MA Advanced Mental Health Practice

• 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.

You are required to undertake a 45-day placement as part of the unit 'Evidencing Professional Learning', providing an opportunity to apply your acquired knowledge and skills in the workplace. Placements are arranged by the nominating Local Authority that is supporting the student.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Please click on the green 'apply now' button at the top of this page to apply via our online portal. 

For Advanced Mental Health Practice we are looking for applicants who:

• Have suitable practice experience in mental health (normally two years post-qualifying).
• Possess a suitable knowledge around mental health practice, including the relevant legal and policy context as well as having a good understanding of mental disorder and its impact on service users and carers.
• Display a critical understanding and application of a range of models of mental disorder and in particular must be able to assert a social perspective on mental distress.
• Have observed at least 4 Mental Health Act assessments and be able to critically reflect on the role of an AMHP.
• Hold a CPSP in mental health (or PQ1 with a mental health focus) and an appropriate professional qualification in social work, occupational therapy or psychology and be registered.

All applicants must be nominated by their employer, who is required to provide a reference of their suitability for the course and verify that they are able to provide an appropriate placement and practice assessor to evaluate the practice competencies.

The normal requirements for embarking upon this course are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent. Applicants are normally expected to have at least one year of professional or management experience. Applicants for the programme must also 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. 

It will also be a course prerequisite that students:

• Have completed the Consolidation Unit
• Hold a recognised professional qualification in social work, nursing, occupational therapy or psychology and are registered to that profession
• Demonstrate that they already have the level of professional competence, capacity and ability to undertake and complete AMHP training at the PQ Higher Specialist Social Work Award Level
• Have been nominated by their employer, who can provide support and an appropriate placement and practice assessor.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Please contact our NCPQSW Administration Team (National Centre for Post Qualifying Social Work) for more information:

• Tel: +44 (0)1202 964765
• Email: [email protected]

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%
• Nigeria:  Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:2
• Thailand:  Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
• Vietnam:  Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

• IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 6.0 in each component or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

You can also find further details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our study postgraduate entry requirements page.

Applicants for the programme must also 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.

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.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional cost

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
• Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
• Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

• Replacement Student ID card- £10.00 (per replacement)
• Cost of resit examination- No charge if examined at Bournemouth University, if examined elsewhere costs may be incurred at the Exam Centre
• Cost of additional transcript results- £10.00 (per year of study)
• Replacement certificate (Postgraduate and Diploma level students only)- £30.00 (per replacement)