The Difference Between a Mental Health Support Worker and a Disability Support Worker

At Animo, we specialise in providing compassionate mental health support services – in fact, it’s all we do! 

Knowing the difference between a mental health support worker and a disability support worker is crucial for anyone looking for a bit of clarity within the broad field of support work. 

If you’ve been looking for a support worker and you think that a mental health support worker might be better suited for you, these are the key differences you should keep in mind whilst on your search! 

What is a mental health support worker? 

Our team of mental health support workers at Animo focus on assisting individuals with mental health issues. This can be anything from anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and absolutely anything in between. 

Our mental health support workers aim to empower clients to reach their wellbeing goals by offering them emotional support, assistance getting out into the community and guidance to help them manage their conditions. Mental health support workers work alongside you to help you reach your goals and improve your wellbeing – whatever that looks like for you. 

Our team of mental health support workers can help you with a range of tasks, but there are some things we can’t do too. We can get you out into the community, go for a coffee, help you with your groceries or go to an exhibition with you. We don’t do personal care and we can’t administer your medications. 

What about a disability support worker?

Disability support workers typically help individuals who have physical disabilities. Their responsibilities differ slightly to ours at Animo. Whilst they do help clients with daily tasks and accessing community services, they also undertake personal care tasks including showering. 

Generalist disability support workers are focused on helping individuals with disabilities live more independent lives by enhancing their quality of life. 

What are the core responsibilities of a mental health support worker? 

When it comes to core responsibilities of our Animo mental health support workers, we can help you with a number of different daily tasks. We are there to build trust with our clients, provide regular check-ins and emotional support. 

We are also responsible for getting our clients out into the community and connecting them with different resources and support networks. We take our clients out for coffee, help them with their shopping or take them to a gallery or exhibition they’ve been wanting to see. 

Our main responsibility is helping to empower our clients to live a more independent life. We want to help our clients reach their goals, improve their well being and provide them with a better quality of life.  

Training and Qualifications

At Animo, we ensure all of our mental health support workers are equipped with the appropriate training needed to provide all of our clients with the best care and support possible. 

Our team undergoes specialised mental health training so that all of our mental health support workers are able to deal with the unique demands of clients with various mental health issues. 

Our team have the knowledge and skills to deliver compassionate and effective care to clients. We understand that every individual is different and that’s why we tailor our services to suit the unique needs of each individual. 

Explore Mental Health Support Services with Animo 

At Animo, we pride ourselves on providing specialised mental health support and care so that our clients can feel empowered to live their life to the fullest. If you’re looking for compassionate care that empowers individuals to achieve their full potential, our mental health support services at Animo are here for you.