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Effective Guide: Personal Statement for Mental Health Counseling

Table of Contents

A personal statement is a reflection of a person’s life and experiences. A personal statement for mental health counseling should be no different. It showcases your skills, values, and motivations while providing insight into your thinking process.

This document highlights why you are interested in becoming a mental health counselor. This document can also give potential employers an idea of the type of individual they could be working with. As a result, it may increase their interest in interviewing you.

This article provides an effective example of a personal statement for mental health counseling. It also offers tips to help you draft one that draws the reader’s attention.

What Is a Personal Statement for Mental Health Counseling?

A personal statement for mental health counseling is a document to set out your reasons and qualifications for wanting to become a counselor. This document can provide admission committees with insights into an applicant’s motivations, experience, and professional goals . A well-crafted statement can be instrumental in helping an individual secure admission into a graduate program in counseling.

How Do You Write a Mental Health Personal Statement?

A personal statement focuses on the purposes of your mental health counseling skills, academic and experience background, and how they relate. It also highlights your career goals that are related to mental health counseling. When writing your personal statement for mental health counseling, keep the following tips in mind:

Be As Specific As Possible

Think about what has led you to want to become a counselor. Highlight why you are interested in working with people who experience mental health challenges. Be specific!

Highlight Your Experiences

Focus on your experiences (both academic and professional) that have prepared you to work with this population. What did you learn from these experiences? How did they help shape your understanding of mental health?

Provide Real-Life Examples

Use concrete examples from your own life to illustrate how you have been affected by or interacted with people who experience mental illness. This will help convey that you understand firsthand the struggles faced by those living with a mental illness.

Keep Your Tone Polite and Non-Judgmental

Make sure your tone is respectful and compassionate throughout the entire statement. Mental health can be sensitive, so it’s essential to come across as supportive and non-judgmental.

Personal Statement Example for Mental Health Counseling

Below are two examples of a mental health counseling personal statement that you can use to write your own:

I have always been passionate and eager to learn more about mental health counseling. Having experienced depression and anxiety first-hand, I understand the importance of seeking professional help. I believe in utilizing evidence-based practices to help individuals cope with mental health challenges.

My interest in mental health counseling began while I was an undergraduate at UCLA. I took a course on abnormal psychology there, which sparked my curiosity about how people experience mental illness. In addition to pursuing my education in psychology, I have also gained extensive experience working with diverse populations within clinical settings. I worked in outpatient clinics and schools in the inner city of Los Angeles area communities where resources are scarce. This hands-on clinical training and my academic background uniquely prepare me for a career in mental health counseling.

Beyond possessing the necessary skill set, what drives me to pursue this field is the privilege it affords me to connect with others. It helps me build trusting relationships that can foster change down the road. It’s incredibly fulfilling for me to see clients make progress and reach their goals. It might be overcoming major life transitions or managing chronic conditions like depression or anxiety disorders.

After years of exploring options, it became evident that becoming certified as a counselor would allow me to provide personalized care using my skills. As I study at [university name], I hope to use the knowledge I have accumulated over the years to better understand mental health counseling. I picked this path to realize a lifelong dream of mine: being one of the top mental health counselors.

I would like to pursue a Master’s degree in Counseling at [University Name] with an emphasis on Mental Health. I firmly believe that counseling is one of the most effective ways to help people struggling with mental health issues.

My interest in this field began during my undergraduate studies. I had the opportunity to work as a research assistant for a professor who studied schizophrenia. This experience gave me valuable insight into the different aspects of mental illness and how they impact patients and their families. It was also during this time that I realized how passionate I am about helping people with these kinds of challenges.

In addition to my academic background, I have extensive experience working directly with clients suffering from various mental illnesses. For years, I worked as a case manager for an organization that provides support services to mentally ill adults living independently in the community. In this role, I was responsible for assessing each client’s needs and developing individualized care plans accordingly. In many cases, this involved providing counseling services myself.

I feel confident that my skills and experiences make me well-suited for a career in mental health counseling. But even more importantly, I am passionate about providing significant assistance to those suffering from mental illness. And I eagerly wish to pursue a Master’s degree in Mental health counseling at [University Name] to be more competent in the field.

To get your spot in a coveted counseling program or job, you need to write an effective personal statement in the application process. This article provides valuable tips and examples to help you craft a personal statement that impresses the admission committee.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement Examples

Below are Mental Health Nursing Personal Statements examples . Hope it will help you write your UCAS personal statement for the university.

Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement

During my undergraduate studies in Physics, I found myself volunteering with the West London Mental Health NHS Trust. Here, I had the opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge in a practical support role in a rehabilitation unit for mental health patients. I had always been interested in the workings of the mind, and this experience solidified my passion for the field.

Since 2009, I have worked extensively in caring services, specifically in mental health contexts. Through these experiences, I have gained valuable knowledge and skills in working with patients who have a range of mental health problems. I am now certain that I want to pursue a career in this field and believe that the Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing will enhance my knowledge and prepare me for my future career.

After completing my undergraduate degree, I pursued a Master’s degree in Health Psychology. This academic foundation has provided me with a solid understanding of psychological problems. For my dissertations, I explored the effects of stress on health behaviours and self-esteem in university students and predictors of body image dissatisfaction, specifically the contribution of perfectionism and socio-cultural pressure to be thin.

Nursing for those with mental health problems requires more than academic knowledge; it also calls for practical skills, quick thinking, effective communication, and above all, human empathy. The opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of those who are often locked into severe psychological conditions offers the prospect of true personal and professional fulfilment.

My early voluntary work brought me into contact with people whose mental health problems made it difficult for them to integrate into the community and the world of employment, as well as introduced me to the way the clinical team worked. In addition to my voluntary work, I also worked for Marie Stopes International as a Healthcare Assistant, where I gained experience in clinical procedures and learnt about the need for a tactful and sensitive approach to patients and the importance of working within the framework of a medical team.

Since completing my Master’s degree, I have worked for East London NHS Foundation in the Mental Health Division, first as a Social Therapist and currently as an Assistant Practitioner. In my current role, I build beneficial and therapeutic relationships with adults with acute and chronic mental health problems, devise the most appropriate intervention procedures for their welfare, and provide vocational and employment support alongside activities and group work.

I assist the Psychologist and the Occupational Therapist with group therapy sessions and activities to promote anger management and relaxation. I also work with the nursing staff in developing treatment packages to suit individual needs and encourage patients to take responsibility for their own recovery. I sometimes work with young people where good communication skills are essential in building positive and therapeutic relationships.

My substantial experience in the treatment of the mentally ill has left me with no doubt that I can make a difference in people’s lives, particularly in the lives of those who are so sadly disabled by their conditions. However, I am also aware of the challenges of this work and the importance of maintaining a sense of perspective to provide productive care. I am hard-working, enthusiastic about my career, and possess strong analytical skills. I work well under pressure and enjoy being part of a clinical team. I am committed to my goal and believe I have the necessary qualities to become a successful Mental Health Nurse.

Read other Nursing Personal Statement Examples

Band 5 Mental Health Nurse Personal Statement Example

My ambition to become a mental health nurse stems from my own experiences of enduring mental health conditions since childhood. Going through various treatments has given me insight into managing mental health issues and supporting others with conditions like dementia, schizophrenia, anxiety and depression, which I have encountered through volunteer and work experience.

Studying English Language and Health and Social Care has provided me with biological, psychological and practical knowledge about speech, language and dementia. Role-playing and work experience at a care home allowed me to assist dementia patients using visual aids to help them remember their interests and loved ones. A report on dementia and studying psychology and the nervous system gave me a theoretical understanding.

Volunteering at a centre for people with physical and mental disabilities has allowed me to gain experience in art therapy, music therapy, life skills and physiotherapy. I achieved a Level 6 qualification in horse riding instruction and have a Level 1 certificate in British Sign Language to assist non-verbal service users. Work experience at a solicitor’s firm handling Power of Attorney cases showed me the legal aspects of mental health.

I have completed emergency first aid at work and served on my college’s Student Union, organising charity events and promoting equality. I have written for the college magazine.

I want to professionally learn how to manage mental health and understand biological theories. After graduating, I hope to pursue clinical research, applying the research methods from my sociology course in a sociolinguistic project.

