Foundations in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing equips you with a critical awareness and understanding of the prevalence, aetiology, diagnostic criteria and clinical pathways that are nationally recognised in relation to the spectrum of child and adolescent mental health conditions. You will explore the potential influences on mental health and contemporary approaches to treatment. The common factor of co-morbidity will also be considered. The exploration of early interventions in preventing poor mental health and promoting wellbeing will be central to the module, in addition to exploring the trajectories of mental health from childhood to adolescence and beyond into adulthood.

Child Development, Attachment and Family Functioning develops your knowledge and understanding of all aspects of holistic development in children and young people, but with a specific focus on the developmental processes of mental health. You will consider the factors that can influence development and specifically focus on the impact between attachment and children and young people’s mental health development.  Furthermore, this module will explore the influential role of family functioning on mental health and consider the role of interventions.

Introduction to Empathic and Emotional Responsiveness in a Helping Relationship equips you with basic counselling skills and provides you a grounding in empathically-orientated active listening. The focus of the module is in the development of a collaborative helping relationship. This is achieved by providing introductory counselling skills training, drawn from a theoretical framework of person-centred, experiential counselling. The module will explore the characteristics and attitudinal qualities of an effective therapeutic relationship (empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence) and support you in developing your self-awareness.

Developing Empathic Listening Skills in a Helping Relationship enhances your use of basic counselling skills and empathically-orientated active listening. The module guides you in the development of a non-expert helping relationship. This will be achieved through practice, video recording, feedback and personal reflection. Experienced tutors will facilitate your learning, demonstrating counselling skills and providing immediate feedback to increase your range of empathic responses. You will have an opportunity to demonstrate your empathic listening skills in the video assessment that accompanies this module.

Introduction to Professional and Academic Skills enables you to acquire key academic and professional skills in your journey to becoming an independent learner. Your academic skills will be enhanced to include note-taking, presentation skills, IT skills, reading of academic articles and the development of a personal portfolio. You will also have the opportunity to explore effective and ineffective communication strategies, self-awareness, resilience and transferable life skills such as time management, assertiveness, negotiation, active listening and problem solving.

Understanding Research familiarises you with the nature and variety of research methods and data collection techniques, together with the need for an evidence base to guide the decision making process. You will evaluate qualitative and quantitative methods, examining the positive and negative aspects of both approaches in a comparative analysis. A key aspect of this module is the literature review. You will be shown how to develop a literature search strategy, how to find relevant literature using electronic databases and how to appraise the literature you find to identify key themes. Ethical considerations in relation to the development and undertaking of research will also be considered.

The Vulnerable Child recognises the importance of accurate and relevant assessment in identifying the strengths and needs in all children. The module will also analyse the use of the assessment process in order to identify vulnerability and utilise the knowledge and skills of the multi-professional team to ensure the safeguarding and protection of all children.

Mental Health, Wellbeing and Early Interventions will develop your knowledge surrounding a potential role in the promotion and protection of good mental health and wellbeing and the prevention of poor mental health outcomes. A central theme running throughout the module will be the importance of early intervention in mental health and the potential effects of non-intervention. In addition to this, the module will provide opportunities to explore the public health agenda and reflect on current legislation, policy and the socio-political and cultural influences that may impact on children and young people’s health and well-being on a local, national and global scale. You will also develop an understanding of safeguarding children and young people from abuse and maltreatment.

Integrated Working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health entails undertaking a minimum of 120 hours of practice based experience in a setting involving children and/or young people. The module encourages you to reflect upon the complexities of integrated working in the child and adolescent mental health sector, from the perspective of both statutory and non-statutory organisations, and from the disciplines of health, education, social care and the wider care sector.  You will draw upon current government documents, statistics and guidelines to gain a clear understanding of the complexities, challenges and importance of integrated working within contemporary society. Safeguarding and empowering children, young people and families who may be receiving support for mental health problems, or who may be at increased risk of needing support, will also be covered.

Contemporary Approaches and Mindfulness for Mental Health enables you to develop the academic and practical skills within the field of complementary therapies and mindfulness. Exploring your own natural therapeutic potential, you will be guided to incorporate this into your interactions. Self-enquiry and reflective practice is actively encouraged throughout to enable you to identify your own core values and discover insights into your personal philosophy and how this may impact upon your practice.

