Approved Mental Health Practice PGDip

Intro

This level 7 course is for social workers, occupational therapists, nurses and psychologists who are working in the mental health services and looking for approval by a local authority to practise as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP).

This is a specific, legally defined role under the Mental Health Act 1983 that qualifies you to assess whether there are grounds to detain mentally disordered individuals, a responsibility that used to be the preserve of social workers but that has since been opened up to other mental health professionals.

The course operates in close partnership with four local authorities: Brighton & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Surrey County Council. Applicants from other local authorities or NHS Mental Health Trusts are also welcome. If you are an independent (ie non-seconded) applicant, you must have a written agreement from a local authority or NHS trust saying that they will provide and assess your AMHP placement.

Since August 2012 AMHP training has been regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This course addresses sections one and two of the HCPC approval criteria for AMHPs and is an approved programme with the HCPC.

Key facts

Location Falmer

Full-time 6 months, January to June

Approved programme with the Health and Care Professions Council

Course content

Course structure

The course operates on a full-time basis from early January to early June. Your time is divided each week between learning at the university and working in an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) placement, where you are supervised and assessed by a practice supervisor. Your placement is arranged before the course begins by the university and your sponsor.

Areas of study

At level 7, the integration of academic and vocational learning is essential. The course material aims to cover: the ethical dilemmas involved in compulsory admissions; the application of legal and theoretical knowledge to AMHP practice; and the ability to reflect on and critically analyse your work.

Modules

Ethics, Values and Equality in Mental Health [20 credits]
Social and Psychological Contexts of Mental Health [40 credits]
Applied Mental Health Law and Policy [20 credits]
Managing Mental Health Act Assessments and Interventions [40 credits]

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Careers

Successful students are eligible to apply for approval as an Approved Mental Health Professional by a local authority.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2020. They should be used as a general guide.

Applicants must normally:

have a first degree, or demonstrate ability to study at level 7
hold a recognised professional qualification in social work, nursing, occupational therapy or psychology
have current registration with the appropriate professional statutory body (NMC; HCPC; BPS) as either a social worker, a nurse, an occupational therapist or a psychologist
be engaged in complex professional practice in mental health services for a minimum of 15 hours per week
EITHER be nominated by a local authority or other employer who will facilitate relevant, required practice, supervision and assessment of practice to meet course assessment requirements; OR, if an independent practitioner, have written agreement before the start of the course of a local authority or health trust who will provide within their organisation the practice, supervision and assessment of practice by a suitably qualified and experienced person as agreed by the course team.

Please note

All applicants are required to attend an interview as part of the admissions process.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be considered, in line with our RPL regulations.

Fees

Course fees

The fees for the Approved Mental Health Practice PGDip are charged according to module.

20-credit module 736 GBP

40-credit module 1,472 GBP

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Applied Social Science are listed here.

For some assessments you may be required to print large format posters for presentations at a cost of £5–£10 per poster.
Most coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £100 for printing.
Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £100 to buy your own copies.
Some courses include an optional placement module for which students will need to cover the costs of travel to and from the placement and DBS checks as required.
For the Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling PGDip and Psychotherapeutic Psychodynamic Counselling PGDip, the following course-related costs are not included in the tuition fee:
- Supervision fees: £1,170 for each full year. Estimated based on £45 per hour with fortnightly meetings. In some agencies, supervision will be provided at no cost. Where students have to pay, the cost will only begin when supervision begins.
- Personal counselling/therapy: £2,000–£2,800 over the course. Estimated based on £40 per hour.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for courses beginning in the academic year 2020–21. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

Visit our advice for part-time students page. If you have specific queries about the course fee, our fees team will be happy to help. Email them at fees@brighton.ac.uk.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

Location

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. 7,000 students are based here taking subjects including criminology, English, education, nursing and medicine, paramedic science, psychology and sociology. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources and clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students. Psychology students learn in our applied cognition and flexible creative method labs.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes, and a students' union shop and bar.

The campus sports centre has a fitness suite, activity studios and a sports hall. There is also a floodlit astroturf football pitch, netball and tennis courts.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre and there is a BTN BikeShare hub on site. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine minute journey to central Brighton.

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Newly refurbished atrium in the Checkland Building

Accommodation

Brighton: Falmer

All eligible students applying for 2020 are guaranteed an offer of university halls of residence.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
Falmer campus is linked to the halls on Falmer campus and at Varley Park.
- Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls are on Falmer campus and offer a range of room types and catering options
- Varley Park offers a mix of room and catering options. Varley Park is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there's a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.

Unihomes and unilets
Unihomes and unilets are student houses that we let to our students on behalf of private landlords. This option can work particularly well when you're balancing learning with placements and other commitments. We have unihomes and unilet properties across the city.

Private renting
There's plenty of support if you opt for private renting. This is an option which offers choice and flexibility – enabling you to choose where you live and who with. We manage our own studenthomes database of properties. This lists accommodation offered by landlords who have signed up to our code of standards. Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.