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Senior Wellbeing Practitioner PG Dip

London, King's Cross (Anna Freud Centre)

UK students International students

Study mode

Part-time

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

See Fees Note

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)

See Fees Note

Duration

2 calendar years

Programme starts

January 2024

Applications accepted

January 2024 entry: 16 Oct – 19 Dec 2023

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of an upper second-class honours Bachelor’s degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject e.g. psychology or another health/social care/youth related undergraduate degree. A recognised professional qualification and role in a relevant subject (e.g. Child Wellbeing Practitioner, Educational Mental Health Practitioner, etc.) is also required.

A registerable professional qualification in a relevant subject (e.g. medicine, psychology, social work) from a UK university or overseas professional qualification of an equivalent standard may also be accepted.

Candidates will need to be qualified EMHPs (Graduate/Postgraduate Diploma) or CWPs (Graduate/Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma) with ideally, two years of post-qualification experience, however candidates with less experience are encouraged to apply if they have enough relevant experience. They will be competent or accredited in the clinical models that they are supervising. Candidates must have been successful in applying for a locally created Senior Wellbeing Practitioner role.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The main aims of the programme are to enable students to to extend their clinical skillset, by being trained in a wider range of clinical presentations including OCD, self-harm, Tics, trauma-informed practice, school anxiety, as well as working with and supporting neurodiverse children and young people e.g., ASC/ADHD and Learning Disabilities. Additionally, the programme aims to develop the students’ skills in supervising trainee low intensity practitioners. Students will learn how supervision can enhance trainee practitioners' knowledge of multi-agency systems. They will be introduced to relevant theory, models and interventions designed to support development of the new child mental health workforce in schools and in the community.

The training has a specific purpose to develop and identify practitioners who can be employed in much needed positions within CYP-MH in the NHS and other providers.

Students who will attend the programme are applying for places that are commissioned nationally by region, with the specific purpose of enhancing their employability and effectiveness as low intensity practitioners, with the overall aim of improving children and young people and their families’ experiences of inclusive mental health services. It is hoped that following the course they will be retained in these roles for some time, with more developed skills in the interventions they provide and in supervising others who are training after them.

The UCL/AF partnership has the unique advantage of drawing expert teaching/tutoring staff from a number of NHS Trusts, which is greatly valued by students on all of our programmes.

Who this course is for

The SWP course is specifically designed for qualified CWPs and EMHPs to extend their clinical skillset by providing specialist training in a broader range of presentations. The training will also expand their supervision knowledge and skills, by increasing their understanding of evidence-based practice and supervision models within CAMHS, community and school settings.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL has a formal partnership with Anna Freud (AF), a national charity with a worldwide reputation. This programme will be delivered by the AFwhere you will have the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners in the field.

At the AF we aim to equip trainees with the knowledge and skills to work effectively in promoting the resilience and wellbeing of children, young people and families.

Entry to this programme is through an employment contract with a relevant CYPMH provider. Positions are co-ordinated centrally and advertised via UCL Admissions. Recruitment is organised with the application process open for a limited period of time only.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Alumni from this course will go onto progress in their existing CYP-MH setting and qualify to take on a more advanced role as a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner.

Employability

The programme is designed to train and guide students whilst they undertake a role as a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner within a relevant CYPMH (Children and Young People's Mental Health) service. Following successful completion, you will continue working on-site as a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner, with an enhanced skill set, further developing these within an applied setting. You may also go on to mentor other new site supervisors, thus supporting your employability prospects.

Networking

You will have a chance to network with fellow professional peers also undertaking the course. As well as meet with external experts who are often invited to lead some of the teaching.

Teaching and learning

Teaching days are a combination of both in-person and online sessions. Lectures and skills-based workshops form the core teaching, and these are developed further in Practice Tutor Groups (PTGs). Students are expected to video record their clinical and supervision sessions and share these as part of small group learning and reflective practice.

Assessment on the programme will comprise of a variety of coursework, to assess students' knowledge, practical, reflective and evaluative skills within the context of being a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner.

There are five assignments in Year 1: two case reports and two video recordings with a reflective analysis, plus a clinical portfolio.

There are four assignments in Year 2: An essay on effective supervision, a reflective essay, and a video recording of a supervision session with a reflective analysis, plus a supervision portfolio.

In Year One: There are approx. 32-35 teaching days, plus 4 study days. Students attend university on average one day per week, typically on Thursdays.

Students are expected to complete a minimum of 7 low-intensity interventions across the range of clinical presentations for year one modules.

In Year Two: There are approx. 15 teaching days, plus 4 study days across the year, and this will be combined with students undertaking the PG Cert in Supervision. Students attend university fortnightly in term 1, thereafter on average monthly, typically on Wednesdays.

You will supervise each trainee or other designated supervisee for a minimum of 1 hour weekly. You are expected to have a total of 35 hours per trainee/supervisee for the year.

You are expected to have received supervision of your supervisory practice on site, with a minimum of 12 hours across the year. This should not be Line Management. We recommend that 3 hours out of the 12 include examples of live observation, video or audio recording of your supervisory practice.

Modules

Year One:

PSYC0294 Enhanced Practice in Early Intervention (30 credits)

Whole Session Video Recording with Reflective Analysis (50%)
Case Report (50%)
Clinical Portfolio (0% - Pass Fail only)

PSYC0295 Adapting Low Intensity Practice with Children and Young People (CYP) with Neurodiversity (ASC/LD) (30 Credits)

Whole Session Recording with Reflective Analysis (100%)
Case Report (50%)

Year Two:

PSYC0248 Supervision Theory and Context (30 Credits)

Critical Evaluation of Supervision (4 000 Words) 100%

PSYC0252 Supervision Practice (Credits)

Reflective essay (2,500 Words) 50%
Whole Session Videotape with Reflective Analysis (1,500 Words) 50%

N.B. All modules are non-condonable.

Compulsory modules

Supervision Theory and Context

Supervision Practice

Enhanced Practice in Early Intervention

Adapting Low Intensity Practice with Children and Young People (CYP) with Neurodiversity (ASC/LD)

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 120 credits. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Senior Wellbeing Practitioner.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	See Fees Note
Tuition fees (2024/25)	See Fees Note

Fees for this programme are available on request from the department.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this programme.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

If your application is successful, the course fees will be covered by NHS England, but please note that this course doesn’t follow the usual application process (see Additional Application Information for further information).

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

The application to the Senior Wellbeing Practitioner programme is not an ordinary application process. As a preliminary stage, CYPMH service sites bid to become Partners in the delivery of a relevant Workforce Development Programme. Managers, supervisors and therapists are then put forward by these particular partnerships to take part in the programme. Therefore, you have to be working within an organisation which is part of an existing Partner site delivering CYPMH services to be considered for this programme.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

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