We are essentially living through two pandemics. The first is, naturally, COVID-19. The second existed before COVID, but the virus has exacerbated it – mental illness. We’ve come a long way, but there is still a long way to go in how we tackle, fund, and talk about mental illness. Even after most people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the mental health crisis will go on.

Mental Health Figures

Some 10 million people may need mental health support in the coming decade alone, according to a recent report. Recent figures show that there have been 1.6m referrals to NHS mental health services in the financial year 2018-19. This is up from 1.2m in 2014-15 and these are both before COVID-19 pandemic. It will take a while to get the figures for this year, but government, health chiefs and mental health charities are bracing themselves for a surge.

That’s why, if you’re an A-level student, you should consider studying psychology. It opens so many career doors – some are obvious, but some are not quite what you might expect.

How Fast is it Growing?

Some university heads report increased interest in psychology degrees for this current and the last UCAS application phase. On top of this, funding to study psychology and the psychological sciences is easier than ever before. Dispelling myths about mental illness and the people who live with them has also eased a lot of misconceptions. The statistic “one in four people will experience a mental illness” has gone a long way to help this.

Students and faculty alike credit the shift in public perception towards mental health and a more positive approach to helping people. Plus, courses have diversified to include psychology subdisciplines in such areas as CBT.

Why a Psychology Degree Could Be for You?

The most obvious career – and one where most psychology students expect they will end up – is therapy. You will help people with long-term mental illness, trauma, family counselling, bereavement, art therapy, for children and for adults. There is also speech therapy and social work which requires psychological skills. There are also careers in occupational health due an epidemic of work-based stress.

Not everyone wants a career in therapy. You could work in advertising, market research, or as a speech writer for public figures such as politicians. Psychology isn’t just about treatment; it also deals with influence and persuasion.

The great thing about it is you don’t need to have studied psychology at A-level to study it at degree level. Strong performance in any humanity is usually acceptable including history and sociology. Not all colleges offer it so if you want to study psychology without that background, it’s not a problem.