Contemporary Issues in Mental Health

This course is specifically designed to provide mental health practitioners, researchers and managers with critical awareness of contemporary issues debated in the field of mental health. These include mental health practice and policy, issues of peer support and service user involvement, physical health care in mental health practice, gender and mental health, ethnicity and mental health, and patient safety.

Who is it for?

This course is for a range of practitioners working in different areas of mental health, including schools, inpatient care and community settings. Students are required to envisage using the learning achievements from the assignment to develop their clinical practice, as well as critical evaluate contemporary issues in mental health.

Timetable

This course takes place over 7 weeks from 9.30-12.30 each week.

Benefits

This short course module is designed to be flexible in allowing you to study and reach your goals at your own pace. Our health CPD courses are credit-bearing modules that contribute to a University degree or award.

Transfer course credits towards postgraduate taught degree

As a health care professional, once you've completed this course you could offset 15 credits as part of a postgraduate programme, continuing your study with further modules to make up a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) 60 credits, Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) 120 credits or Master of Science (MSc) 180 credits qualification (all credits must be awarded within five years of study commencing).

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• Identify and debate contemporary issues in the field of mental health
• Critically appraise broad evidence-based knowledge
• Debate implications of policy and practice initiatives in and across contemporary (integrated) health and social care contexts
• Examine and explore critical theories and apply these to practice contexts
• Analyse the impact and implications of contemporary issues on mental health practice and future service provision.

Assessment consists of a 3,000-word critical discussion paper that incorporates an aspect of contemporary mental health from a political, social and clinical practice perspective.

The course consists of lectures and seminars, work-based reflection, group interaction, and student-led inquiry.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

Non EEA students can only apply as part of a programme, not as a stand-alone course. Course requirements include:

• A current professional registration with a relevant professional/statutory body or equivalent
• At least one years' relevant clinical experience as a health or social care practitioner
• A satisfactory academic reference and a satisfactory clinical reference.

English requirements

If your first language is not English, one of the following is required:

• A first degree from a UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America.
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

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• Care Quality Commission (2010) Position statement and action plan for mental health: 2010 – 2015.
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• Mental Health Foundation (2008) Recovery in action: project report.
• Mental Health Foundation (2009) Death of the smoking den. The initial impact of no smoking legislation in psychiatric units in England in 2008
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• Mind (2008), Chance would be a fine thing: reassessing risk in mental health, MindThink seminar report 2, Mind, London
• Mind (2008) Life and times of a supermodel: the recovery paradigm for mental health.
• Mind Think Report 3
• Royal College of Psychiatry (2009) Enabling recovery for people with complex mental health needs: a template for rehabilitation services. Faculty Report FR/RD/1 Editors: Wolfson P, Holloway F & Killapsy H.
• Royal College of Psychiatry (2009) Mental health and social inclusion: making psychiatry and mental health services fit for the 21st Century. Position Statement PS01/2009
• Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (2010) Looking Ahead: the next 25 years in mental health. 
• Simpson E L & House A O (2002) Involving users in the delivery and evaluation of mental health services: a systematic review. British Medical Journal 325 30 November 2002
• Speech by the Rt Hon Andrew Lansley CBE MP, Secretary of State for Health, 8 June 2010: 'My ambition for patient-centred care'
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• The British Psychological Society (2009) Psychological health and wellbeing: a new ethos for mental health. A report of the working group on psychological health and wellbeing. The Kings Fund (2010) Enhancing the healing environment. (March 2010).