Despite progress, the stigmatisation of mental health persists. As a nurse, I would advocate for patients, support the vulnerable and treat all equally. My course has given me communication, reflection and basic medical skills to meet nursing demands.

A 100-hour placement at a supported living centre gave me insight into schizophrenia and person-centred care. I learned the importance of medication management, confidentiality and multidisciplinary teamwork. Researching recent guidelines like No Health Without Mental Health highlighted the need to consider physical and mental health together. Outside studying, I enjoy exercise and volunteering. I hope to work in community mental health, using my experience and commitment to person-centred care to aid recovery. My skills, knowledge and determination will help me become a successful mental health nurse.

This personal statement highlights the key relevant areas for a Band 5 mental health nurse application – your experiences, skills, knowledge, dedication and career ambitions. The content and structure are coherent while keeping within the specified word count. Please let me know if you would like me to clarify or expand on any part of this revised personal statement further.

How To Write A Personal Statement For Mental Health Nursing

If the examples are not enough for you, here are some tips and steps on how to write a personal statement for a Mental Health Nursing course. 

• Focus on your relevant experience . Highlight your experience in health care, mental health care, or roles supporting vulnerable groups. Discuss what you learned and how it motivates you to become a mental health nurse.
• Discuss your key skills . Emphasise skills like communication, compassion, patience, teamwork, and decision-making. Provide examples of where you have demonstrated these skills. Explain how these skills will make you a good mental health nurse.
• Show your passion for nursing . Express your genuine interest and passion for mental health nursing. Discuss why you want to pursue this career path, your desire to help vulnerable people, your interest in health care, etc. Your passion and motivation should shine through.
• Outline your career goals . Discuss your short and long-term career goals and how the mental health nursing programme will enable you to achieve them. Explain how you hope to progress, e.g. taking additional courses or management roles. This shows your motivation and enthusiasm.
• Explain why you’re a strong candidate . Summarise your key qualities, skills, experiences and knowledge that make you an excellent candidate for the mental health nursing programme. Reiterate your passion for the role. With preparation and hard work, convey your potential to become an accomplished mental health nurse.
• Review and proofread. Ask others to review your personal statement and provide feedback. Edit and proofread thoroughly. Double-check for any errors before submitting. Your personal statement represents you, so make sure it is compelling and clear, concise, and error-free.
• Be authentic . Most importantly, be genuine in your personal statement. Mental health nursing requires strong interpersonal qualities. Let your true motivations, passion, and personality shine through in your writing. Admissions staff will be able to see your authenticity.

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement

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Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement

I am applying for a Mental Health Nursing degree because I want to help people who suffer from mental illness. With the skills I have acquired whilst working as a support worker and whilst studying a Health Professions course, I believe I will achieve my goal of going to university.

I gained some insight into a mental health career whilst working part-time as a support worker. The role includes writing care plans, interacting with the patients as well as carrying out ward rounds with a group of healthcare professionals.I would like to expand my knowledge further at a degree level and possibly higher. I’m also aware of the importance of treating people in a non-judgemental manner and to respect equality in a mental health setting such as working with employees and clients with different religious beliefs and different cultures. I feel it is important to use the Mental Health role to promote mental health illness to the public. I am convinced that mental illness is an area in which most people are uncomfortable either talking about or taking part in preventing and supporting those who suffer from mental issues. I have excellent communication skills which I have gained through working in care .For example when I am communicating with clients that have trouble speaking, I will use good body language and good eye contact. I sometimes use objects such as toys when they want to play or a spoon when it is time to eat. I learned to use documentation when working with clients as each individual client has a care plan that we use to write their daily notes such as personal care, activities and appointments with doctors. This helps the other employees during handover because they will know how to help the clients based on the documentation I have written. This has taught me the importance of communication and team work as it contributes to successfully support people who suffer from mental illness.

I have a stammer but I managed to enroll on a speech therapy program called McGuire program. The program gave me confidence and my speech has improved since then. The program made me face my fear of speaking. The program helped me to accept my speech problem and taught me to live with my stammer. One of the techniques used were, they made me speak to 100 strangers and disclosing to the strangers that “I have a stammer and I have been hiding for years but now I am happy as a stammerer and I now have gained control of my speech”. The program helped me to apply the skills I have learnt on the program and implement them directly to my mental health work for example , It taught me to empathise with people that suffer from mental illness and to always give consideration when communicating with them so that they can be comfortable communicating with me .

I was born and raised in South Africa and moved to England for career opportunities. I have had many family members who work in a mental health setting and I saw the satisfaction they receive from helping patients. I have also had family members suffer from mental health problems, but with my family member having experience with the mental health professional experience, they were able to offer advice on how they can be treated. That inspired me to pursue a career in mental health. I know that studying Mental Health Nursing at university will be challenging because health care professionals must have the ability to make decisions, show compassion and support the diverse needs of individuals in their care. The role will test my skills and abilities however I am confident that I can meet these challenges and choosing nursing will help me fulfil my ambition of supporting and treating others in a mental healthcare environment.

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Sample Counseling Psychology Personal Statement (NYU Steinhardt)

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field.

The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to Masters’s program at NYU Steinhardt School in Counseling Psychology. Read this essay to understand what a top personal statement in Counseling Psychology should look like.

Sample Personal Statement in Counseling Psychology

Growing up in Poland, I had internalized the stigma attached to Psychology and Psychotherapy. I was famous in my circle of friends as “the understanding one,” but I had developed a bitter taste for formally studying Psychology. Therefore, I opted for a more socially acceptable high school major – Computer Science.

But I wanted to learn about human behavior. Turning my back on the subject of my intellectual curiosity alienated me from myself. As expected, I scored miserably in high school. However, I did not give up just yet and went on to enroll in an IT program at the University of Warsaw.

Despite trying to ignite a passion for the discipline, I was inevitably headed toward disaster. A day before my first-year exams, I stared dispassionately at my book. I felt helpless and broke down into tears. At that moment, I realized I needed help from a mental health professional.

But I didn’t seek help because of two reasons. Firstly, hearing that only the crazy go for psychotherapy all my life, I could not muster the courage to deal with that label. Secondly, I only knew of Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists, and I did not want to be diagnosed or medicated.

Then I mustered the courage to cross the inner hurdles that kept me from studying Psychology. I wanted to gain insights into my emotional imbalances and tried to help myself by learning to help others. After that, I convinced my parents and changed my undergraduate central to Psychology.

This opened new doors that led me to a journey of growth and self-discovery. I met some wonderful people and began excelling in my studies. I was unanimously voted as the class representative in my second semester. Improved psychosocial support and self-efficacy began to work magic on my sense of self-worth.

Experiencing a shift from clutter to clarity, I felt a newfound affiliation with those in need. I heard about  Chayn  Poland through social media and started volunteering for it. While working at  Chayn , I was a part of an online community that created a resource portal to inform and help victims of domestic violence in Poland. It was an excellent opportunity to transmit the knowledge of the psychological aftermath of abuse to those who could benefit from it. I’m channeling the same spirit at my current job at  Social Welfare, Academics, and Training for Poland . Lending my hand in research about the psychological impact of militancy and war on the youth of Ukraine allows me to play my role in helping those in need.

Through my introduction to counseling and the humanistic model in my  Perspectives in Psychology  class, I saw the framework I could use to pursue the field of Psychology. Moreover, I realized that the humanistic school stood for the same values I had innately developed – holism; the importance of an individual’s experience, and the belief that all humans have an actualizing tendency.

Coincidentally, one of my close friends had joined a certificate course in  Humanistic Counseling  at Therapy Mission, Warsaw. I enrolled in the next session to test my interest in the subject. As part of the course, I completed 85 hours of group therapy and an equal number of lectures. I learned basic counseling skills, person-centered therapy, gestalt therapy, and transactional analysis. Being in the group was truly transformational. As group therapy generally does, the group started to represent my unconscious perception of the world for me. Some of my group members represented specific figures from the past who I had unresolved issues with. I had the privilege of working on those issues through hot-seat exercises and psychodrama enactments. Being heard changed my relationship with myself. I learned to nurture myself and develop an inner resource, which would help me cope with future distresses more intelligently. I’m currently enrolled in a diploma in  Integrated Counseling .

