Essentials of Mental Health Practice

Mental health is a core healthcare priority and an area that has seen significant changes in service provision and increased demand.

This module prepares health and social care professionals with advanced knowledge of the biopsychosocial contexts of mental health and equips practitioners with skills and capabilities to make informed clinical decisions surrounding the enhanced assessment, evaluation and management of people living with mental health conditions.  It also aims to enhance understanding and attitudes towards mental health and actualise the aspirational ‘parity of esteem’.

Who is it for?

This module is suitable for healthcare professionals working in out of hospital environments.

Timetable

The course will be delivered through a mix of onsite (at City St George's Tooting campus) and online days. This module will run in October for the 2026-27 academic year. Provisional dates are mentioned below:

• 21 October 2026
• 28 October 2026
• 4 November 2026
• 11 November 2026 (Lecture - online)
• 18 November 2026
• 16 December 2026 (Summative assessment).

Please register your interest with pec@sgul.ac.uk for any information on future cohorts.

Benefits

This course will allow for practitioners to advance their practice as independent injectors developing roles such as ACPs and enable autonomous practice.

Medical practitioners will develop greater skills around injection therapy including localisation techniques, and case study analysis to enable advanced clinical reasoning skills.

The greater knowledge and skills will enable students to become competent, safe and effective independent in injection therapy. Learners will be supported in developing their skills and techniques in clinical reasoning, injection administration and after care to provide a comprehensive management approach.

On successful completion of the module students will be able to:

• demonstrate critical awareness of the contemporary and socio-cultural contexts of mental health and a comprehensive understanding of core mental health conditions relevant to professional practice
• demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of approaches in mental health including identification, holistic patient risk assessment and evaluation of mental state
• demonstrate critical awareness of the application of relevant ethical & legal frameworks in mental health
• demonstrate critical insight of the importance of a person-centred and multiprofessional approach to patient care
• critically evaluate and synthesise current mental health research and apply the evidence base to professional practice risk management.

Teaching

Teaching strategy

Lectures (critical reflection of clinical experiences), Self-directed learning (online learning/guided studies, reading), and Practice (simulated practice, problem based learning and case scenarios)

Assessment

Formative submission and summative presentation (case presentation).

Subjects covered:

Contemporary issues in mental health

• Understanding the role of the clinician in actualising the parity of esteem, and the contextualisation of mental health stigma
• Biopsychosocial model of mental health
• Equity, diversity, inclusion in mental health
• Mental health policy

Mental Health Conditions

• Common mental health conditions: anxiety disorders, depressive disorders
• Severe Mental Illness: Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Mental health in pregnancy
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health awareness

Patient assessment and interventions

• Introduction to physical and mental health interface (including pharmacological interventions)
• Mental state examination
• Enhanced risk stratification and safety netting
• Patient centred and collaborative decision making
• Effective multiprofessional working

Ethical, legal and professional issues

• Accountability, professionalism and ethics of working as an autonomous and independent health care practitioner
• Informed consent for patient assessment and management
• Relevant legislative frameworks including Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Mental Health Act (1983)
• Safe, collaborative and defensible decision making

Communication

• Importance of awareness of mental health related stigma and the importance of developing effective therapeutic relationships
• Documentation and referral to multi-professional team
• Developing effective service user/ practitioner relationships

Certification

This is a credit bearing standalone module. After successful completion of the assessment, students will receive a transcript for 15 credits at Level 6 or 7.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

To apply for this course, please follow these steps:

1. Check Eligibility: Ensure you meet any prerequisites or eligibility criteria mentioned.
2. Fill in the Application Form: Please note that this course may be taken at Level 6 (Undergraduate) or Level 7 (postgraduate). Ensure that you select the appropriate level
3. Payment: Once your application has been approved, you will be contacted with payment instructions.
4. Confirmation: After submitting your application and payment, you should receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive this, please check your spam/junk folder. Keep this for your records.
5. Prepare for the Course: Review any pre-course materials or requirements provided in the confirmation email.

If applying for this module, you MUST state the Module Title and Course Code in the personal statement tab. Without this we will be unaware of what module you are applying for and will delay your application decision.

If you encounter any issues or have questions, consider contacting the course provider directly through the contact information available on the website.

Requirements for Level 6

• Evidence of a level 5 award (DipHE, FD, or equivalent) or evidence of previous level 6 study
• A minimum of 1 years work experience across related field
• Professional registration (For example HCPC, NMC, GMC, etc)

Requirements for Level 7

• Evidence of a level 6 award - BSc, BSc (Hons) or evidence of 30 credits level 6 study where the applicants have achieved 60% or above, or international equivalent
• A minimum of 1 years work experience across related field
• Professional registration (For example HCPC, NMC, GMC, etc)

If you have any questions, you can contact us at pec@sgul.ac.uk.

English requirements

Candidates must meet City St George’s requirements for English language proficiency.