Applied Mental Health Practice

Entry requirements

The course is specifically designed for suitably qualified Social Workers, Psychiatric/LD Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists who work with people who have mental health needs and who are nominated by the local authority/ trust to qualify and practice as Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMHPs).

Candidates will need to have a relevant professional qualification i.e. a first degree or equivalent, or demonstration of ability to study at postgraduate level.

Post-qualifying practical experience working in either full or part-time capacity in a statutory mental health setting for two years (full-time) or more is required.

Candidates in connected areas such as Adult Social Care with relevant mental health experience can also be considered for the course.

Support from a Local Authority/ Trust is necessary for candidates preparing to move onto the full AMHP training who will ensure you have an suitably experienced AMHP supervisor and a statutory placement in a mental health setting which will provide the relevant experience to achieve to module learning outcomes.

Relevant professional qualification and completion of an appropriate post-qualifying course (the university Pre-AMHP course is suitable and recommended for this purpose).

You need to have experience of shadowing at least 5 Mental Health Act Assessments (3 if you are based within a mental health team) prior to the start of the programme.

Additionally, we ask that you submit a satisfactory reflective account of 5 hours of observations of an inpatient psychiatric ward (please note that you can meet this via the pre-AMHP Foundation course).

Months of entry

September

Course content

The course is designed for qualified Mental Health professionals seeking to qualify and practice as Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs).

AMHPs assess individuals who may need compulsory measures of care and treatment. The role carries considerable autonomy and responsibility as well as the opportunity to positively impact on lives and make a positive contribution to society.

This important and complex role involves working alongside a range of professionals in order to safeguard the health, safety, wellbeing and rights of people. The AMHP training at the University of Hertfordshire (UH) ensures that you are trained and assessed to the highest of standards, through strong partnerships with a range of key stakeholders.

Fees and funding

Students are normally nominated by their trust/ local authority employers to train as Approved Mental Health Professionals. There is an expectation that Local Authorities responsible for the warranting of AMHPs will provide funding and appropriate support for students, and students remain in employment through the training. It may be possible to self-fund if the student has the required support of a Local Authority.