MA Advanced Mental Health Practice

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.

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Why study MA Advanced Mental Health Practice at BU?

After completing this course, you will also be able to take on the role of Best Interest Assessor under the Mental Health Capacity Act 2005 if required by your employer (subject to amendment by the LPS framework)
This is a part-time course, which can be taken over a maximum of 5 years. It is arranged in blocks of taught days and placement days
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
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.

Career opportunities

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 roles such as Approved Mental Health Professional and Best Interest Assessor, and will be able to support roles within mental health and health & social care.

“This course is fast-paced and challenging, but I have really enjoyed the structure of the law and ethics taught sessions, mixed with practice placement learning experiences. I have learned so much and feel confident and ready to work as an enhanced mental health professional.”
Seth Rowles, graduate

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Next start date:

April 2022

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus

Duration:

Maximum 5 years

Entry requirements:

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. Applicants must also follow their local employer’s preparation pathway.

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.

For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Course details

This is a part-time course delivered in blocks of taught days and placement days. On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students.

Assessment for the course will require a portfolio including a report by a practice assessor, based on observation of how you apply learning and competence in showing the requirements. A range of reflective assignments and an in-class test will also be included.

Download the programme specification (pdf 473kb)

Core units

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.
Evidencing Professional Practice & Decision-making: During this unit, you'll evaluate complex decision-making and professional judgement, and apply your knowledge and skills to solve problems in the unpredictable professional context.
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.

Programme specification

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.

Your application

How to apply

Selection criteria

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.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

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: hss-cpdadmin@bournemouth.ac.uk

International entry requirements

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 50% or second division
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.

Non-academic requirements

Notice from the Health and Care Professions Council

Social Work is a regulated profession. If you are a social work student you will be expected to register with the Health and Care Professions Council, the social work profession's regulator, and adhere to the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Social Workers.

As well as regulating individual social workers and students, the HCPC also regulate the performance of social work courses, the reports of which are published on their website, so you can see how each university is performing. For more information visit please visit the Health and Care Professions Council website.

Careers

Potential career paths

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.

Further study

Costs and fees

Find more information about your fees Learn more about scholarships and bursaries

No hidden extras

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.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

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.

Repeat units

Other possible costs to consider

Statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats and BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.