MSc Advanced Leadership for Professional Practice (Allied Health Profession) / Course details
Year of entry: 2025
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Course unit details:
Models of Mental Distress
| Unit code | SOWK60751 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
1/ This is the second unit of the programme training professionals to act as Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHP) undertaking statutory duties under the Mental Health Act. A statutory requirement for this role is that AMHPs will have a critical understanding of modern psychiatric practice and to be able to assert a ‘social’ perspective to compliment the ‘medical model’.
2/ The key aim of this unit is to develop learners with a critical understanding of the different perspectives on the cause and identification of mental distress; the implications of having a mental health diagnosis; and different perspectives on intervention.
3/ Students on the programme have a wide range of background experiences prior to commencing their training. Whilst some students will have worked extensively within a dedicated mental health service, other students have a background in general adult social care or working for childrens services. The aim of this unit is to equip all students with the foundation applied knowledge for modern mental health practice.
4/ Initially, students will be encouraged to consider and evaluate the ‘medical model’ of psychiatric practice. Students will then be encouraged to contrast this model with alternative paradigms including the critical, social, and psychological perspectives.
5/ External guest speakers from multi-disciplinary backgrounds (including people with lived experience) will provide expert input in the following areas:
- The mental state examination, diagnosis and treatment.
- Older age mental health.
- The assessment of risk and suicide.
- Critical perspectives on mental health.
- The ‘lived experience’ in mental health
- Psychological perspectives and working with people with a personality disorder.
- Dual diagnosis.
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
- Eating Disorders.
- People with a learning disability / autistic spectrum disorder.
Aims
1/ Produce students who:
a. Have a critical understanding of the concept of “mental disorder” and the medical model of psychiatry and an ability to apply this knowledge to practice situations.
b. Have a critical understanding of non-medical perspectives on the cause and identification of mental distress (including anti-oppressive practice) and an ability to apply this knowledge to practice situations.
c. Can critically reflect on the implications of receiving a mental health diagnosis (including anti-oppressive practice)
d. Have a critical understanding in relation to the formulation of ‘risk’.
e. Can critically evaluate multi-disciplinary perspectives on the care and treatment of people experiencing mental distress.
2/ Produce students who can formulate and clearly communicate their opinions using relevant evidence.
Learning outcomes
Students should be able to:
Teaching and learning methods
1/ The majority of the teaching will be provided on campus where external guest speakers will deliver face-to-face lectures, although some of the lectures may be provided on-line (via Teams and Zoom) to enable the contribution of external lecturers.
2/ Assignment guidance will be provided via face-to-face seminars and this will be supplemented with asynchronistic content on the Nearpod platform. Following the end of the timetabled dates, further online sessions will be offered to support students with the assignment. These will include formative learning opportunities.
3/ Students will be offered the opportunity to complete an online psychological assessment to reflect on their own personality style.
Knowledge and understanding
KU1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the concept of “mental disorder” and the medical model of psychiatry and an ability to apply this knowledge to practice situations.
KU2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of non-medical perspectives on the cause and identification of mental distress (including anti-oppressive practice) an ability to apply this knowledge to practice situations.
KU3. Demonstrate a critical understanding in relation to the formulation of ‘risk’.
Intellectual skills
IS1. Critically reflect on the implications of receiving a mental health diagnosis.
IS2. Critically evaluate multi-disciplinary perspectives on the care and treatment of people experiencing mental distress. PS1. Formulate and clearly communicate their opinions using relevant evidence.
Practical skills
PS1. Formulate and clearly communicate their opinions using relevant evidence.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
TS1. Assimilate, analyse and synthesise information from various sources.
Employability skills
- Other
- All the students are currently registered health or social care professionals. Most students are sponsored to attend the AMHP programme by Local Authorities (although a small number may be self-funding). Upon completion of all the taught units and practice portfolio, students will be eligible to be approved by a Local Authority to act as AMHP’s and undertake statutory duties under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 100% |
Feedback methods
Prior to completing the summative assignment, students will have the opportunity to complete and receive feedback on a formative assignment.
All students will receive detailed feedback on their assignment submission via Turnitin and have the opportunity for a 1:2:1 tutorial if required.
Recommended reading
Adshead, G., Brown, R. and Pollard, A. (2009) The Approved Mental Health Professional’s Guide to Psychiatry and Medication (2nd ed). Sage, London
Brossard, B. and Chandler, A. (2022) Explaining Mental Illness - Sociological Perspectives. Bristol University Press, Bristol
Cooke, A. and Kinderman (2018) “But What About Real Mental Illnesses?” Alternatives to the Disease Model Approach to “Schizophrenia”. In Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 58(1), pp. 47 to 71.
Davidson, G., Campbell, J., Shannon, C. and Mulholland, C. (2016) Models of mental health. Macmillan Education/Palgrave, Basingstoke
Johnstone, L. and Boyle, M. (2018) The Power Threat Meaning Framework: An Alternative Nondiagnostic Conceptual System. Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Kinsella, C. and Kinsella, C. (2015) Introducing Mental Health, Second Edition : A Practical Guide. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London
Kitwood, T. (2019) Dementia reconsidered, revisited : the person still comes first. Open University Press, London
Moncrieff, J. and Middleton, H (2015) Schizophrenia : a critical psychiatry perspective. In Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 28(3), pp. 264-268.
Pilgrim, D., Rogers, A. and Pescosolido, A (2010) The SAGE Handbook of Mental Health and Illness. Sage, London.
Semple, D. and Smyth, R. (2019) The Oxford Handbook of Psychiatry (4th ed). Open University Press, London.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 40 |
| Placement hours | |
|---|---|
| Placement | 65 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 150 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Mark Cooper | Unit coordinator |