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

Introduction to Research Skills provides an overview of research methods. The module equips you with a broad knowledge and understanding of the function and application of research relevant to those working in applied health and social care, including the effectiveness of different models, client issues and groupwork. You will be introduced to both the theoretical and practical aspects of research skills including research terminology, numeric and non-numeric data handling, statistical analysis and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data.

Health and Social Wellbeing Across the Life Course introduces you to contemporary and critical approaches in considering health and wellbeing across various phases of the life course and transitions for individuals, communities and populations. These include environmental and place factors, social factors, personal factors, health disorders, as well as activities and participation in everyday life. By the end of the module you will have considered key morbidity, mortality and disability issues as they relate to life course phases and transitions, equality and diversity. The aim is to enable you to identify the key challenges and issues in health and wellbeing as they emerge across the life course and transitions, for example maternal and new born, child and adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health, adults and older adults, and end of life.

Understanding Mental Ill-Health, Its Experiences and Settings develops your awareness and understanding of the aetiology and prevalence of mental health conditions. A key feature of the module will be to enhance your understanding of the importance of lived experience in appreciating the impact of mental health on participation in everyday life. You will explore the potential influences on mental health and learn to apply the biopsychosocial model, while also examining the benefits of compassionate centred conversations. The aim is to facilitate an understanding of the evidence-base surrounding the influence of mental health on disability, functioning and health.

Compassionate-Centred Conversations provides you with an opportunity to reflect on the importance of compassion and empathy within a care setting. The ability to use active listening skills to communicate empathy for others is at the heart of compassionate communication and a vital ingredient of a skilled helping approach within mental health practice. You will develop active listening skills to enhance your compassionate communication with others, particularly those experiencing emotional distress or mental health difficulties, and be encouraged to reflect on your development.

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, learn how to find relevant literature using electronic databases and understand 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.

Mental Health Law, Equality, Diversity and Ethical Practice enables you to gain an awareness and understanding of contemporary legislation relevant to mental health and wellbeing practice. Underpinning the module is a recognition of the need for practitioners who work to support mental health and wellbeing to be able to respond ethically and effectively to moral questions. The module will support you in understanding your own accountability within relevant professional, legal and ethical frameworks. You will be introduced to key ethical concepts and theories including approaches to decision-making, law and its application within health and social care.

Protecting and Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing develops your knowledge in innovative mental health interventions which are aimed at preventing mental ill-health and promoting health and wellbeing. The module explores the relationship between health inequalities and mental health, both as the cause and consequence of deprivation and social exclusion. You will consider and debate what can prevent mental ill-health and promote mental health and wellbeing, using relevant public health and health promotion models. Investigating the evidence-base for innovative interventions, you will critically analyse the interaction between activities, health conditions, environmental and personal factors. The concepts and tools for measuring health and wellbeing will be explored and the corresponding outcomes and experiences evaluated. You will also be introduced to the essential shared capabilities for the mental health workforce, namely how to support recovery, challenge inequality and make a meaningful difference to health and wellbeing outcomes, with the opportunity to put your learning into practice on a work placement in a relevant setting.

Person-Centred Care: Being an Agent for Change builds on your knowledge of compassionate conversations and prepares you to develop skills in coaching and mentoring by investigating how these concepts are connected through the theme of effective communication. Exploring the development, implementation and evaluation of person-centred care, you will discover how to implement effective change and, more importantly, support clients and patients to be actively involved in decisions around their care. Working with individuals with mental health and wellbeing needs, you will realise that what is essential about recovery is that a person’s unique experience is the starting point for all actions. The collaborative process begins with trying to understand the person’s experiences and how these are affecting day-to-day life from their point of view. This module will introduce you to the theoretical processes and models of working in partnership with individuals to appreciate and examine their needs, strengths and aspirations. You will discover a combination of techniques for planning care, underpinned with the key principles of advocacy, empowerment, ethical practice and compassion.

Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing introduces you to the contemporary drive for equity between support and services for mental and physical health problems. You will explore the social determinants of physical and mental health and the mechanisms through which they interact across the life course. Local, national and global policies on integrated mental health and physical health provision will be analysed. You will study and discuss the global recommendations on physical activity for health across the life course, while also considering the co-morbidity of mental and physical health conditions and the associated risks to health and wellbeing, including mortality rates. Identifying the key challenges and issues in achieving pro-active, coordinated and integrated care, you will gain a detailed understanding of the prevention of ill-health and the protection and promotion of health and wellbeing for individuals, communities and populations. Contemporary interventions that will be analysed include the use of behaviour change strategies, goal setting, coaching, recovery-focused conversations, peer support and self-management, alongside the promotion of positive mental health in community sports organisations and workplace settings. The role of healthy lifestyles will also be examined, as will the experiences of engaging in physical activity and community sports, from the perspectives of those with lived experiences of mental and physical health problems.

Health Communities, Engagement and Development enables you to critically analyse a local community to assess its status as a ‘healthy community’ and to identify how that community can develop to become ‘healthier’. A ‘healthy community’ is a place which supports healthy behaviours and supports reductions in health inequalities. It should enhance the physical and mental health of the community and, where appropriate, encourage active healthy lifestyles through good urban design, local services, green spaces, food growing, walking, cycling and creating an environment for people of all ages which supports engagement and social interaction. This module introduces you to the concept of community profiling, examining the theory behind the initiative, while also increasing your understanding of the different methods deployed when profiling varied community settings and evaluating interventions. You will complete a work placement in a setting that involves working with groups and communities.

Coaching and Mentoring for Mental Health and Wellbeing equips you with knowledge and understanding of the processes underlying motivational one-to-one and team coaching. The module is underpinned by coaching and mentoring paradigms (pedagogical and psychological) that will enable you to explore the differences and similarities between coaching and mentoring. You will examine coach and mentor roles and functions, different types of coaching and mentoring, coaching phases and the techniques and tools to support clients in achieving personal goals and developing competences and abilities. Working in groups, you will develop team coaching skills and learn how to promote group identity and empowerment. The aim is for you to reflect upon, and critically analyse, the strategies required to conduct an effective assessment with a client and promote cognitive, emotional and social relational life skills. You will apply the enhanced communication, empathetic listening and life coaching skills you develop to your work with people experiencing mental ill-health, including working with vulnerable groups.

Leadership and Project Management in the Workplace develops your knowledge and understanding of change management theories and models. Examining the factors which influence change across mental health and social care from a political, economic, sociological, technological, environmental and legislative (PESTEL) perspective, the module will enable you to select appropriate leadership styles and strategies to bring about effective change in health and social care integrative services. You will explore a range of approaches to project management and be able to select and apply the most suitable way of working to successfully complete projects. You will also be encouraged to assess the potential effects of change and the integration of services in established health and social care organisations, appraising and negotiating any anticipated risks or resistance.

Personal and Professional Development in Contemporary Mental Health Practice increases your self-awareness through the development of self-reflection and critical appraisal of your own skills and capabilities; academically, personally and professionally in practice. This module will develop essential employability skills through the completion of a personal and professional development portfolio. You will be encouraged to reflect on the complexities of professionalism in the arena of mental health and wellbeing, as well as your knowledge, skills and experiences in relation to the ‘Ten Essential Shared Capabilities for the Mental Health Workforce’ (Department of Health, 2004). Learning from your own actions and the actions of others, you will identify the transferable skills you have developed and recognise how these can be applied within future employment and/or further academic study.

Dissertation enables you to focus on an area of vocational interest, or concern, which is 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.