Course overview
PAGE IS UNDER REVIEW - APPLICATIONS ARE NOT YET OPEN FOR 2026/27 ACADEMIC YEAR
- The PG Cert Applied Mental Health Practice Programme is designed to enable students to demonstrate they have the necessary knowledge and skills, ensuring that they have demonstrated that they can meet the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) competencies in Schedule 2 of the AMHP Regulations (England) by the end of their course.
- Qualified social workers, mental health and learning disability nurses, occupational therapists, and psychologists, registered with their respective regulators, may train to become an AMHP.
- This course ensures that AMHP trainees are trained and assessed to the highest of standards, through strong partnerships with a range of key stakeholders including students and people with lived experience. Local authorities are centrally involved in the course design, delivery, and management in order to ensure that their responsibilities under legislation are addressed and the training course remains fit-for-purpose.
- Successful completion of this approved course makes an individual eligible to be approved to act as an AMHP by a Local Authority in England and to perform the functions of an AMHP and helps to meet the legal requirement for Local Authorities to ensure that a sufficient number of AMHPs are available to meet the needs of the local area.
Indicative Course Structure/Course Notes
Transferable skills are developed through a combination of lectures/ seminars, individual and groupwork, formative tests and assignments. Practice examples and case examples will be used to help make the necessary links between the academic and practice elements and to support the learning process.
The practice placement is a central part of the programme. It provides the opportunity to put theory into practice and for trainees to develop and demonstrate in practice the necessary knowledge, understanding and skills required to be an AMHP. It includes formal supervision sessions to contribute to the learning and development of the trainee. The supervision will help facilitate reflection and discussion of practice, including decision-making and evidencing of competencies.
The design of the programme with integration of taught sessions amongst practice placement supports trainees to bring practice experiences back into the classroom environment for discussion and critical reflection. It also supports trainees being able to put what they learned in the classroom into practice and to consider its application in the placement setting.
Throughout, the learner is encouraged to develop transferable skills by maintaining a record of evidence and completing a personal development plan.
The programme is offered in full-time (approx. 4 months) and part time modes (approx. 6 months at 3 days a week – Mon-Wed) and leads to the award of a Post Graduate Certificate in Applied Mental Health Practice. Intake is normally at Semester A (September) and Semester B (February).
Both modules that make up this programme (Applied Mental Health Law – 7HSK2205 and Managing Mental Health Act Assessments – 7HSK2206) must be completed.
Professional and Statutory Regulatory Bodies
The programme is approved by Social Work England (SWE) and on completion of the programme students are eligible (though not guaranteed) to be approved by a Local Authority to act in the role as an Approved Mental Health Professional.
Who teaches on this course?
The Programme Leader is an AMHP and is involved in teaching on the course alongside other suitably qualified professionals including AMHPs. Other university and visiting speakers are involved in course delivery including people with lived experience and carers, mental health solicitor, psychiatrists and other professionals with specialist knowledge and experience relevant to the AMHP role.
Accredited by
Funding
£5,980.00
The price above is for the 60 credit programme and applies to students who are assessed as Home fee payers ONLY. Fees will differ for students assessed as Overseas fee payers. Fee assessment decisions follow UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) guidance, which is based on UK law and government regulations. Further information on who will pay Home or Overseas tuition fees can be found here: https://ask.herts.ac.uk/will-i-pay-home-or-international-tuition-fees
Once confirmed, a student’s fee status will normally remain the same for the duration of their course. However, information regarding fee reassessment is available here: https://ask.herts.ac.uk/will-i-pay-home-or-international-tuition-fees#FeeReassessment
Eligible students may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Student Loan. Please note that to access this funding, you must enrol on the full MSc programme; funding is not available for individual modules or interim awards (for example, a Postgraduate Diploma). Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan
Further details, including tuition fee amounts, fee policy and payment deadlines, can be found here : https://www.herts.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/fee-information/fees-and-finance-policy-documents
If you require further information or have any questions regarding fees, please contact: cpdhealth@herts.ac.uk
What our students say about this course
“This has been the best course I’ve ever done!”
“Overall, thoroughly enjoyed it and have learnt a lot about AMHPing but also more generally the provision of services and the support we offer.”
