About this course

Provide low intensity CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) interventions for children, young people and their parents or carers. Support common mental health problems including anxiety, low mood and behavioural difficulties on this Education Mental Health Practitioner PGDip.

Gain the skills to work in education settings and assist schools with their mental health strategies. When you successfully complete the course you'll be qualified to practice.

The role of an Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) was developed to improve access to high quality mental health support for children and young people within education settings.

This course follows the agreed national curriculum. You’ll learn theory and take part in education practice in live settings. You’ll carry out your education practice as part of a Mental Health Support Team (MHST) who will also support you. Your MHST must be your employer.

You’ll develop the skills to:

work in a values-driven service
understand common mental health problems experienced by children and young people and the evidenced-based treatment options
understand therapeutic management of children, young people and their parents/carers experiencing anxiety, low mood or behavioural difficulties
understand education settings, including legislative and policy frameworks
promote the wellbeing of children and young people by supporting their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development in the context of their family, school and other systems
understand the process of consultation and group work in schools and colleges

This course is fully funded by the NHS. The training is provided as part of an MHST clinical training role. The trainee role is full time and you earn a wage equal to the NHS Agenda for Change Band 4.

Course lead

Mrs Sarah Monk is a trained Cognitive Behavioural Therapist specialising in children and young people’s mental health and low intensity working. Sarah has worked in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and is accredited by the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). Sarah is a qualified CBT supervisor. Visit Sarah’s profile page to learn more.

If you have a question about the course you can contact the EMHP team inbox: emhp-admin@soton.ac.uk

Course location

This course is based at Highfield.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the programme specification

The programme specification sets out the learning outcomes of this course and details how the course is taught and assessed.

PDF

Download 2021-22 programme specification

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Entry requirements

You cannot apply for the course directly without applying for the role of a trainee EMHP. To learn more about these roles visit www.jobs.nhs.uk

You’ll need a 2:2 degree in any subject and experience of working or volunteering with children and young people in a mental health context.

We consider professional experience in these fields:

education
mental health
children and young people

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

IELTS score requirements

overall score: 6.5
reading: 6.0
writing: 6.0
speaking: 6.0
listening: 6.0

We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.

Recognition of professional experience

If you don't have the exact entry requirements, but you have significant work experience in this sector we’ll assess your relevant professional experience, your subject knowledge and your aptitude for learning.

This can be discussed at interview with the University and Mental Health Support Team.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000

Course structure

This educational mental health practitioner PGDip follows the nationally prescribed curriculum and is designed to train you to become an EMHP to work in schools and colleges.

You’ll learn about providing mental health interventions in education settings. You'll develop the ability to assess children and young people with common mental health problems and provide evidence based low intensity CBT interventions. You'll also work with schools to support their mental health policies.

You must study all the modules on this course and you’ll need to pass them all before you can practice.

You must also have passed the simulated clinical examinations and the clinical practice video assessment by your second attempt. This is part of the British Psychological Society’s accreditation requirements.

Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.

Modules

For entry in Academic Year 2021-22

You must study the following modules:

Assessment and Engagement

EMHPs will assess children, young people and families with a range of mental health problems. This assessment must reflect the child and their family’s perspective and must be conducted with the child’s and family’s needs paramount. The assessment should ...

Children and Young People's Mental Health Settings: Context and Values

EMHPs will operate at all times from an inclusive values base which promotes recovery, and recognises and respects diversity. Diversity represents the range of cultural norms including personal, family, social and spiritual values held by the diverse comm...

Common problems and processes in education settings

EMHPs provide support and interventions in schools and colleges that acknowledge the broad range of difficulties experienced by many children and young people and which have adverse effects on their well-being. These will include common adverse experienc...

Evidence Based interventions for common mental health problems with children and young people (theory and skills)

EMHPs aid clinical improvement through the provision of information and support for evidence-based low-intensity psychological treatments psychological treatments place a greater emphasis on self-management and are designed to be less burdensome to CYP un...

Interventions for emerging mental health difficulties in education settings

EMHPs will need to develop and awareness of emerging mental health difficulties in education settings and be able to intervene with parents / carer and school staff in these settings. Three key intervention skills will be taught in this module: The fir...

Working, assessing and engaging in education settings

EMHPs provide support and evidence based interventions in schools and colleges. Successful implementation of this requires the EMHP to be fully cognisant of the educational system and mental health practice within schools and colleges. This module consist...

Learning and assessment

Learning

The learning activities for this course include the following:

lectures
small seminar groups
observation of example interventions by trained clinical staff
clinical simulation
exploration of real practice scenarios using ‘forum theatre’
role play
educational videos
self directed study
assessment of practice documents and competencies

Assessment

We'll assess you using the methods stipulated in the national curriculum which includes:

multiple choice answer examinations
group and individual presentations
reflective essays
simulated clinical examinations
clinical practice video recordings
case reports
audits

Academic Support

Your EMHP service supervisors and the University programme team will keep in regular touch to support you, and your progress on the course.

You'll have access to a wide range of clinicians in your practice area. This is to make sure that you’re developing effective EMHP skills.

Careers

Successful completion of this education mental health practitioner training means you can practice as an EMHP. You'll be employed as part of the new Mental Health Support Teams.

Careers services at Southampton

We're a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:

work experience schemes
CV/resume and interview skills workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a thriving entrepreneurship culture. You'll be able to take advantage of:

our dedicated start-up incubator, Futureworlds
a wide variety of enterprise events run throughout the year
our partnership in the world’s number 1 business incubator, SETsquared

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees

This course is fully funded by the NHS through Health Education England (HEE).

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:

Funding your postgraduate studies

A variety of additional scholarships, grants and bursaries may be available to help you fund your master’s study, both from the University and from other organisations.

Funding for international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

How to apply

To make an application, you must apply for a trainee EMHP role with one of our affiliated MHSTs through NHS jobs. We don't accept self funded applicants.

During your EMHP interview, you’ll meet a member of the University team, alongside a member of staff from the MHST. You’ll be able to ask questions about the course during the interview.

If you’re successful in securing a position, the MHST and the University will guide you through the application process for the course.

The trainee role is full time and your working week is divided into 3 days of clinical practice and 2 days attending university. To learn more about the role, visit the NHS website.

Application deadlines

UK students

Applications must be received no later than 4 weeks before the start of the course. You must supply all supporting documentation at least 2 weeks before starting your course.