Stepping out of my comfort zone gave me the strength to explore further. Hence, last summer, I decided to go to Kenya for an internship through AIESEC at  Living Positive Kenya . Among other experiences, the training allowed me to practice the skills I had acquired at Therapy Mission. I facilitated a psychosocial support group of women who had HIV/AIDS. My primary strategy was to create a safe space for women to express themselves. In that space, a woman could express her thoughts, and the group would provide her unconditional presence. Though the feedback was encouraging, I realized I needed more advanced training to deal with similar issues back home. I based my conclusion on the general resistance with which the idea of therapy is met in Poland.

My strength is that I come from a place where people are skeptical about counseling. However, I understand Poland’s dire need for counseling and have experienced its value first-hand. Therefore, I want to reach out and counsel as many people as possible. Having crawled from a pit of emotional darkness towards light puts me in the position to hold someone’s hand while they do the same. Now, all I need is extra muscle.

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Crafting Your Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement: A Guide to Format and Content

Your mental health nursing personal statement is your opportunity to showcase your passion for the field and convince the admissions committee that you have the skills, experience, and commitment to succeed as a mental health nurse.

If you're considering a career in mental health nursing, one of the most important things you'll need is a well-crafted personal statement. A personal statement is your chance to showcase your experience, skills, and passion for the field, and to convince admissions committees that you're the right candidate for the job.

In this blog, we'll break down the key elements of a mental health nursing personal statement and provide tips for how to structure it effectively.

Introduction The introduction should set the stage for your personal statement by introducing yourself and explaining why you want to pursue a career in mental health nursing. This is your chance to demonstrate your passion for the field and to explain how your experiences have led you to this point.

Body The body of your personal statement should provide specific examples of your skills, experience, and education that make you a strong candidate for a career in mental health nursing. You should also discuss any relevant volunteer work or extracurricular activities that demonstrate your commitment to the field.

It's important to focus on how your experiences have prepared you for a career in mental health nursing. For example, if you've worked in a hospital or clinic, you could discuss how that experience has given you an understanding of the challenges faced by patients with mental health issues.

Conclusion In your conclusion, you should summarize your key strengths and reiterate your commitment to pursuing a career in mental health nursing. You should also discuss your long-term goals in the field and how you plan to achieve them.

Tips for Success

• Use specific examples to demonstrate your skills and experience.
• Emphasize your passion for the field.
• Tailor your personal statement to the specific program you're applying to.
• Be honest and authentic in your writing.

Here's an example of a strong blockquote that could be used in a mental health nursing personal statement:

"I have always been drawn to the field of mental health nursing because I believe that everyone deserves to live a life free from the challenges of mental illness. Through my work and volunteer experiences, I have developed the skills and empathy necessary to provide high-quality care to patients in need. I am committed to making a difference in the lives of those struggling with mental health issues and am excited to pursue a career in this field."

In conclusion, a mental health nursing personal statement should showcase your passion, experience, and skills in the field. By following the format outlined above and tailoring your personal statement to the specific program you're applying to, you can increase your chances of being accepted into a mental health nursing program and starting your journey toward a rewarding career.

The Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement Format

To help you create a winning mental health nursing personal statement, we have put together a guide to the format and content you should consider.

• Introduction

The first paragraph of your personal statement should grab the reader's attention and introduce yourself and your passion for mental health nursing. You could begin with a personal anecdote or a statement that highlights your interest in the field.

• Education and Experience

Your personal statement should outline your education and experience in mental health nursing. This could include your academic achievements, such as your degree or coursework, as well as any relevant work experience or volunteer work in mental health settings.

• Skills and Qualities

As a mental health nurse, you will need a range of skills and qualities to succeed in the field. Your personal statement should highlight these, including your ability to communicate effectively, your empathy and compassion, and your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Career Goals

Your personal statement should also outline your future career goals in mental health nursing. This could include your desire to specialize in a particular area of mental health, such as addiction or trauma, or your interest in pursuing research in the field.

Finally, your personal statement should conclude with a summary of your passion for mental health nursing and your suitability for the program. End with a strong statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Crafting a strong mental health nursing personal statement takes time and effort, but it is well worth it. With this guide, you can create a statement that showcases your passion, skills, and potential as a mental health nurse. Good luck!

If you're considering applying for a mental health nursing program, a strong

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How to Write a Mental Health Nursing Personal Statement? (3 Key Points)

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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter.  The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.

In this brief blog, we will be talking about mental health nursing personal statement, the contents in the mental health nursing personal statement, the purpose of the mental health nursing personal statement, and more information about the mental health nursing personal statement.

How to write a mental health nursing personal statement?

You need to remind yourself that you need to expect some revisions in writing your mental health nursing personal statement.

You should also know that this kind of statement will take a long time for you to make this statement as a high-quality statement and the following are sections that you can be guided on how to make your statement.

Start with who you are in your statement

This statement is your chance of telling the admissions officer what motivates you and your ambitions as a mental health nurse in the future.

This is where you should write your knowledge about nursing and healthcare which can help the admissions officer realize that you are worthy of being a nursing student.

When you know that you haven’t worked in a healthcare setting, you need to show that you have some idea about the work of a nurse in a healthcare setting which can help the admissions officer that you know what you are going to expect when you will graduate from this course.

When you have some experience in your healthcare setting, you need to indicate this experience and include every detail of your experience to make sure that the admissions officer will be impressed about your experience and make sure that you will have more experiences once you are inside the nursing course in the chosen college. 

It is also important that you need to be honest about your experiences and you are not allowed to exaggerate it too much since the admissions officer might think you are faking.

Although this doesn’t mean that you should be disappointed that you don’t have much experience in nursing and healthcare settings but you should be able to tell your admissions officer that you are able to know some things that are important in the healthcare setting.

Relevant experience and skills in mental health nursing

Every student is already equipped with some skills and experience that are needed in mental health nursing.

The following are some of the skills and qualities needed in mental health nurses:

• Communication – it is a crucial skill that every mental health nurse must have in the healthcare setting. The ability to deliver information in a concise and understandable manner with both colleagues, patients and their family. You could use examples from previous work to display this ability and maybe a troubling situation with a customer while working in a retail job that you managed to diffuse and resolve in your time.
•  Organisation – another essential skill is to maintain a structured routine in a very busy environment and typically under pressure. You should try to think of an experience where you have to deal with a stressful situation in an organized manner.

You can also talk about how well you can deal with busy schedules and how you can organize them in the proper manner and help yourself get the things that you need to get done and help yourself to your own personal time and some time with your family members thanks to your organisation skills that will become more useful when you get into mental health nursing

•  Advocacy – this is the active support of those in your mental health care. It’s a specific point in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code and you should address how you will be an advocate for your mental health patients when you become a mental health nurse in your personal statement.

You can also find some mental health nursing experiences when you had to take care of family members who had to go through a mental illness.

You don’t need to overdo much narrative in this part of your personal statement and you should be direct by writing in your personal statement the methods you used to take care of your family member.

You should also add some of your roles that you were involved in such as being a school council member or a union representative which shows that you have some experience in advocacy.

You should add some experiences that you might have that involves serving people for the sake of you wanting to help them. 

This can show the admissions officer that you have the willingness to help others and this starts by trying to work on people who you’re passionate to help.

You can also state the learnings you have gained when you’ve done these valuable experiences to show that you are willing to learn along the way when you help others and not only because you want to get some end goal in mind that might be selfish. 

Your ambitions and career goals in mental health nursing

You should expect that there will be competition when you will be sending your personal statement in mental health nursing .

You need to be clear about your goals and ambitions for this course to let the admissions officer know how much you will work hard for the goal.

You can even put the environment that you want to work in when you are finally a mental health nurse.

Also, ambitions and goals can give some insights that you want to graduate as an achiever and you will be expected to work hard for your goals such as participating in some programs that can help in increasing your experiences in this field.

What should you expect in a mental health nursing degree that you should imply in your mental health nursing personal statement?

You should expect some several practices that you are going to go through when you are reaching your goal as a mental health nurse.

This kind of knowledge should be placed in your personal statement to help the admissions officer know that you are prepared for anything that can occur in the course.

