MSc Adult Mental Health (Contemporary Studies)

• Introduction to research methods and applied data analysis (30 credits)
• Critical approaches to advanced practice (15 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits).

• Assessing and understanding mental health problems (15 credits)

This core elective module is designed for those involved in mental health services as clinicians, managers, and researchers. The module will link knowledge of condition distribution and risk factors with approaches to problem assessment, and will maintain a clinical and service user informed approach, which will assist participants’ abilities to contribute to the development and direction of service provision.

You will develop your understanding of the distribution and impact of mental health problems at a global, national, and local as well as an individual level. You will explore the epidemiology of mental health problems in relation to social and environmental factors, and examine the relationship between mental and physical health.

• Evidence-based psychosocial interventions in mental health (15 credits)

This module is designed to provide mental health practitioners, managers and researchers with the ability to identify, understand and critically appraise the key evidence for the use of a range of psychosocial interventions aimed at improving the mental health outcomes of people with severe mental illness/distress and/or substance use problems

The module will include critical exploration of the evidence for establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationships; the use of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT); case management and personalisation; family work/interventions; medication management; motivational interviewing; and recovery approaches across mental health service environments. You may select to explore other particular interventions of interest where appropriate.

• Contemporary issues in mental health (15 credits)

This module is specifically designed to provide mental health practitioners, researchers, and managers with critical awareness of contemporary debates in the field of mental health. This will include mental health policy, human rights, the political and practice landscape, influence of key consumer groups, patient safety methodology, legal aspects of mental health and novel practice initiatives.

Choose two modules from the following:

• Evidence Based Dementia Care (15 credits)

This evidence-based dementia care module aims to develop the knowledge base, skills and competencies of health, social work and social care practitioners to enable them to deliver high-quality dementia care in a wide range of settings. The module aims to enhance your understanding and application of theoretical concepts and a range of evidence to guide the care for people with dementia and their carers.

You will gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of people with dementia and their carers. You will be able to integrate the learning into your role as a health and / or social care practitioner, working with people with dementia and their carers, and be able to deliver evidence-based dementia practice/care.

You will be equipped to respond better to increasing pressures on the current healthcare system, including the rapid rise in the ageing population, increase in the number of people with dementia and the growing need to work creatively across traditional boundaries. You will be guided to identify and critique the evidence base for quality dementia care delivery.

Your knowledge of evidenced-based practice in dementia care will be enhanced and challenged through a structured process of critical analysis and evaluation of the available research for efficacy and applicability to varied care situations and settings.

• Risk Assessment & Management in Mental Health (15 credits)

In this module, you will critically examine the evidence-base surrounding risk assessment that identifies predictability; systemic approaches; vulnerability for the child, adults and older adults; dangerous and suicidal behaviours; person-centred interventions.

A significant emphasis within this module will focus on:

• Positive risk management.
• Collaboration with the service user and others involved in care
• The importance of recognising and building on the service users’ strengths.
• The organisation’s role in risk management alongside the individual practitioners.

• Liaison Mental Health Care (15 credits)

This module will provide an inter-professional course which develops and/or enhances the knowledge and skills of those working or planning to work in the field of Liaison Health Care.

You will look at:

• Models of liaison care and team working.
• Current practice and care of the client with severe mental illness.
• Risk assessment and management of deliberate self-harm and suicide.
• Liaison mental health care in relation to older adults.
• Liaison mental health care in relation to the child and adolescent.
• Legislation and liaison mental health care, including capacity and consent.
• Liaison mental health care in relation to mental health and physical illness.
• Liaison mental health in relation to substance misuse.
• Evaluating liaison mental health care.

• Child Protection: Working with Risk and Resilience (15 credits)

This child protection module is aimed at any student working professionally with children, young people and/or their families and carers. The main learning objectives will focus on developing student’s knowledge and awareness of the safe and ethical implementation in practice of safeguarding policy and legislative frameworks to promote effective interagency and collaborative practice in the statutory and voluntary sectors in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government, 2006).

You will examine and evaluate knowledge and skills to understand and identify risks and vulnerability and to consider the concept of resilience and its promotion in line with the emotional well-being of the child and its family. The module will be delivered collaboratively from a child health, and a child and adolescent mental health perspective.

• Professional Leadership (15 credits)

The delivery of successful health and social care services relies on effective leadership. This module takes a perspective that leadership is to be found in the many rather than the few. We are all leaders. Therefore, the aim of the module is to help you recognise and develop your inherent leadership qualities, and have regard for the leadership qualities of others, whether peers and working colleagues, or those in formal positions of leadership responsibility.

Rather than emphasise leadership generally, or histories and typologies of leadership theory, the approach is practical and straightforward. Looking at leadership in health and social care from this perspective will make you more effective in your role, and more prepared for future leadership responsibilities.

• Early Identification & Psychological Development (15 credits)

In this module, you will examine key developmental theories concerning psychological development, in conjunction with the concepts of early identification, to promote effective intervention, for optimum mental health in children, adolescents and their families. A range of factors drawn from genetic, cognitive and environmental influences will be critically evaluated.

• Psychology for health and social care (15 credits)

This module looks at psychological and social factors associated with physical illness, the impact of illness on individuals, psychological intervention, and how this knowledge can be used in healthcare and social care practice.

Alternatively, students may undertake a module from the MSc Advanced Practice in Health and Social Care (Child and Adolescent Mental Health).