“Thank you so much for the support you gave throughout the course… The whole course has changed my perspective on Mental Health as well as on my own profession. It marked a turning point in my practice and outlook in life.”
“The course is amazing. I never thought I would learn so much in such a short time!”
“One of the toughest most rewarding things I have ever done.”
“The course is very demanding but it has birthed something new in me; the way I look at things and the ability to be reflective and critical. It has made me question my own practice and what I have learned will make me a better practitioner going forward.”
''Having previously studied at postgraduate level on three occasions, I can affirm that this programme has been one of the most rewarding academic experiences of my career. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone committed to genuine professional growth and to pursuing the path of becoming an Approved Mental Health Professional. In my view, it would be difficult to find a programme with better teaching, stronger support, or a more enriching learning experience”
“Thank you - it’s been a profound learning experience and one that has made me revisit and revitalise my existing role as a social worker as well as prepares me as a prospective AMHP!”
“A massive thank you for providing a wonderful and life changing experience on the AMHP course.”
“Quite simply the best professional training course I have been on - really ensures you understand the significance and responsibility of becoming an AMHP. Fantastic teaching on the course.… brilliant lecturers… really supportive throughout.”
Course details
Course leader
John Paul Anastasiadis
Administrator
Niamh Sexton
Telephone
01707 284800
Course delivery
Prerequisites
The normal entry requirements for the programme are that the applicant has:
- A professional qualification and full registration (with the respective regulatory body) as a social worker, mental health or learning disability nurse, occupational therapist, or psychologist. Applicants will need to remain so registered for the duration of the course.
- Suitability in relation to their conduct, health and character, where suitability refers to fitness to practice. There is more detail in Social Work England’s fitness to practice guidance, the Health and Care Professions Council’s fitness to practice guidance, and the Nursing & Midwifery Council’s fitness to practice guidance.
- Evidence of completing a relevant post-qualifying course at master's level (level 7): completion of the university’s Pre-AMHP Foundation course is normally required.
- Suitable prior experience of the practical application of appropriate legislation and policy, specifically but not limited to mental health, mental capacity and human rights legislation. Confirmed in a nomination form completed by the relevant AMHP lead.
- Support from a Local Authority/ Trust who will offer a statutory placement in a mental health setting which will provide the relevant experience to achieve the module learning outcomes and who will also provide an experienced Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) to act as a Practice Learning Educator.
- Confirmed they are in agreement for information about their grades, attendance, and performance to be shared by the University with the employing authority, Practice Learning Educator and relevant AMHP lead.
- Successfully completed a University of Hertfordshire (UH) PG Cert AMHP programme interview. The interview panel will normally include a person with lived experience, the AMHP lead from the nominating AMHP service, and an AMHP programme tutor from the University. Experience of shadowing at least 3 Mental Health Act Assessments prior to the interview taking place is normally required.
- Commitment that they will have no other work, training or other commitments during the PG Cert AMHP Programme which could prevent or delay completion of the course.
- Have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate with adult and child workforce barred list checks. This certificate must be issued within three years prior to the programme start, unless the applicant has an active subscription to the DBS update service.
- Where applicants are self-employed or not employed by a Local Authority or Trust DBS and Occupational Health clearances by the University, will be required before commencing any placement activity.
Assessment Details
Applied Mental Health Law module (7HSK2205):
Summative Test: Open book test.
Practical (Pass/Fail): Portfolio, in which the Competencies for this module are sufficiently evidenced.
Managing Mental Health Act Assessments module (7HSK2206):
Coursework 1: A Critical Analysis assignment.
Practical: A Presentation.
Practical (Pass/Fail): Portfolio, in which the Competencies for this module are sufficiently evidenced
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Successful students will:
A1. demonstrate appropriate knowledge of and ability to apply in practice mental health legislation, related codes of practice and national and local policy guidance.
A2. demonstrate appropriate knowledge of and ability to apply in practice relevant parts of other legislation, codes of practice, national and local policy guidance, in particular the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, where “relevant” means relevant to the decisions that an AMHP is likely to take when acting as an AMHP.
A3. demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the particular needs of children and young people and their families, and an ability to apply AMHP practice in the context of those particular needs.
