MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing
To help you feel prepared for your postgraduate studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now.
Your modules
For full details of your modules visit the programme information page.
Virtual Q&A Sessions
Your programme lead, Paula Bailey, has planned a number of Q&A sessions on Monday 17th July 2023. Please try your best to join one of these sessions to hear more and to get any questions you may have answered. Please only attend one of the sessions offered.
Your Induction Timetable
Your Induction Timetable will be confirmed nearer to the start of your programme, however for the time being, you can use this draft timetable to get an idea of what your sessions may look like:
| Date | Start time | End time |
| Monday 25 September 2023 | 09:00am | 16:00pm |
| Tuesday 26 September 2023 | 09:00am | 16:00pm |
| Wednesday 27 September 2023 | 09:00am | 16:00pm |
| Thursday 28 September 2022 | 09:00am | 16:00pm |
Please note: this timetable is for reference only and may change. Your full Induction timetable will be confirmed nearer to your start date.
Suggested reading
Edge Hill University has an extensive library to enable access to specific learning resources recommended for each module.
Before you begin your course however, you may want to view the following:
- Suicide prevention training HEE – all people working with people should do this eLearning
- Suicide competencies for practice (children and young people) – this enables you to consider policy and the competencies you will need to develop
- NICE guidelines these are considered best evidence for practice and this link is for mental health specific ill health
- DSM V diagnostic tool (American Psychiatric Association, 2015)
- ICD 11 diagnostic tool – use the search facility bar top right to find out about particular mental ill health disorders (World Health Organisation, 2021)
- Young minds
- Children’s commissioner
- Children’s society
- Anna Freud centre
- NSPCC
- The mental health foundation
- NHS digital
- NHS long term plan
You are also recommended to take a look at textbooks and/or articles related to:
- Child psychology
- Trauma
- Wellness and early help in children’s mental health
- Mental health prevention and promotion for children and young people
- Leadership and transformation
- Innovation and mental health – education, health, social care and non-statutory sectors
- Systems theory, systems leadership and systems thinking
- Research methods
- Writing a dissertation
Free Open University course and additional articles
For a grounding in child psychology it is recommended that you undertake the following free Open University programme. Please note, you are not required to pay for the certificate of completion. Instead, please just take a screen shot of the final completion screen for your records
Find the Introduction to Child Psychology programme here
Some of the content in this programme you will study in the module HUG4015 ‘Individual differences and early intervention’ but it is expected that you have a basic understanding prior to commencing this. Please also visit Open Learn for a list of all children related free learning – great for those in education sector
Please also read the articles below:
Things to do now
Before your course begins, you are encouraged to go to the e-LfH Hub and register for an account. Please follow the steps below:
- Go to e-LfH Hub and register for an account
- When completing your details for the account select the option for ‘active volunteer or interested in volunteering’ as this gives quickest access. Selecting the student box means using the Athens registration process which takes longer.
- Choose your modules by opting to select from the full catalogue. Use the icon button to enrol yourself on a module.
Prepare for your dissertation
In the latter part of the programme you’ll be asked to undertake an independent research project into Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Well Being for your dissertation, this will take the form of either:
A Traditional Dissertation
- Semi structured literature review
- Service evaluation
- Primary research (subject to lifting of current Coronavirus research restriction)
A Dissertation towards Publication
- Shorter write up with a view to publication
- Artifact (to be explained more in Semester 1)
Your research titles will be requested in early Semester 1 (year 1 for FT student and year 2 for PT students). Please think about developing a 1-page proposal outline and topic for your research idea/question and a short rationale for this. This can be sent by email to: [email protected]
It is appreciated that your ideas may change in semester one but it’s a good idea to get thinking about areas of interest early on.
Meet your programme leader and course specialists
Programme leader – Paula Bailey
Having worked in higher education since 2004 Paula is an experienced academic, senior lecturer/programme leader. She is also a registered NMC Mental Health Nurse and UKCP Systemic Family Psychotherapist. She has worked across many mental health settings in her career spanning 27 years, including adult community mental health, primary care CAMHS, tier 3 CAMHS, specialist eating disorder services and now Early Intervention Psychosis (EIP) Services. She is currently in her final year of a professional doctorate in systemic practice at the University of Bedfordshire and is an active researcher in her field. Her research focuses on the often-subjugated narratives of family members whose loved one is or has experienced a first episode psychosis.
Course specialists
- Paula Kennedy
- Alison Holbourn
- Kate Henderson
- Dr. Nicola Relph
- Dr Gary Tebble
- Dr. Shaun Liverpool
- Dr. Bridget Mawtus
External speakers
Alongside the academic team at Edge Hill, we have been able to collaborate with a number of experts in the field of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. These experts work across the modules offered as visiting speakers. These esteemed colleagues are offering targeting sessions to boost your learning in areas such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Well Being leadership, innovation, policy implementation and interventions.