This kind of college course is challenging, especially if you have to jumble through some activities that you might be interested in such as extracurriculars and more.

You need to be ready about your clinical placements which can give you insights on how the job of this nurse will be done.

This kind of activity will show that you are starting to get ready for the job of a mental health nurse and you should show this excitement of going through the experience in the personal statement since it will show the admissions officer that you are interested in learning more about this field.

You should also expect other activities and that this kind of statement is only the beginning of your mental health nursing course such as the following:

• writing reports and essays to pass the grade
• carrying out research projects for mental health nursing
• lectures and seminars about mental health nursing
• practical demonstrations
• observing professional mental health nursing
• supervised practical mental health nursing

You should be expecting that you won’t get as much free time since you will have to do some studying for probably 20 hours and you also need to prepare for your clinical placement.

Why should I have a good mental health nursing personal statement?

You should make this kind of statement so that you can get in the college course that will make you enter into a career that is both fulfilling and satisfying for your budget.

You should know that this kind of job is not easy for most people who are already having these jobs.

However, you will get to do things that can make you satisfied about yourself and others.

You will feel fulfilled once you are able to treat someone from his or her distressing condition that tends to last a long time if not treated.

You will also be learning about methods that can help you assist people in the psychiatric ward which can make your life fulfilling since you have helped someone.

You will also be introduced to different seminars which will be administered by professionals in the field who have gone through years of experience in the field.

In regards to financial concerns, you can earn a lot with this kind of career since it is relevant to nursing as a medical career.

There is a high possibility that you will be earning £22k in the beginning. 

This kind of earning can gradually rise to £70k for those who go on to become consultants of this career.

The following are the topics that you will have to go through for this kind of college course:

• Introduction to clinical care as a module
• Physiology for health as a module
• Therapeutic approach and practice as a module
• Epidemiology
• Complex care
• Critical care
• Public health
• Planning patient care as a module

You will start this kind of career as an entry-level nurse as most fresh graduates.

You can find yourself working in the NHS for this kind of career since this kind of centre can help you be exposed to different kinds of care whether you might be assigned to community healthcare or primary healthcare.

Conclusion 

In this brief blog, we have talked about mental health nursing personal statement, the contents in the mental health nursing personal statement, the purpose of the mental health nursing personal statement, and more information about the mental health nursing personal statement.

If you have any questions about mental health nursing personal statement, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your queries.

FAQs: mental health nursing personal statement

What should a nursing personal statement include.

A nursing personal statement includes your strengths and how you visualize yourself in the future as a nurse.

This kind of content in this kind of statement will make it look to nursing admission tutors that you have a good picture about yourself as a nurse and make you a valuable candidate for the course.

How do you start a personal statement for nursing?

You can start a personal statement in nursing by being organised, show you comprehend the reality of being a nurse or midwife, show passion, start writing early, concentrate on your nursing field of choice whether you like to be in mental health or adult health, and write this kind of statement in a Word document then copy and paste it into UCAS when ready. 

What does a mental health nurse do?

A mental health nurse does organisation and giving support and nursing care to people who have different kinds of mental health complications.

This kind of nurse provides support people with anxiety, personality disorder, eating disorder, addiction or depression. 

What are the 6 C’s of nursing?

The 6 C’s of nursing are care, competence, compassion, courage, communication, and commitment.

These kinds of core values in this kind of medical professional make it more likely that most people would go through this kind of college course. 

How do you begin a personal statement?

You can begin a personal statement by writing a memorable opening.

You need to visualize the moment you decided to study your degree and the things that you are passionate about the course, and you shouldn’t directly about what you want to do but display this visualization in the first line.

Nurses.co.uk. How to write a personal statement for a nursing course application.

UCAS. Nursing.

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Mental health nursing personal statement example 2.

I work in an NHS hospital and have been a Health Care Assistant for over five years. During this time, I have helped different clientele groups in the health care industry. I have looked after people with drug abuse, alcohol abuse, substance abuse problems and clients with depression.

My duties include; observation, writing care plans, interacting with them, escorting clients when they go shopping, ward rounds with panel of healthcare professionals, serving food, helping them with personal care, assisting the nurse in charge with observation on their medication, encouraging some of the clients on withdrawal to interact with others for group therapy.

This has given me the chance to realise how my services are needed in the health sector and has inspired me to further my training to become a mental health nurse. I feel the need to help all the people in our society

I am currently studying Access to Health Studies with the hope of going to university. I am enjoying studying different modules; psychology, numeracy, human biology, health and drugs, communication, IT and research.

All the above subjects need a lot of time spent within the college and outside. They involve a lot of preparation on assignments and research, a lot of planning and time management to complete.

I am finding the above subjects to be helpful with my future career. I have visited a website on the Internet on careers' guidance and after doing their IQ test mental health came on top as my chosen career. I was delighted with the result of this IQ test. Being an adult student, I had to contend with going back to college.

At first I thought it was going to be difficult and how was I going to cope with sitting at a desk after a long time without studying. I did sit down with my wife and we talked about it and to my surprise she was very supportive, which made it much easier for me for a start.

How was I going to cope with assignments, done on time, handing them in on time? I did find it very challenging but it has helped me to put time management, planning and preparation in place, which has given me a foundation for university next year

I find it helpful going out at weekends after a long week. I enjoy nightlife; going clubbing with friends and my classmates. I like watching football and one of my clients I work with enjoys watching football so every other weekend I take him to watch Watford, when they are playing at home. I also support cricket and I am learning to score.

Profile info

There is no profile associated with this personal statement, as the writer has requested to remain anonymous.

This personal statement is unrated

Related Personal Statements

This is a pretty good.

Tue, 25/05/2010 - 04:54

This is a pretty good personal statement but I don't think telling them that you like to go clubbing makes you look very serious or professional.

too many lists!

Thu, 11/09/2014 - 09:48

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• v.15(2); 2022

Existential Well-being, Mental Health, and COVID-19: Reconsidering the Impact of Lockdown Stressors in Moscow

Anastasia y. klimochkina.

a HSE University, Moscow, Russia

Elena V. Nekhorosheva

b Moscow City University, Moscow, Russia

Daria A. Kasatkina

Initial psychological papers on COVID-19, mental health and wellbeing mostly focus on the aftermath lockdown-related stress and stress related to the disease itself. Still, we presume that personal well-being can be resistant to stressors depending on the way the person is settled in their life.

We seek to reconsider the contribution of lockdown-related stressors to existential well-being, to assess existential well-being during the outbreak and to compare the contribution of living conditions and COVID-19-related factors on well-being.

An online survey was conducted during the peak of the outbreak in Moscow (April-May 2020) (N=880). The data was obtained using the “Test of Existential Motivations” questionnaire and a series of questions addressing (1) living conditions — mental and physical health, employment, and social distancing; (2) COVID-19-related stressors — non-chronic illness, financial losses, and unavailability of goods or services; (3) sociodemographic indicators — age, gender, and income. Data analysis included hierarchical multiple regression, one-sample t-test, and analysis of variance.

Surprisingly, the existential well-being of Moscow citizens during the research period was moderate. Each of the three groups of factors predicted a similar proportion of the variance of well-being (3-3,9%). The strongest predictors of well-being were long-term mental health status and financial stability. The effect of COVID-19-related stressors was most pronounced when they co-occur.

The negative association between lockdown-related stressors and poor well-being is not universal. It is necessary to study the effect of COVID-19-related stressors in combination with individual living conditions and region-specific factors and to focus on the prevention of the occurrence of stressors.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic generated social and psychological changes globally. Mental health specialists have been registering various behavioral and psychological challenges, such as hoarding behavior, emotional eating, dependencies, anxiety, and depression ( Banerjee, 2020 ; Barcın-Güzeldere, 2022 ; Rajkumar, 2020 ; Talevi et al., 2020 ; Zandifar & Badrfam, 2020 ). The negative impact of the pandemic on mental health was observed during various “waves” of the pandemic and was considered more harmful than other stressful events ( Olff et al., 2021 ). Some researchers noticed a delayed or cumulative effect of the pandemic on people’s well-being (Zacher and Rudolph, 2020).

