Posted on: 28 September 2022
Say hello to Tina. And her German Shepherd Storm.
You may already know Tina, as the Service Director for our CAMHS and Eating Disorder Services. She started this post in January, marking a return to CNWL after working in Milton Keynes and more recently for Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group.
For Tina, it was an opportunity “to come home” because prior to this she was working at CNWL for 20 years. “I was really surprised at how many people were still there,” she says.
Tina has worked as an NHS Mental Health Nurse for more than 25 years, having aspired to be a nurse since she was five years old.
In this video, Tina shares her experience of working within CAMHS, and what drew her back to CNWL.
“Coming into CAMHS, you’re coming into a family. A village raises a child, and the whole of the CAMHS service work together to deliver the best quality care to the children that we work with.”
When Tina isn’t working she can be found tinkering away in her greenhouse, gardening, or having cuddles with Storm.
“When I’ve had a really stressful day it does get to you sometimes. The stories you hear and some of the experiences that the staff have, you do just want to put your head in your hands. Actually I just have a little cuddle with Storm.”
Picture shows: Tina's German Shepherd, Storm.
There’s a place for you in CAMHS
Tina’s story is part of There’s a place for you, a series of films about our CAMHS service.
The series, produced by And Productions, was created with our staff, showing the working and clinical experiences of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
CAMHS is made up of a team of professionals with different skills and backgrounds who work together to provide a range of specialist support to young people and their families, helping with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
In these films, team members from across the service reveal the day-to-day realities of their roles in mental health, highlighting how rewarding their work is, and why they are so passionate about working with young people.
We want to celebrate these individuals, but also raise awareness of the opportunities a career within CAMHS can offer.
Picture shows: Tina Swain, Service Director for CNWL CAMHS and Eating Disorder Services.
Here at CNWL, we have a range of roles across CAMHS in mental health, community services, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you’re at.
Tina says: “Staff have the opportunity to move around a range of services. As newly qualified you could cut your teeth in one of our inpatient services, then move to a community team and work on a one-to-one basis or with a team, and then you could move to urgent care and see young people in A&E. You have a huge breadth of experience that you can have in your professional career.”
Be part of our fantastic team – there’s a place for you.
View all of our current vacancies here.
CAMHS Service Manager – Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster
You can find out more about the different professionals involved in a children’s mental health team on our CAMHS service page.