Zero experience to client-ready in weeks
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80% get their first mental health job after graduating
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Co-designed over two years with 200+ recent graduates
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Placement provider for 20+ top universities (including UCL, Bath, Loughborough)
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100% remote, self-paced - learn from anywhere in the world
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UK-registered global mental health charity
Starting your career in mental health is depressing
You left university armed with psychological theories and research methods, but zero stories of real‑world examples to tell in an interview. Every job you apply for goes to someone with experience, but you can't get experience because you can't get your first job without it.
In lectures, you learnt about CBT formulations. In practice, you’re stuck formulating reasons for why you’ve never sat in front of a real client. So you volunteer for anywhere that could give you some experience, refresh NHS Jobs like it’s social media because job listings are only up for days, come to terms with a recent 70th rejection after applying for 100+ jobs, and eye a £15k master’s you’d have to fund with multiple part-time jobs.
And it's even worse if you can't do internships:
Full-Time Commitments
You need paid work or have other commitments (e.g. University)
Beginner's Bad Luck
Little client-facing experience in mental health
Career Transition
If you decided on mental health later than others, so your CV doesn't do you justice
International Applicants
Your visa might not allow you to work full-time, long-term
With this many barriers to helping others, it's no wonder so many people who need help get none
1.6 million people on NHS waitlist
In high-income countries, ~66% of people with mental illnesses get no treatment. In low-middle-income countries, it's more like 85%
But new evidence showed that non-professionals, given the right training, can be really effective
Systematic review of 123 primary studies and 10 meta-analyses concludes that interventions involving lay counselling are effective and should be made routinely available (Barbui et al., 2020). 80% of studies found a significant positive effect.
And thanks to the daring work of those scientists and entrepreneurs, it's becoming mainstream
The World Health Organisation's official guidelines recommend volunteer-delivered therapies.
Vikram Patel:
“There is no health without mental health.
Mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone's business.”
(Professor Patel is a Professor of Global Mental Health at Harvard,
named Time Magazine Top 100 most influential people,
and the most cited researcher in Global Mental Health)
Inspired by their work, we co-designed an experience with recent graduates to help talented people with no experience land their first roles.
Competitive Internship
Choose the Top 15 from 300+ monthly applicants
Crash Course on Mental Health Support
Gave them four weeks of intensive training on coaching, CBT and ACT techniques
Gradual, Supervised Client Work
They worked their way up to support clients, from building habits to low mood and anxiety
But it was FAR from perfect when we first launched it in 2023.
Some interns were dropping out due to the stress and pace of the training.
We couldn't get enough clients who we could help (e.g., habits, low mood, anxiety)
Or filter out the wrong ones that we couldn't help
After every cohort, we asked for feedback and implemented their suggestions.
Dedicated Training Platform
Packed with training videos, resources, quizzes, on top of live workshops and assessments.
Rigorous Triage Procedure
Sign-up form preliminary screens out those we're not best placed to support.
Clients who may not be a good fit will be contacted for further clarifications or a triage call.
Extensive Peer Support
Daily cohort meetings + mentoring + accountability buddy + personal coaching.
24/7 Support for Client Work
Internal + external clinical supervision. On-call support from supervisors and management.
24 cohorts later, we finally have something we're proud of.
Our trainees get incredible results:
90%+
complete the
3-month internship
4.8 out of 5
average review rating on TrustPilot
80%
get first mental health job after graduating
Our clients are happier, less anxious, and less depressed:
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Clients came in feeling 5 out of 10 on average, and left feeling 7 out of 10
>30% reductions in anxiety and depression scores
The rate at which clients completed our programme was 80% as good as the most comparable NHS programme (NHS Talking Therapies).
Our results are backed by studies and word of mouth:
1) Waitlist-Controlled RCT on our Procrastination Programme (n = 117)
Compared to the waitlist group, those who received four-week coaching showed that:
Procrastination Dropped
From being the top 25% of procrastinators globally before the programme, to being the average procrastinator after the programme, and becoming the bottom 30% of procrastinators at one-month follow-up.
Higher Life Satisfaction
When we asked how satisfied they felt with life:
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Before the programme: 5.7 out of 10
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After the programme: 6.9 out of 10
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One month later: 7.4 out of 10
2) Waitlist-Controlled RCT on our Sleep Programme (n = 36)
Compared to the waitlist group, those who received four-week coaching demonstrated:
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Significantly reduced insomnia symptoms
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Significantly improved sleep quality
3) Growing word of mouth in Google search and social media
But we had a huge problem. Those graduates had to volunteer full-time for three months straight to make it possible, and that's just not practical for the vast majority of people
Current Students
Studying full-time during term-time
Working Elsewhere
Full-time or multiple part-time roles
Commitments in Life
E.g., being a parent, caring for a loved one
So we took the exact same training and made it more accessible
Flexible Around Your Schedule
You can do it around a full-time job or degree programme.
One-to-One Support from Trainers
Roleplays booked around your schedule, and mentoring throughout your journey.
Truly Self-Paced
Take a week or month off to do exams or complete dissertation. No questions asked.
One-Year Access
Take your time through it, speed run it in four weeks, or anything in between.
Flexible Client Work
If you choose to see clients, they book around your schedule. It can be just evenings, or just weekends, or between 9am and 5pm, or almost any combination you can think of.
And the results have been amazing
Pass rates are comparable between full-time and part-time trainees.
Literally everyone who passed has been offered chance to see real clients.
No difference in client results between full and part-time trainees.
One did so well that we decided to hire them ourselves!