Many scientists have stated that the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, and situational factors such as harsh security measures, self-isolation, fear of being infected, a lack of relevant information, loneliness, boredom, and financial troubles, negatively affected people’s mental health ( Capuzzi et al., 2020 ; Newby et al., 2020 ; Rajkumar, 2020 ; Satici et al., 2020 ; Tian et al., 2020 ; Yıldırım et al., 2020 ). Though many scholars observed similar mental health issues across different countries, the effects of lockdown on well-being differed. Ausín et al. (2021), comparing Spanish and Russian general populations, stated that loneliness and alienation, as a tendency to gain social support from family only, were more pronounced among the Russian population.

Some researchers have highlighted that a person’s lifestyle and level of life satisfaction before the onset of COVID-19 could predict how they would feel during the pandemic ( Hoffman, 2020 ; Trzebiński et al., 2020 ; Yang, 2020 ). Sutin et al. (2020) noted that people remain resilient in the face of catastrophic events despite the stress they cause, at least in the short term.

We aim to reconsider the contribution of lockdown-related stressors to the level of existential well-being. Our goal was to compare the contributions of long-term and short-term (lockdown-related) factors affecting self-reported existential well-being, and to assess the level of Muscovites’ well-being during the most stressful period of the pandemic. We hypothesized that, despite initial studies of the psychological effects of the pandemic, long-term factors were more significant for existential wellbeing than short-term stressors and that the well-being of the participants would not be poor.

COVID-19 in Russia: Background

COVID-19 began to spread in Russia at the end of January 2020 (Mankoff, 2020). Lockdown restrictions varied from region to region and according to morbidity levels. In Moscow, which has a registered population of around 12.5 million, a high-alert regime was imposed on March 5 th , while the morbidity was still low (Moscow Government, 2020a). Moscow residents were obliged to inform the authorities of their condition and self-isolate for 14 days after returning from abroad. The authorities canceled all public events with over 5,000 participants. By March 12 th , there were 25 new cases in Moscow and the Moscow Region, compared with 45,000 cases with 4,917 deaths worldwide.

A strict lockdown was introduced in Moscow on April 15 th ( Moscow Government, 2020b ). Following this, residents were required to stay at home or use a digital pass for any travel. A shortage problem and a temporary price increase occurred for certain goods, including medicines, medical masks, and antiseptics. Temporary hospitals were opened. Students began to study online.

Morbidity reached its height by May 7 th , with 6,703 new cases and 39 deaths in Moscow and 842 new cases and 15 deaths in the Moscow Region. Moscow authorities introduced one-time payments to support families with children, pensioners, and the unemployed and provided a COVID-19 hotline on the Moscow Mayor’s official webpage. Most employees started to work remotely ( Nekhorosheva et al., 2020 ), and business tax holidays were introduced.

By June 9 th , the morbidity level in Moscow decreased to 1,500 new cases and 12 deaths, compared with 7.3 million global cases, with a daily increase of 124,700 cases and 32,474 deaths. Moscow authorities gradually put an end to lockdown restrictions and canceled digital passes, many small businesses and services reopened.

Understanding Mental Health and Well-being: An Existential Approach

Well-being is a core concept in mental health science. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2001, 2018), mental health is both absence of mental disorders and a state of emotional, mental, and behavioral well-being that allows for adaptation to everyday life. Mental health implies the ability to deal with the stressors of daily life, fulfill one’s potential, and work fruitfully (WHO, 2013). The pandemic has drastically altered several societal fundamentals, such as security of life, reliability of public institutions, and freedom of movement and communication. We take an existential approach to assessing these fundamental changes. Existential models allow us to consider the psychological characteristics of a person’s quality of life by assessing their interaction with external life circumstances ( Längle, 1993 ; Längle & Klaassen, 2019 ).

Anxiety about one’s mortality (death anxiety) is a fundamental concept in existential psychology ( Frankl, 1992 ; Yalom, 1980 , 2008), which is thrust to the forefront of our minds due to awareness of the threat posed by the virus. For example, Tomaszek and Muchacka-Cymerman (2020) studied the mediating effect of existential anxiety and life satisfaction on the relationship between PTSD symptoms and post-traumatic growth during the pandemic. Existential psychology understands wellbeing as fulfillment, perceiving life as good, having inner consent to life’s conditions and limitations, and choosing an authentic way of life ( Längle, 2003 ). An existentially prosperous person can cope with everyday tasks, build warm relations with themselves and others, have healthy emotions, be authentic and productive, and make meaningful contributions to the future ( Längle, 2011 , 2014).

Theoretical Model: Three Groups of Factors Impacting Existential Well-being During COVID-19

Applying an existential approach, we identified three groups of factors that could predict the psychological fallout of lockdown.

The first group includes the sociodemographic features that influence social status and living conditions — age, gender, monthly household income. According to researchers, females, children, adolescents, and the elderly are prone to anxious or depressive reactions during the pandemic ( Brooks et al., 2020 ; Fernández-Castillo et al., 2021 ; Inchausti et al., 2020 ; Rajkumar, 2020 ; Yenan Wang et al., 2020 ). Women who have experienced traumatic events are more likely to develop anxiety symptoms ( Cai et al., 2021 ; Remes et al., 2016 ). Women and the elderly were more open to help-seeking behavior ( MacKenzie et al., 2008 ; Mojtabai et al., 2002 ). Researchers stress the differences in “socially acceptable methods of coping with stress and care-seeking rates for mental disorders between men and women” ( Cabrera-Mendoza et al., 2020 , p. 68). People with lower incomes could suffer from fear and stigmatization ( Tian et al., 2020 ). All this justifies the inclusion of this group of factors into the model as control variables.

The second group refers to ongoing living conditions and individual way of life. It includes (1) mental health status (diagnosed psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety), (2) physical health status (chronic physical conditions such as hypertension, lung disease, and heart disease), (3) working status (employment of any type, or non-working status including being a housewife, student, or pensioner), and (4) self-isolation or social distancing (the degree of changes in personal daily life and behavior caused by the lockdown restrictions).

Tian et al. (2020) demonstrated that employment, financial problems, lower levels of education, and migrant status had affected the mental health of Chinese citizens, while mental health literacy among Chinese college students was associated with lower stress and anxiety levels ( Hu et al., 2021 ). The impact of poor health conditions, specifically diagnosed mental disorders, has been noted in COVID-19 studies in different countries ( Newby et al., 2020 ). The relevance of self-isolation behavior has also been widely discussed (Rubin & Wessely, 2020; Taylor, 2019 ). For example, Talevi et al. (2020) found that increased length and severity of quarantine was associated with increased anxiety, depression, coping strategies, and stigmatization.

Situational stressors constitute the third group of factors in our model. A psychological stressor is a “life situation that creates an unusual or intense level of stress that may contribute to the development or aggravation of mental disorders, illness, or maladaptive behavior” ( VandenBos, 2015 , p. 1204). We study the following situational COVID-19-related stressors: health, financial complications, and lockdown.

The first stressor is becoming infected with COVID-19 or having a family member infected. Fear of death, loss of loved ones, damage to health, and lack of information (the so-called “headline stress disorders’’) can provoke a stress reaction. People diagnosed with COVID-19 experienced different mental outcomes depending on the severity of the disease and quarantine conditions — from anxiety, shame, and stigmatization ( Tian et al., 2020 ), to post-traumatic stress symptoms ( Bo et al., 2020 ). People who did not suffer COVID-19 experienced the emergence of defensive mechanisms, panic, and various anxiety-related reactions due to abundant or controversial reports about regarding virus and the epidemiological situation ( Cuiyan Wang et al., 2020 ; Dong & Zheng, 2020 ; Zandifar & Badrfam, 2020 ).

The second stressor is the economic crisis which creates financial losses, unemployment, and unpredictability. This stressor leads to social fears, xenophobia, detachment, anxiety, and depressive disorders ( Banerjee, 2020 ; Talevi et al., 2020 ).

The third stressor is the lockdown itself, manifested in restrictions, loss of freedom, social distancing, lack of social contacts, routine changes, and inaccessibility of some basic supplies. It triggers various feelings (anger, irritation, confusion, anxiety, loneliness), post-traumatic stress symptoms, and other severe psychological and behavioral deviations, such as suicidality, dependencies, and somatization ( Banerjee, 2020 ; Bo et al., 2020 ; Brooks et al., 2020 ; Inchausti et al., 2020 ; Roy et al., 2020 ; Talevi et al., 2020 ; Yenan Wang et al., 2020 ).