A4. demonstrate an understanding of, and sensitivity to, race and culture in the application of knowledge of mental health legislation.
A5. demonstrate an explicit awareness of the legal position and accountability of AMHPs in relation to the Act, any employing organisation and the authority on whose behalf they are acting.
A6. demonstrate the ability to evaluate critically local and national policy to inform AMHP practice, and to base AMHP practice on a critical evaluation of a range of research relevant to evidence-based practice, including that on the impact on persons who experience discrimination because of mental health.
Intellectual Skills
Successful students will:
B1. demonstrate a critical understanding of, and ability to apply in practice, a range of models of mental disorder, including the contribution of social, physical and development factors.
B2. demonstrate a critical understanding of, and ability to apply in practice, the social perspective on mental disorder and mental health needs, in working with patients, their relatives, carers and other professionals.
B3. demonstrate a critical understanding of, and ability to apply in practice, the implications of mental disorder for patients, their relatives and carers.
B4. demonstrate a critical understanding of, and ability to apply in practice, the implications of a range of treatments and interventions for patients, their relatives and carers.
Practical Skills
Successful students will:
C1. demonstrate the ability to articulate, and demonstrate in practice, the social perspective on mental disorder and mental health needs.
C2. demonstrate the ability to communicate appropriately with and establish effective relationships with patients, relatives, and carers in undertaking the AMHP role.
C3. demonstrate the ability to articulate the role of the AMHP in the course of contributing to effective inter-agency and inter-professional working.
C4. demonstrate the ability to use networks and community groups to influence collaborative working with a range of individuals, agencies and advocates.
C5. demonstrate the ability to consider the feasibility of and contribute effectively to planning and implementing options for care such as alternatives to compulsory admission, discharge and aftercare.
C6. demonstrate the ability to recognise, assess and manage risk effectively in the context of the AMHP role.
C7. demonstrate the ability to effectively manage difficult situations of anxiety, risk and conflict, and an understanding of how this affects the AMHP and other people concerned with the patient’s care.
C8. demonstrate the ability to discharge the AMHP role in such a way as to empower the patient as much as practicable.
C9. demonstrate the ability to plan, negotiate and manage compulsory admission to hospital or arrangements for supervised community treatment.
C10. demonstrate the ability to manage and co-ordinate effectively the relevant legal and practical processes including the involvement of other professionals as well as patients, relatives and carers.
C11. demonstrate the ability to balance and manage the competing requirements of confidentiality and effective information sharing to the benefit of the patient and other persons concerned with the patient’s care.
C12. demonstrate the ability to assert a social perspective and to make properly informed independent decisions.
C13. demonstrate the ability to obtain, analyse and share appropriate information having due regard to confidentiality in order to manage the decision-making process including decisions about supervised community treatment.
C14. demonstrate the ability to compile and complete statutory documentation, including an application for admission.
C15. demonstrate the ability to provide reasoned and clear verbal and written reports to promote effective, accountable and independent AMHP decision making.
C16. demonstrate the ability to present a case at a legal hearing.
C17. demonstrate the ability to exercise the appropriate use of independence, authority and autonomy and use it to inform their future practice as an AMHP, together with consultation and supervision.
C18. demonstrate the ability to evaluate the outcomes of interventions with patients, carers and others, including the identification of where a need has not been met.
C19. demonstrate the ability to make and communicate decisions that are sensitive to the needs of the individual patient.
C20. demonstrate the ability to keep appropriate records with an awareness of legal requirements with respect to record keeping and the use and transfer of information.
Transferable Skills
Successful students will:
D1. demonstrate the ability to identify, challenge and, where possible, redress discrimination and inequality in all its forms in relation to AMHP practice.
D2. demonstrate an understanding of and respect for individuals’ qualities, abilities and diverse backgrounds, and is able to identify and counter any decision which may be based on unlawful discrimination.
D3. demonstrate the ability to promote the rights, dignity and self determination of patients consistent with their own needs and wishes, to enable them to contribute to the decisions made affecting their quality of life and liberty.
D4. demonstrate a sensitivity to individuals’ needs for personal respect, confidentiality, choice, dignity and privacy while exercising the AMHP role.
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