Supporting Student Placements

We are always happy to support student placements at Beechwood, and to provide experience and insight into the roles within the Charity. In this blog, university students Nishat and Rob share their experience after recently completing their placements at Beechwood.

Nishat, 20

This was my first time here at Beechwood and I loved every minute of it. The atmosphere and the experience have been incredible, and I would 100% come back. The staff have been amazing, friendly, and welcoming, even though this was my first time here I felt that I was already a part of their team. I have seen the community support Beechwood, each department always doing their best to accommodate their clients. I have learnt how a charity organisation works and have developed skills I can use in the future such as, creating social media posts for marketing, organising, and helping their charity shops. The business aspect of this experience has been so interesting! Participating and observing their guided relaxation session has been something I have never done before but it was very calming and helped me feel stress free. I will now be using the Beechwood Breath for whenever I feel stressed or anxious. Having the opportunity to talk to some counsellors has been very eye opening and I have gained the knowledge of what a counsellor does and will be using their advice going forward. My experience at Beechwood has been extremely valuable to me and I am thankful for everything I have learnt.

Rob, 23

I have been to Beechwood on placement previously before COVID-19 and it was an amazing experience with all staff members including the Receptionists, Counsellors and Admin Team being very welcoming.  Even though it has been two years since my previous placement and there is new staff, the atmosphere is as inviting as ever, and the staff are as friendly. I have been able to learn and develop my professional skills by helping the Charity in anyway I can, such as creating space for new therapy rooms, developing new ideas for social media marketing, and helping around the reception. I was also able to help around the charity shops and I was able to see how important the shops were for the community. I am a psychology and counselling student and after being able to talk to some of the counsellors at Beechwood, I have learnt more about the role of a counsellor. The team at Beechwood helped me develop in many ways while giving me amazing and informative resources. I came back after an amazing first placement experience and I am leaving my second placement the same way. I would advise others to get involved with this incredible charity!