's home, the workplace or in public settings like a coffee shop.

Some service provider jobs require specific academic qualifications, such as a nursing or occupational therapy degree and some require experiential knowledge, for example peer support workers. In addition to academic qualifications, community mental health organizations highly value experience and knowledge of the mental health system and the particular client group they serve. This can include prior volunteer work, and student placements completed during academic programs.

Cultural competencies are also important in community mental health services and organizations often look for this skill set.

Organizations also require and hire operational personnel such as administrative staff, maintenance workers or accountants.

Operational personnel provide management, administration and technical support to the organization.

The operational staff employed by agencies varies based on agency size, location, and mandate. Examples of these positions include: Executive Director, Program Director, Finance Officer, Administrative Assistant, Research and Development Coordinator and Volunteer Development Coordinator.

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