Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Career Journeys - Gareth Cavill
Gareth has been a School-based Student Wellbeing Practitioner at Leeds Beckett University for 3 years, a role he finds incredibly rewarding. As part of the LBU Professional, we caught up with him to find out more about his career journey and the connections between his previous roles and the work he does now at LBU.
How it all began…
Following his studies at Liverpool Polytechnic, Gareth was awarded a degree in English Literature and Sociology – perhaps not the most obvious starting point for a career in wellbeing, but it helped Gareth to identify that he wanted to work in a field where he could help others. He began a career in mental health nursing. During those early days, he had an inspirational nurse mentor, Mike Crossland, who stressed the importance of supportive relationships in helping recovery. This advice has stayed with Gareth and has influenced his approach throughout his career.
In all, he spent 25 years working for the NHS and in the voluntary sector, supporting people with their recovery. He specialised in community psychosis and studied a second degree in psycho-social interventions at our very own Leeds Beckett University (then known as Leeds Metropolitan University).
A new direction…
So, what prompted Gareth to switch from this career to his current role at LBU? It was partly because he’d reached a point where he felt he’d done all he could, and because he was drawn to the 3 different aspects of the Wellbeing Practitioner role:
1. Teaching wellbeing-themed sessions to students in the Business School and Carnegie School of Sport.
2. Collaborating with academic colleagues and course administration teams to support students experiencing mental health difficulties.
3. Advising students struggling to engage due to mental health difficulties, and co-ordinating support for them.
‘I was excited about the prospect of teaching and using a creative side that dates back to my Literature degree,’ Gareth explains. ‘I also felt that I’d be able to bring in my experience and continue to help others, in new and different ways.’
He now works in a team with four other Wellbeing Practitioners - Kelly Cawood, Michelle Monkman, Rich Newman and Daisy Padmore - and Hannah Taylor, the team manager. His colleagues come from a range of backgrounds, including mental health nursing, social work and counselling. Each member of the team is linked with different LBU schools, and this team sits within the much larger team of Student Wellbeing.
The right challenge…
Gareth reflects that his current role is ‘the perfect job at the right time’. He has previously done a little teaching while working for the NHS, but it was a tiny part of his role and all within a field he was very familiar with. Now, through teaching students in the Business School and Carnegie School of Sport, he enjoys learning about courses which are totally new to him, such as tourism and business and management.
He has recently achieved AdvanceHE Fellowship in recognition of his contribution to teaching in the H.E. sector. ‘Teaching at Leeds Beckett really pushes me in terms of teaching and assessing,’ he says. ‘And preparing for the Fellowship encouraged me to reflect on what I teach, why I teach in the way I do, and how I know if it’s working. It’s helped to give me a real sense of validation and confidence.’
Final reflections…
So, what connections are there between Gareth’s previous career and his current work? He re-validates his nursing every 3 years and sees his role as a Wellbeing Practitioner as a continuation of health promotion and directly supporting others.
How does he feel about making the move from mental health nursing to Leeds Beckett University? ‘I didn’t see that coming at this time in my life!’ he concludes, ‘I’m lucky to have found a really enjoyable challenge.’