This study aims to assess the existential well-being of Muscovites during the lockdown period and compare the contribution of the participants’ living conditions and COVID-19-related factors on well-being. We hypothesized that factors relating to long-term and ongoing life events would have a more significant impact on existential well-being than short-term stressors and that the participants’ well-being would not be poor.

In order to test this hypothesis, we compared the unique contributions of two groups of factors (ongoing living conditions and situational COVID-19-related stressors) towards levels of existential well-being, while controlling sociodemographic variables. The factors were structured so as to compare the relevance of long-term dispositions and short-term stressors in the same areas of life: (1) health, (2) work, and (3) state of social distancing during the pandemic. Each factor is treated as an independent variable, while the dependent variable is existential fulfillment as a measure of well-being ( Shumskiy et al., 2017 ; Shumskiy & Klimochkina, 2018 ).

We used a cross-sectional research design. The quantitative data was collected using verbal questionnaires based on self-reports. The survey was conducted online due to lockdown restrictions.

Participants

The raw sample consisted of 1839 unique answers, before the following exclusion criteria were applied:

• Agreement for the processing of personal data.
• No missing data (all fields were filled).
• Using the answer “prefer not to say” in the question about monthly family income.

The final sample consisted of 880 participants (9.2% male, 90.8% female; M age = 39.55 years, SD = 10.33, range = 17–75 years) (see Table 1 ).

Sample characteristics (N=880)

The average monthly family income (50 000–100 000 RUB 1 ) was reported by 47.5% of respondents, 29.5% reported a subsistence level of income for a two-person family living in Moscow (< 50 000 RUB), 23% had a high level of income (> 100 000 RUB). The respondents exhibited good health: only 4% had been diagnosed with neuropsychological conditions (depression, anxiety, or other) at the time of the survey; 33% had chronic physical conditions (heart disease, lung disease, or other). Concerning working status, most were employed (70%), while 30% were non-working, including housewives, students, pensioners, and persons with disabilities. As for self-isolation status, 68% maintained a reasonable degree of self-isolation, 8% supported all restrictive prescriptions, and 24% reported they had not changed their routine during the pandemic. Respondents faced the following COVID-19-related stressors: 3% fell ill themselves (any infection) or had a family member fal ill; 30% faced a decrease in earnings or job loss; 41% faced the unavailability of goods, medicines, or services during the lockdown.

The study was approved by the Psychological and Pedagogical Research Ethics Committee (PPREC) of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of Education (Moscow City University) on 01/04/2020. The online questionnaire was made on the Survey-Monkey platform. The participants were provided with the web-link sent through urban parental and professional communities (such as academic, pedagogical, medical, and law enforcement communities) using social networks and messengers. Participation in this study was voluntary and anonymous. Participants were also asked to provide electronic consent for the processing of personal data.

The target sample was used, in accordance with the target audience — Muscovites (“living in Moscow”). According to the Federal State Statistics Service, 12.6 million people were living in Moscow by 2020. With the sample reliability of 99%, our sample size ( N= 880) was sufficient. Also, it was important to represent people of different gender, age, occupation, and social status, as well as to comprehensively cover the working part of the city’s population, since changes in the working status and income were expected to be one of the consequences of the pandemic.

The survey was conducted from April 19 th to May 18 th , during the time when citizens were obliged to use digital passes, avoid public places (including schools and kindergartens), wear medical masks, and maintain self-isolation. Most of the data was collected during the first COVID-19 wave in Moscow (from April 27 th to May 3 rd ), when restrictions were tightest.

Statistical analysis

We used R-studio and SPSS software to perform the statistical analysis:

• One-sample t-test to examine the difference between the sample mean and the standard TEM values for the Russian population.
• Hierarchical multiple regression to explore the relationship between existential well-being as a dependent variable and the three groups of independent variables: (1) sociodemographic indicators (as controlled variables), (2) ongoing life conditions, and (3) COVID-19-related stressors. Variables were included in each of the groups of factors in accordance with the theoretical model. This analysis allowed us to measure the contribution of COVID-19-related stressors against the long-term living conditions of the respondents. Thus, we could test the claim of whether COVID-19-related stressors had a universally harmful effect, and identify the stressors to which respondents were most sensitive.
• ANOVA was used to further refine the relationship between categorical variables (and their interactions) and existential well-being.

Questionnaires

Existential well-being was measured using the Test of Existential Motivations questionnaire (TEM) ( Shumskiy et al., 2017 ) based on Längle’s theory of four fundamental existential motivations ( Längle, 2016 ). The questionnaire consisted of 36 items (24 were reverse-scored and 12 straight), 4 subscales (with 9 items in each scale), and one summarizing indicator. Each item was assessed using a Likert scale over a range of 1 to 4, where 1 = “ strongly disagree ”, 2 = “ disagree ”, 3 = “ agree ”, and 4 = “ strongly agree ”. Each subscale represented the prerequisites for existential fulfillment — fundamental motivations (FM): 1 FM referred to fundamental trust; 2 FM referred to the fundamental value of life; 3 FM referred to the authenticity and fundamental self-value, and 4 FM referred to the meaning of life. Due to the need for further confirmation of the factor structure of the questionnaire subscales, this study used only an aggregated indicator of existential well-being.

Other variables were evaluated by direct questions:

• Sociodemographic characteristics were assessed using questions on matters of gender, age, and family monthly income. The option “prefer not to say” was available for the question regarding income.
• Mental health status: “Do you have any clinically diagnosed mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder, or other clinically diagnosed mental disorder?” (1 = yes , 0 = no ).
• Physical health status: “Do you have any clinically diagnosed chronic physical disorders, such as hypertonic disease, diabetes, heart diseases, lung disease (including asthma, COPD, etc.), oncological diseases, disability, or mobility limitation, or other clinically diagnosed chronic diseases or vulnerable states?” (1 = yes , 0 = no ).
• Working status: “Are you currently employed?” (1 = yes , 0 = no ).
• Social distancing status: “How would you describe your current routine during lockdown?” Respondents were asked to choose from three options: (1) “I am on strict self-isolation or quarantine, I don’t leave home and follow all the authorities’ guidance”; (2) “I can leave home if necessary, following authorities’ guidance on self-isolation and social distancing”; (3) “I am moving freely around the city, and nothing has changed in my daily routine”.
• Situational COVID-19-related stressors were measured with the question: “For the last seven days, have you experienced any of the following?”: (1) “I or my family members have become ill (any illness) and/or had to see a doctor” (1 = yes , 0 = no ); (2) “financial loss, a reduction in earnings or job loss” (1 = yes , 0 = no ); (3) “the unavailability of goods, medicines or services” (1 = yes , 0 = no ).

We used a one-sample t-test to examine the difference between the sample mean and the value established by the norms of the TEM test for the total Russian population, including Moscow (see Table 2 ).

Summary of One Sample T-Test for the Level of Existential Well-being (fulfillment)

Note. *** p < 0.00

The mean in the Moscow sample during the lockdown period turned out to be significantly higher than TEM norms. Although the difference was significant, its effect size was relatively small (Cohen’s d = 0.249).

We used hierarchical multiple regression to explore the relationship between existential well-being as a dependent variable and the three groups of independent variables (see Table 3 ).

Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analysis Estimating the Level of Existential Well-being (N = 880)

Note. a 0 = male, 1 = female. b 0 = subsistence level, 1 = middle level, 2 = high level. c 0 = no diagnosed conditions, 1 = have diagnosed conditions. d 0 = non-working, 1 = working/employed. e 0 = no self-isolation/distancing, 1 = strict self-isolation, 2 = reasonable distancing. f 0 = no stressful situations 1 = faced illness. g 0 = no stressful situations 1 = faced financial loss or job loss. h 0 = no stressful situations 1 = faced unavailability of goods or services. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001

Categorical variables with multiple categories were transformed into dummy variables. Three models were created with factors added sequentially to each model, while controlling the previous ones. The fourth model was the most complete due to the inclusion of the interaction of the variables; it was created to achieve maximum model fit.