But they came with a price...
To keep roleplays flexible, we needed to hire trainers to work weekends and evenings
Choosing the right people became a full-time job.
We had to turn everything workshop into videos and interactive exercises so they can be done anytime.
So we couldn't make it 100% free, but thanks to three insanely generous donors, we can offer a discount to students and recent graduates until at least August 2025.
Course Overview
20 hours
of recorded workshops and demonstrations
5 hours
of self-study and quizzes
40 hours
of one-to-one role-play practices
5 hours
of mock and actual assessments
Topics Covered
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Motivational Interviewing
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
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Graded Exposure
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CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Role-Play Practices
After learning a new technique, you're recommended to complete at least two one-to-one role-play practices with your trainer(s).
In these role-plays, your trainer will typically portray a client, and you'll act as the coach to demonstrate the technique you just learnt.
If you'd like a demonstration, you can swap roles with your trainer, portraying the client yourself, and your trainer will be the coach.
Assessments
There are two assessments in the training which offers clearance for supporting clients with building healthy habits and navigating low mood/anxiety respectively.
These assessments are mock client sessions where you are expected to integrate the techniques and skills learnt to help the client. To help you prepare, each assessment comes with a mock attempt with your trainer(s).
If you do not pass the assessments, you'll be given detailed feedback to help you improve in your next attempt.
Seeing Clients
Once clear to see real clients, you may request to be allocated the desired number of clients per week.
We suggest having at least two active clients at any one time. Expect each will require 90 minutes per week (60 minutes for session, 15 minutes preparation, 15 minutes to type up and send notes).
You'll create your own booking link so clients can book around your schedule.
I'm Interested! How do I join?
Click the button below to apply.
Once completed, you'll be directed to book a meeting with the course lead.
The meeting helps us assess your suitability for the part-time course, and is an opportunity for you to ask any questions about the course.
After the meeting, you can decide whether you'd like to pay for the part-time course. Once you've paid, you'll immediately get access to the training and be assigned a trainer or two for your roleplays.
Testimonials
Abdullah Ahmad Dar
In the internship period, I have learnt more about myself and how I can grow than I would have in any internship experience.
Alice Carli
In a few months, Overcome has provided me with more useful clinical experience than three years studying Psychology at university.
Alyssa Sotelo
I'm so glad that I joined Overcome for the experience, but also for the friends.
Crystal Liyadi
Overcome internship is a BIG stepping stone as I build a career in clinical psychology.
Drew Horrobin
My time working at Overcome has changed the way I communicate with friends, those in need, and myself.
Linka Lin
I've gained invaluable insights and practical experience in mental health, solidifying my decision to pursue this career.
Magalie Eid
This internship prepared me for the next job opportunity I will be applying for, which is an assistant psychologist position.
Mohammed Usman
My time at Overcome was incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally.
Niamh Somodi-Spence
Overcome has by far given me the best practical experience of the many volunteering positions I have been involved in.
Soraya Da Silva Barros
In three months, Overcome gave me a taste of my dream profession as a Clinical Psychologist, and has definitely strengthened my passion for Psychology.
Aditi Ratra
This internship has been immensely more impactful than all the work experiences I've had during my three years of undergraduate studies.
Alicia Ang
Overcome provided me with the invaluable opportunity to grow and excel, not just academically but also personally and professionally.
Amy Lynn Degner
This internship has provided me with my first practical clinical experience and has helped me become a confident coach.
David Boudville
Four months at Overcome taught me more about CBT than an entire university course did.
Jasmine Leffman
Overcome has provided me with invaluable experience and confidence in the world of therapy.
Lynn Wacu
In the three months, Overcome has made me a competent coach.
Michele Mollentz
The level and depth of the knowledge base in mental health was truly informative and life-changing.
Monika Rybak
In these four months I have gained a lot of confidence in my abilities.
Nishaa Sivalingathasan
Overcome does exactly what it's called overcoming personal, professional, and social goals to help you grow.
Tatiana Garcia
From this internship I gained unrivalled experience, new friends, and support for my professional aspirations.
Akhila Mahadevan
I gained more knowledge in four months at Overcome than I did at university.
Alize Marsh
In four months Overcome has developed my skills, helped my confidence, and pushed my ambitions.
Carolina Bosco
Overcome is an amazing opportunity for anyone who is struggling with the job search and really wants to start practicing what they've learned during their studies.
Dominic White
I have learnt a huge amount from the Overcome team, and from clients I have worked with.
Laura Bailey
Overcome has not only changed our clients' lives positively, but my life completely.
Maarab Zaheer
This internship has not only strengthened my skills as a Mental Health Coach but has also deeply enriched my personal growth.
Milly Mak
Overcome gave me the practical experience and boosted my confidence in therapeutic skills.
Nandinee Rajkhowa
In these three months, Overcome has helped me gain confidence in myself and shown me my unique strengths as a future practitioner.
Ria Shoker
The Overcome Community strengthened my skills, knowledge, and confidence in the field of clinical psychology.
Uzmaa Mohammed Aijaz
At my time at Overcome, it made me realize that I can pursue a clinical aspect and see people and help them out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does selection work?
Complete the application form. Once completed, you'll be directed to book a meeting with the course lead.
The meeting helps us assess your suitability for the part-time course, and is an opportunity for you to ask any questions about the course.
After the meeting, you can decide whether you'd like to pay for the part-time course. Once you've paid, you'll immediately get access to the training and be onboarded to our team.
Why is it less selective compared to the full-time option?