PgCert Applied Mental Health Practice

Key information

Course Leader: John Paul Anastasiadis

Level: 7

Start date: Semester A: 1st September 2025 (Introduction Days: 17 and 18 July 2025) or Semester B: 23rd February 2026 (Introduction Days: 26 and 27 January 2026)

Entry Requirements

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.

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.

Modules

Managing Mental Health Act Assessments
The aims of this module are to enable students to develop and be able to apply the knowledge and skills required to manage complex Mental Health Act Assessments, whilst demonstrating the competence requirements for Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs). This includes being able to apply knowledge of mental disorder and values to the AMHP role and being able base AMHP practice on a critical evaluation of a range of research relevant to evidence-based practice.

In this module students build on their professional experience in order to learn to effectively and safely manage Mental Health Act Assessments and deal with complex issues systematically and creatively, practicing in an anti-oppressive way, with people who have mental disorders, their families, carers and other professionals. Through this module students will critically examine aspects of practice using knowledge of risk assessment, legislation, policy, a range of mental disorders, treatments and interventions, and the organisational and practice contexts within which the AMHP operates.

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.

Which programme(s) can this module be linked to/contribute towards to :
Applied Mental Health Practice - HSMHPPGC
This module and the module called Applied Mental Health Law – 7HSK2205 – make up the Applied Mental Health Practice Programme (PG Cert).
Applied Mental Health Law
The aims of this module are to enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes required to be able to apply the mental health and other relevant legislation, codes of practice, guidance and policy in undertaking the role of an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), whilst demonstrating the competence requirements for AMHPs.

This module covers mental health and human rights legislation that deal with competing rights and needs; the need of a person to be assessed, protected and treated and the needs of the community when a person poses a risk to others. It will cover correct use and implementation of legislation, related codes of practice, and policy guidance essential in carrying out the AMHP role.

Who Teaches the 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.

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.