Law and Ethics in Child and Adolescent Mental Health raises awareness of the legislative framework surrounding the care and treatment of children and young people at risk of, or experiencing, mental illness. You will gain a critical understanding of the many complex areas relating to mental health care provision and the lawful responsibilities of those involved in its application and delivery. The module explains your own accountability and the need for integrity and accountable practice within legal, professional and ethical frameworks pertinent to specific experiences and an individual client base. You will be encouraged to reflect on your personal responsibilities and boundaries and those of the multidisciplinary team. The module also enables you to examine the relationship between law and ethics, exploring where and how legal principles can be applied within an ethical framework.

Employability, Transitions and Professionalism involves undertaking a minimum of 120 hours of practice based experience. Your placement experience will equip you with a better understanding of the child and adolescent mental health sector as well as introducing you to specific strategies aimed at gaining employment upon graduation. You will be encouraged to reflect on the complexities of professionalism and transitions in the child and adolescent mental health sector, from the perspectives of both statutory and non-statutory organisations and from the disciplines of health, education, social care and the wider care sector. You will also be introduced to critical perspectives on themes such as the changing context of work and the labour market, theoretical perspectives of work-based learning and alternative approaches to graduate employability.

Therapeutic Interventions for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing will enhance your knowledge of a range of common mental health problems which may be experienced by children and adolescents. Approaches to assessment, the causes and potential manifestations of common child and adolescent mental health will also be critically examined. Thereafter, the module will move on to critically introduce you to a range of evidence based therapeutic interventions used in providing effective care to children and young people with mental health needs. The role of brief therapeutic models in treating certain mental health conditions will be considered through the study of their principles, concepts and practice. The module will ultimately widen your knowledge and understanding surrounding the appropriate use of the therapeutic interventions within child and adolescent mental health services and the existing evidence base.

Dissertation focuses on the identification of an area of vocational interest or concern to be identified by yourself and agreed with your supervisor. You will engage in a structured review of the literature related to the specific area of study, apply critical analysis to the literature and make recommendations that could improve service provision.

Primary Research Dissertation focuses on the identification of an area of vocational interest or concern to be identified by yourself and agreed with your supervisor. You will engage in a structured review of existing literature and design and carry out a research project related to your specific area of study. You will apply critical analysis to the established literature as well as the findings from your proposed research and make recommendations that could improve service provision.

Risk, Resilience and Wellbeing in Childhood and Adolescence examines the current trends, influences and theoretical underpinnings of risk taking in childhood and adolescence. The module considers the influence that risk taking can have on mental health and wellbeing, as well as the impact that mental health can have on risk taking. The role of resilience building in children and young people, as a preventative and protective factor in minimising risk and promoting wellbeing, will also be considered. These concepts will be complemented by a review of the current strategies for managing risk taking behaviours alongside an exploration of resilience building strategies used in the children and young people’s sector. You will gain a comprehensive overview of contemporary risk taking behaviours, examining in depth why children and young people take risks and how these can be positively managed. A variety of risk behaviours will be examined using psychological, sociological and cognitive perspectives.

Trauma In Childhood introduces you to the concept of trauma and trauma related stress in childhood and adolescence. The module will critically explore the aetiology, symptomology and influencing factors, both biological and psychosocial, that may result in childhood or adolescent trauma. You will critically explore the mediating influences that may serve as protective factors for child mental wellbeing and critically evaluate the interventions currently recommended for the treatment of trauma in childhood. The module will also encourage you to consider about the role and responsibility of the non-professional in protecting and preventing trauma in childhood and adolescence.

Eating Disorders will examine the nature of eating disorders and how this mental health issue impacts on the child, family and society, exploring current trends, influences and theoretical underpinnings of eating behaviours and pathological issues across the lifespan. The module will provide a comprehensive overview of the psychological, biological, sociological and cultural impacts of eating disorders on the individual, family and society. There will be in depth critical appraisals of contemporary strategies for the management and treatment of eating disorders in children and young people. A variety of eating disorders will be explored and the identification of those children and young people most vulnerable to eating disorders will be considered. You will also investigate the contributory factors to eating disorders from a socioeconomic, biological, environmental and psychological perspective.

The programme now includes the option of a sandwich year.

104-112 UCAS Tariff points are required to join this programme with effect from September 2020 entry.

From September 2019 entry, HUG1137 Introduction to Professional and Academic Skills (20 credits) replaces FDH1100 Essential Study Skills for Undergraduates (20 credits) as a compulsory module in Year 1.