Amy Wilson is Deputy Ward Manager at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford.
For Mental Health Nurses’ Day (21 February), Amy explains how her experiences have driven her to become a mental health nurse and her passion for helping people.
What inspired you to become a mental health nurse?
School wasn’t great and I left failing all but one of my GCSEs. I met a boy shortly after leaving school and we had three children together before I was 25.
I was in a bad relationship and just after having my third child, I managed to seek help to leave.
I wanted a better life for my children and myself so enrolled onto an access course and functional skills English and maths courses, all in one year.
I had previously worked as a dog walker for a year and had worked on and off in care since my kids were little, as a support worker in domestic care, care homes and at Broomfield Hospital.
I’d made my mind up I wanted to help other people like me.
I went to university at 26 and I now work on an acute mental health ward helping women.
What do you enjoy most about being a mental health nurse?
Helping people and making positive change.
There’s nothing more fulfilling than nursing someone when they are feeling at their lowest point, building them up, supporting them, teaching them skills, then seeing them achieve their goals and leaving hospital.
I love meeting new people and building great therapeutic connections.
We have fun on our ward – it’s great to create, dance and sing karaoke!
There’s always challenging times but my colleagues and I are there for those times also.
Having ADHD and ASD helps me better understand the needs of people with neurodiversity
In the last year I’ve also been told I have ADHD and ASD, which I always knew I had but being officially diagnosed has made me feel more accepting of myself.
Everyone with ASD presents differently but I can empathise more than most with those women who come onto the ward and have ASD.
I can understand why they don’t like loud noises or big crowds, do not like eating certain foods, the little quirks we have.
Myself and a service user who has ASD are supporting my matron on a project to make the ward more ASD-friendly.
We have introduced DBT skills, we’ve got fidget toys and sensory items, and are using the sensory room more.
We will always be an advocate for our patients
Mental health services are evolving and adapting to change and I’m completely on board with that.
For example, we are teaching dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills – a type of talking therapy for people who feel emotions intensely – to staff and service users.
We are also looking to further involve service users’ families in the care of their loved ones.
And we are reducing restrictive practice wherever possible – this is something I’m quite passionate about because hospital is not a prison, I want people to feel it’s more like a home from home.
I’m also really passionate about giving people personalised care and involving them in their care. As a nurse, we will always advocate for our patients and work with them and our doctors to agree the best medication and treatment to help them in their recovery.
We don’t want to make people stay in hospital longer than necessary. We all want to see our patients well and back home with their loved ones and friends as soon as they are ready.
There is no us and you. We are people just like you and we care.