The coefficients of determination show that all three groups of factors predict a similar proportion of the variance in the measured well-being (ΔR-squared model 1 = .039, ΔR-squared model 2 = .035, ΔR-squared model 3 = .033). However, the most complete model explains 11.4% of the variance in existential well-being. Adjusted coefficients of determination make it possible to compare models, since they consider the number of explanatory variables and the number of observations. We see that the fourth model, which considers the interaction of stressors, is the most accurate of the four presented models (Adjusted R-squared = .101).

The models allow us to estimate the significance of each factor. In the first group of factors, age and household monthly income were statistically significant. In the second group, working status was significantly positively related to well-being, while health conditions were negatively related. The negative effects of mental diseases were greater than those of physical diseases. Social distancing caused by the lockdown was not significant as a separate variable nor in its interaction with others. Problems caused by a job loss or a reduction in earnings and lockdown-related stressors were statistically significant.

Standardized regression coefficients allow us to compare the strength of the effect of each independent variable to the dependent variable. Based on the most complete model, the negative factors had the greatest effect: mental health status ( β = –.16), financial stressors ( β = –.15), and interaction of health stressors and lockdown stressors ( β = –.14).

The interaction of variables was discovered by a combination of two stressors. The unavailability of goods or services moderated the connection between illness in the family and existential well-being. Increasing the moderator increased the effect of the predictor: having an ill family member did not produce a significant effect if the respondent could receive all the necessary assistance and medicines; but when these two stressors co-occurred, a significant decrease in well-being level was revealed.

ANOVA was used to determine whether the explanatory variables and their interactions were related to the dependent variable. The relevance of income appeared to be most prominent when comparing the difference between respondents who had a high household income and those whose income was close to the subsistence level ( F = 11.186, p Tukey = < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.449). Respondents with higher income levels report a higher level of well-being, even during the pandemic. Upon comparison of groups by physical health status, no significant differences in well-being were observed ( F = 0.354, p = .552, Cohen’s d = 0.043), while mental health had a greater effect ( F = 28.465, p = < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.976). Working status was also a significant factor ( F = 13.226, p = < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.267). The analysis of variance showed that being employed was associated with existential well-being, regardless of the respondent’s social status and income. Respondents who faced financial difficulties during the final week of lockdown more clearly demonstrated lower well-being ( F = 24.183, p = < .001, Cohen’s d = –0.365).

Assessing the existential well-being

The average of the Muscovites’ well-being during the lockdown was higher than the average TEM test scores as calculated for the general Russian population during an ordinary period. We assume either that initially high existential well-being in Moscow decreased during the pandemic but remained higher than in the whole of Russia, or that the existential well-being had not decreased at all. It is possible that the wellbeing of citizens has not declined due to changes brought about by the pandemic. Several other studies conducted in Russia at the beginning of the pandemic give further grounds for such an assumption.

Rasskazova et al. (2020) compared the well-being level between a group of 409 healthy adults in the period from April 17 th to April 26 th 2020, and three samples of 98, 66, and 293 people who completed the same tests (Satisfaction with Life Scale and Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences) in 2017 and 2019. Their results showed no differences between groups in the level of life satisfaction, although the intensity of positive emotions decreased. Some studies in other countries show similar data. The longitudinal study by Fernández-Abascal and Martín-Díaz (2021) comparing the level of well-being of Spanish adults throughout different weeks (a typical week, the week before the lockdown, and a week during the lockdown). They reviewed no progressive decrease of psychological well-being in either gender group over time. At the same time, the authors note that positive affects progressively decrease, while negative affects remain stable without increasing over time.

However, the results of global studies on well-being at the start of the pandemic remain conflicting. For example, Zhang et al. (2020) collected data on the well-being of 2231 adults living in 454 counties across 48 states in the US where the severity of the pandemic varied. The research was based on an analysis of Twitter profiles and tweets posted between April 1 st and April 24 th . They found that pandemic severity gave rise to negative affects in adults (such as feeling scared, hostile, and nervous) rather than positive affects (such as excitement and enthusiasm), and the relationship between pandemic severity and the negative affects was moderated by personality and family connectedness. An Australian study by van Agteren et al. (2020) , comparing the level of well-being (Satisfaction with Life Scale and MHC-SF), stress, and anxiety during the lockdown period, between March-April 2020, with the same indicators used from February 2019 to February 2020, showed that well-being and resilience were significantly lower during the period of the pandemic. In a study of Italian population stress and well-being during the pandemic, Rania & Coppola (2021) observed a decrease in well-being and mental health, regardless of gender differences and of whether or not participants had had direct contact with the virus.

We can see that the research results are not consistent due to the complexity of the phenomenon of well-being, a variety of measuring instruments, and the differences in lockdown conditions in different countries (and even within regions of one country). Thus, the conclusions about the greater or lesser significance of lockdown stressors cannot be universal.

If the level of well-being of Moscow citizens did not decrease, what could have determined its sustainability at the beginning of the pandemic? Under the existential approach, the absence of a decline may indicate the resistance of this form of well-being to situational changes. According to Längle (1993) , existential fulfillment is the result of living with “inner consent”. During the measurement period, many residents had hope that the pandemic would recede in the summer and the stressors could seem like a challenge requiring a personal response. Lockdown created a new personal experience in many ways. Many residents began to pay more attention to their interests and communication with loved ones. These factors could support the inner consent and may have contributed to sustainability of existential well-being.

This result may also have occurred due to sample specifics. Moscow is a prosperous and wealthy city with an advanced social support system that had introduced additional support measures during the pandemic. It is possible that the citizen’s wellbeing in Moscow was higher before the pandemic and decreased under its influence but remained higher than in Russia as a whole. Clarification of this result provides an opportunity for future research.

Also, Pervichko et al. (2020) indicate that many Russians perceived COVID-19 as a “disease of the elite” at the beginning of pandemic. They believed that those affected were people who have opportunity to travel abroad (the entry route of the virus to Russia) and spend more time in informal communication, not limited by social distancing. The authors report that 38% of participants think the danger of COVID-19 is exaggerated.

Finally, the participants of the online studies can be assigned specific characteristics: they are socially active, well adapted to the online space and stay more connected to others. These factors are common for all online research ( Payne & Barnfather, 2011 ), but during self-isolation, the opportunity to communicate online could significantly support the well-being of participants. However, clarifying the actual impact of these limitations requires testing additional hypotheses in future research.

The effects of COVID-19-related stressors

We aimed to assess the impact of specific pandemic-related difficulties on Moscow citizens’ existential well-being. Ongoing living conditions and COVID-19-related stressors did not affect well-being as we expected. All groups of factors showed approximately equal statistical significance but had relatively weak explanatory power regarding existential well-being. Thus, both COVID-19-related stressors and ongoing living conditions predict well-being to a certain extent, but other factors were not measured in this study. This result emphasizes the importance of not neglecting both factors for predicting well-being: understanding the way a person is settled in life at a basic level is just as important as information about the difficulties that a person faced during the specific crisis.

Among the variables included in the group of long-term ongoing factors, the most significant was mental health. This result shows the crucial importance of taking a person’s mental state into account in well-being research. This finding is consistent with other studies, revealing that participants with self-reported mental health diagnoses had significantly higher distress, health anxiety, and fears of COVID-19 than those without a mental health diagnosis ( Newby et al., 2020 ). However, given the small number (N = 31) of respondents diagnosed with mental conditions in our sample, this contrast should be treated with caution.

The most significant of the studied stressors were financial losses (a reduction in earnings or job loss) in the final week of lockdown and the co- occurrence of two stressors — illness and the unavailability of necessary services and medicines.

The importance of stable employment in times of change is shown. Similar results are discussed by Blustein and Guarino (2020) : job loss provokes existential anxiety that has psychological consequences. Prime et al. (2020) emphasize that financial stability is one of the conditions for maintaining a safe living environment and therefore crucial for subjective well-being. From an existential-psychological perspective, support, a protected private space, reliability, and confidence in the future are prerequisites for well-being.

The discovered interaction of two stressors is interesting for the field of social welfare planning. Any physical illness that the respondent or someone in their family suffered from during the pandemic caused a decrease in well-being when social insecurity co-occurred with the instance of poor health. In such circumstances, growing stress can occur due to the unavailability of social services or the lack of access to necessary goods. Namely, Muscovites experienced temporal unavailability of free medical care for non-COVID-19 patients due to extreme congestion in hospitals. This combination of stressors is negatively related to existential well-being. This result can be used by social services to provide citizens with the necessary support.

