Master Advanced Mental Health Practice - Máster en Práctica Avanzada en Salud Mental

This part-time course is designed to prepare practitioners who will be considered for appointment as approved mental health professionals under the Mental Health Act 2007.

Applicants for the programme must meet the professional requirements set out in Schedule 1 of the Mental Health (AMHP) Regulations 2008 and hold a professional qualification in social work, nursing, occupational therapy or psychology and be currently registered to that profession as laid out in Schedule 1. Applicants must also follow their local employer’s preparation pathway. Additional prerequisites are detailed below.

International entry requirements:
If English is not your first language you´ll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component of writing, speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

Learning includes a mix of interactive workshops, teaching sessions and facilitated group discussions
Service user and carer input are central to the course, combined with individualised self-directed learning with flexibility in units to meet your individual needs
Opportunities for experiential learning are provided in a supervised practice placement as required by the professional body
Practitioners who successfully complete the programme can be considered for professional warranting by their local authority as Approved Mental Health Professionals under the Mental Health Act 1983 amended 2007
As part of your Master’s you’ll deliver a Service Improvement Project, which will involve you improving an existing approach to service improvement or developing a new one.

Ethics, Values & Perspectives in Mental Health: Approved mental health professionals bring knowledge, skills and values to their role. In this unit you´ll consider models of mental distress and approaches to care and treatment for people who use mental health services. This will help you identify elements of socially inclusive practice.

Mental Health & the Law: Mental health professionals play a key role in the care and protection of people with mental disorders, and have responsibilities under mental health legislation. You´ll examine and apply the laws, codes and social welfare legislation surrounding the field in the context of professionally ethical practice.

AMHP Role in Practice: The role of mental health professionals includes preventing the need for admission to care which currently takes place in the context of mental health policy initiatives. You´ll consider the impact of social policy on current and potential service users and carers, and on professional practice across mental health disciplines.

Evidencing Professional Learning (Practice Assessment): A feature of professional practice is developing and showing occupational competencies and needs. This unit offers a flexible work-based approach for you to show your competencies and standards that meet the needs of professional and statutory regulatory authorities.

Human-Rights Oriented AMHP Practice: In this unit you’ll demonstrate how you are using a developing body of knowledge and skills within professional practice and decision-making, with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired and critically evaluate complex decision-making and professional judgement.

Preparing for your Service Improvement Project: A Service Improvement Project (SIP) aims to better a service or services. You´ll learn about an appropriate, systematic and justified methodology in a complex professional area to design an original, intellectually challenging and in-depth SIP action plan for your professional context.

Service Improvement Project: You´ll show your autonomous and independent ability in a complex professional context to expand or redefine existing knowledge or develop new approaches to service improvement, and then evaluate your SIP´s impact. Throughout the unit you´ll be supported by a university tutor via phone calls, emails and face-to-face meetings. Your tutor will direct you towards helpful resources. This may include electronic resources, workshops, seminars and master classes.

The course recognises the diversity of mental health social work, providing practitioners with the opportunity to develop their knowledge and enhance their skills in dealing with complex work.

Advanced Mental Health Practice graduates can undertake the role of a Approved Mental Health Professional and will be able to support roles within mental health and health and social care.