Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner in Specialist Adult Mental Health PG Cert/Grad Cert

Teaching

Students are taught through a combination of online teaching days, on campus clinical simulation skills days, enhanced work-based learning days and guided study time. Online teaching days will include a blend of ‘live’ or synchronous lectures and group-based working alongside documents or recorded videos (asynchronous) guiding the students for their independent study. The on-campus clinical simulation skills days involve live clinical practice and feedback from tutors to facilitate clinical competence development.

In addition, students will have a minimum of four meetings with their Personal Academic Tutors, timed to coincide with key points such as induction or assessment, which enables on-going monitoring of competency development and attainment of the required clinical and supervisory hours.

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip them for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and also the Personal Academic Tutoring system enables students to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help them to flourish and be successful.

Contact time

Before the course formally begins, a two-day university induction will be provided and the NHS employer will also provide a trust induction if required. Taught content takes place over two 12-week semesters with the remaining time being spent in clinical practice, supervision, and completing assessments.

The first module provides the students with the basic skills and knowledge to begin clinical practice. This module will therefore be block taught for three days per week for the first three weeks, including six online teaching days and three on campus clinical simulation skills days. The second and third modules will then commence, with a typical week including one day of online teaching and four days of employment. Every fourth week, two days will be spent in on campus clinical simulation skills days to provide an intensive experiential learning experience. Tutor support for assessments will be ongoing.

Work based learning

Student learning also takes place predominantly in their employing organisation, where students engage in practice-based learning, such as role plays, observing live clinical sessions and conducting assessments and interventions under supervision. This involves clinical skill development, practice and feedback.

Students spend three to four days each week in their place of employment (depending on the balance of their teaching) in an NHS adult mental health service, working under supervision to conduct case assessment and formulation as well as delivery of psychologically informed wellbeing interventions. Supervision lasts for the full 12 months of the course and will consist of weekly case-based supervision to ensure patient safety, as well as fortnightly skills supervision from an NHS-employed Practitioner Psychologist or British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies-accredited practitioner in the service. Students are employed within the NHS service and remain there for the duration of their programme. The Placement Support Team co-ordinate and manage the work-based learning. Enhanced work-based learning days, typically half a day per week, take place in clinical practice and provide opportunities to consolidate learning, reflect on experience, and engage in inter-professional learning opportunities with support to promote inclusive learning in the practice setting.

All NHS-based supervisors will undergo one day, or the equivalent, of 'Supervisor Induction' delivered by University of Worcester course lead. This will orientate supervisors to the training programme and equip them with information needed to support MHWP trainees in practice. Supervisors will then meet with course staff on a quarterly basis to ensure a consistent alignment between course delivery, work-based learning activities and assessments. Student competency development will be monitored by the Personal Academic Tutor in close liaison with their NHS-based clinical supervisor.

In order to pass the programme, a minimum of 80 clinical contact hours must be completed in their NHS employment, of which 40 clinical hours must have involved the delivery of the specified psychologically-informed interventions. Students must also demonstrate a minimum of 40 supervision hours (including 20 hours of case management supervision and 20 hours of clinical skills supervision) in order to pass the course. This requirement forms part of the final assessment for the course in module MHWP4103.

Clinical Supervision

Regular support for students on this course comes from the two forms of supervision which occur on placement every week. The programme benefits from close working relationships with all of the involved NHS Trusts and supervisors. All NHS supervisors will have completed MHWP Supervisor Training with the University of Worcester and will therefore have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that students have a coherent and positive learning experience across teaching and practice. There is a named co-ordinator for placements within the UW course who has a background in clinical practice and University lecturing, to ensure that students are supported from both sides, and all placements involve clear contracting with the student and supervisor around expectations to ensure transparency. The placement co-ordinator meets regularly with placement supervisors and students to review progress and the placement experience.

There is a clear process in place for students to raise any supervision concerns with the course team. All students will have an allocated NHS-based case supervisor, who will be a suitably qualified mental health practitioner working within their placement. They will meet with the student weekly to review their entire caseload, discuss risk, support skill development and discuss care planning. Every fortnight every student will also have fortnightly individual or group supervision with a qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologists or British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapies registered therapist, which involves ongoing formative activities around clinical competence development (e.g. role plays, feedback on recordings of actual sessions, observing supervisor and being observed in practice, theoretical discussions). Supervisors will also provide pastoral support and signposting where helpful. By having support from both the University and the NHS, students will have access to a  range of support services, such as Occupational Health within the NHS including counselling services, physiotherapy and health assessments. Additional support is available for students from the wider University for the duration of their studies with the Firstpoint services.

Independent Study

It will be an expectation for employing NHS trusts to provide half a day per week in employment as study time for students to engage in reading, self reflection on practice, seek tutorial support, work on assessments and course documentation. Independent study is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources. 

Teaching Staff

Students will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes Lecturers and Senior Lecturers in Clinical Psychology, Mental Health and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and where appropriate from a range of associated practice backgrounds including Clinical Psychologists working in the NHS, people with lived experience of mental health difficulties and multi-disciplinary NHS mental health staff. Teaching is informed by research and practice, and all of the lecturers on the course have or are working towards a higher education teaching qualification, or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

Assessments

The assessment strategy for this course is specified by Health Education England requirements. Students complete two assessments per module, which are closely aligned to the knowledge- and competency-based learning outcomes for the programme, with a final additional Practice Outcomes Portfolio signifying demonstration of competence. All assessments are graded as pass/fail using adapted versions of the University of Worcester Level 6 Grade Descriptors and the University of Worcester Level 7 Grade Descriptors as checklists or HEE-dictated competence assessment scales. Three of the assignments are reflective and case study-based essays, within which students demonstrate their theoretical knowledge from the learning activities and practice-based learning in the context of specific cases. Further assessments include a formally assessed role play and a recording of an intervention session. These are assessed using standardised practitioner-competence assessment tools, during which students are required to demonstrate procedural clinical competencies in undertaking set clinical activities. The portfolio assessment directly assesses completion of the required competencies and supervision hours during their NHS employment via a clinical logbook and supervisor report.

Formative assessments provide early opportunities for demonstration and development of learning, and form part of the curriculum for each module, such as reviews of early drafts of reflective essays, course tutor monitoring of logbook progress, and the opportunity to engage in formative role play of clinical techniques with the NHS-based clinical supervisor.

Assessments:

• Role Play
• Reflective Essay
• Case Report x 2
• Portfolio of Collaborative Care Plans
• Assessed Recording of An Intervention Session
• Practice Outcomes Portfolio

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document for the PG Cert or the the latest programme specification document for the Graduate Certificate.