The study allows us to reconsider the impact of COVID-19-related stressors. In the context of the pandemic in Moscow during the first wave, we see a moderately high level of existential well-being and a moderate connection between existential well-being and COVID-related stressors when other factors are controlled. We may conclude that the impact of lockdown stressors is not universal. It varies according to region, living conditions, the severity of the lockdown, the dynamics of the pandemic, and cultural specifics.

The results may also vary depending on the measurement specifics of well-being. We assume that existential well-being can be resilient to rapid social changes, as it is more determined by internal factors like the ability to find meaning.

The existential well-being of the Moscow citizens during the first wave of the pandemic was affected by both the ongoing living conditions and COVID-19-related stressors (while sociodemographic variables were controlled). Thus, it is fruitful to use a comprehensive approach to measure the COVID-19-related stressors’ effect on well-being and is insufficient to consider only the frequency of exposure to stressful situations.

We discovered that a combination of COVID-19-related stressors (facing unavailability of goods, medicine, or services while falling ill or having a sick family member) was associated with poor well-being, while facing these situations separately did not produce a significant decline in well-being.

These results can find practical application in planning programs to support socially unprotected categories of citizens and in the work of social welfare services.

Limitations

This research has been restricted by the unbalanced sample due to the research procedure (voluntary online survey), where female participants of the active middle age with access to the internet prevailed. It should also be noted that the research was carried out among Moscow citizens, thus the conclusions about the greater or lesser significance of lockdown stressors cannot be universal.

1 100 000 RUB ≈ 1300 USD (for 2020–2021)

Ethics Statement

All subjects gave informed consent for the sharing of their data before taking part in the study. This research obtained ethical approval by Dr. Alexey M. Dvoinin, Chair of the Psychological and Pedagogical Research Ethics Committee (PPREC) of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of Education (Moscow City University) 01/04/2020.

Author Contributions

Elena Nekhorosheva conceived the idea, developed the design and questionnaire, selected the research methods, and provided data collection. Anastasia Klimochkina contributed to the theoretical review, development of the theoretical model, performed data analysis and description of results. Daria Kasatkina contributed to the questionnaire development, theoretical review, and editorial work. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Stephen A. Bergdahl

Psychologist , phd.

My Practice at a Glance

Educational & Psychological Services

316 South Jefferson Street

Moscow, ID 83843

• Individual Sessions $149
• Couple Sessions $149
• Sliding scale: apply if you may be eligible
• BlueCross and BlueShield
• First Choice Health | FCH

Qualifications

• Verified by Psychology Today Licensed by State of Idaho / PSY-203202 Stephen A. Bergdahl
• In Practice for 7 Years
• Attended California School of Professional Psychology-Fresno , Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology , Graduated 2017

Specialties and Expertise

Top specialties.

• Testing and Evaluation
• Bipolar Disorder
• Developmental Disorders
• Education and Learning Disabilities
• Intellectual Disability
• Life Transitions
• Relationship Issues
• School Issues
• Sleep or Insomnia
• Spirituality
• Trauma and PTSD
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Client Focus

Participants, treatment approach, types of therapy.

• Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)
• Attachment-based
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
• Emotionally Focused
• Gottman Method
• Integrative
• Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)
• Motivational Interviewing
• Positive Psychology
• Psychodynamic
• Psychological Testing and Evaluation
• Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)
• Trauma Focused

Primary Location

Nearby areas.

• Lewiston, ID
• Pullman, WA

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I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility

If you are inadmissible to the United States and are seeking an immigrant visa, adjustment of status, certain nonimmigrant statuses, or certain other immigration benefits, you must file this form to seek a waiver of certain grounds of inadmissibility. Please refer to the instructions to determine whether you should use this form.

You must submit all 11 pages.

Forms and Document Downloads

Form I-601 (PDF, 600.79 KB)

Instructions for Form I-601 (PDF, 490.51 KB)

Flowchart: Filing Certain Waivers of Inadmissibility (PDF, 578.67 KB)

Form Details

04/01/24 . You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.

If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.

If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions . 

The filing location depends on the immigration benefit you are seeking. To view a complete list of addresses, go to our  Direct Filing Addresses  page.

You can find the filing fee for Form I-601 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.

Through Sept. 30, 2024, there is no fee to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status , on the basis of classification as an Afghan special immigrant, or for any associated biometric services or to file an associated Form I-601.

Through Sept. 30, 2024, there is no fee to file Form I-601 individually with an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative , filed with USCIS in the United States for an Afghan national (beneficiary) who has a visa immediately available.

You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check or  pay by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions . If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request.   If you pay by credit card or debit card, you cannot later dispute the payment. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.

If you are submitting multiple forms, pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.

Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-601. The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your forms.  Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations.

If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

Did you provide the following?

• Evidence that establishes why you may qualify for a waiver of inadmissibility, which depends on the ground(s) of inadmissibility that apply to you and should include evidence to show why we should grant you a waiver of inadmissibility as a matter of discretion. 
• If applying for a waiver that requires you to a showing of extreme hardship to a spouse, parent, son, or daughter of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you must submit evidence establishing the family relationship and evidence that shows the denial of admission would result in extreme hardship to your qualifying relative.
• If you are a VAWA self-petitioner seeking a waiver for immigration fraud or misrepresentation, you may show how the denial of admission would result in extreme hardship to your qualifying relatives or yourself. 
• Evidence to support a waiver for inadmissibility due to a communicable disease of public health significance (if applicable).
• Evidence to support your request for a vaccination exemption (if applicable).
• Evidence to support a waiver of inadmissibility due to physical or mental disorder and associated harmful behavior (if applicable).
• Evidence to support a waiver of criminal grounds of inadmissibility found in INA section 212(a)(2) (if applicable)
• Evidence to support waiver for immigration fraud or misrepresentation (if applicable).
• Evidence to support a waiver for inadmissibility because of your membership in a totalitarian party (if applicable).
• Evidence to support a waiver for inadmissibility due to alien smuggling (if applicable).
• Evidence to support a waiver of inadmissibility due to being the subject of a civil penalty under INA section 212(a)(6)(F) (if applicable).
• Evidence to support a waiver of the 3-or 10-year unlawful presence bar under INA section 212(a)(9)(B)(v) (if applicable).
• If you are a TPS applicant, evidence that a waiver is warranted. 
• Evidence that you warrant a waiver of inadmissibility based on factors that would be considered if you were seeking consent to reapply if you are seeking adjustment of status under NACARA section 202 or HRIFA section 902, and inadmissible under INA section 212(a)(9)(A) or (C). 
• Evidence that shows connection between the battery or extreme cruelty that is the basis for the VAWA claim and the self-petitioner’s removal, departure from the United States, reentry or re-entries into the United States, or attempted reentry into the United States if you are an approved VAWA self-petitioner or child of an approved VAWA self-petitioner and inadmissible under INA section 212(a)(9)(C)(i).   
• Evidence to support waiver if you are an applicant for adjustment of status as a Special Immigrant Juvenile (if applicable).

Filing Tips for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility

Complete  all sections  of the form. We will reject the form if these fields are missing:

• Family Name
• Mailing Address
• Date of Birth

Filing Tips:  Review our  Tips for Filing Forms by Mail  page for information on how to ensure we will accept your form.

Don’t forget to sign your form.  We will reject any unsigned form.

E-Notification:  If you want to receive an e-mail and/or text message that we have accepted your form at a USCIS lockbox, complete  Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance  and clip it to the first page of your form. 

Fee Waiver:  We will accept a fee waiver request from:

• A VAWA self-petitioner;
• An applicant for a T visa;
• A battered spouse or child of a lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen;
• An applicant for Temporary Protected Status;
• A Special Immigrant Juvenile; or
• Any other noncitizen for whom  a determination of their likelihood of becoming a public charge under section 212(a)(4) is not required at the time of their application for admission or adjustment of status.

Please see our Fee Waiver page for more information.

• Centralized Filing and Adjudication for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
• Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility