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Working, Assessing and Engaging in Education Settings

Module description

Education Mental Health Practitioners (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 consists of two main areas: the educational context and the assessment and engagement of children, young people, and their families specific to the educational setting. It has been designed as a counterpart to modules 1 and 2. EMHPs will understand the education setting, and the context in which they will be working; including legislative and policy frameworks, how schools / colleges are organised and the challenges of working with mental health issues in an educational setting. EMHPs will then learn assessment and engagement skills particular to educational settings. This includes engagement skills with children and young people (CYP), families and education staff, assessment, diagnosis and signposting skills and understanding of neurological development.

Module aims - intentions of the module

In this module you will develop your knowledge in the core principles underpinning Education Mental Health Practice in education settings and you will become skilled in enhancing your work with children, young people and their families/parents. This module underpins module PYCM083 (Common Problems and Processes in Education Settings) and PYCM084 (Interventions for Emerging Mental Health Difficulties in Education Settings). This module has two overarching aims:

• To equip you with the necessary knowledge, attitude and competence to operate effectively in an inclusive values-driven education context and in the wider services context.
• To provide you with the relevant knowledge and enable you to assess and engage young people with mental health difficulties in the context of education environments in collaboration with CYP, their families and education staff.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Equip the EMHP with the necessary knowledge, attitude and competence to operate effectively in an inclusive value driven education context
• 2. Know how to assess and engage young people with mental health difficulties in the context of education environments in collaboration with CYP, their families and education staff
• 3. Recognise and work with existing expertise in education settings
• 4. Assess and identify areas of difficulty (including risk) and establish main areas for change.
• 5. Establish and maintain a working therapeutic alliance and engage the child/young person/family and education staff to support them in self-management of recovery
• 6. Identify and differentiate between common mental health problems in CYP
• 7. Identify and differentiate learning problems in CYP, including dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia
• 8. Demonstrate awareness of SEND and the role of SENCO in education settings
• 9. Navigate and signpost to appropriate interventions
• 10. Use routine outcome measures and standardised assessment tools effectively in education settings

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 11. Summarise basic and essential factual and conceptual knowledge of the subject, and demonstrate a critical understanding of this knowledge
• 12. Address systematically complex problems which may be framed within unpredictable contexts, think critically, creatively, and independently, and fully appreciate the complexities of the issues

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 13. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, challenge received opinion and develop your own criteria and judgement, and to seek and make use of feedback
• 14. Manage your own learning using the full range of resources of the clinical discipline and with minimum guidance

Syllabus plan

The module content, module-specific learning objectives, style of delivery and assessment for this module are as informed by the curriculum for the training of EMHPs to support the delivery of low intensity CBT and parent therapy. Teaching content will include:

• Understanding education context: education structure, different types of schools/colleges
• Role of the EMHP in education including new mental health leads in schools/colleges
• Professional practice and boundaries in education settings
• Multiagency working
• Legislative and policy frameworks
• Schools and college organisation including roles and responsibilities
• Schools and college policies and procedures and ethos
• Schools and colleges mission, aims and values and how these are maintained
• Wider context in which schools/colleges operate (SATS, GCSEs etc.)
• Overview of teacher training
• Promoting diversity and inclusion in schools/colleges
• Working with CYP, families and staff within education settings
• Challenges working with education and mental health
• Transitions and learning
• Developing professional relationships with CYP and families
• Effective communication and professional relationships with CYP and families and education staff
• Auditing and assessment of mental health need in education settings
• Observational skills in education settings
• Signposting
• Engagement of harder to reach students in education settings
• Understanding impact of difficulties on educational life and attainment
• Understanding  of whole school  / college approaches
• Therapeutic relationship skills, ability to engage and communicate across the age range. Developmental stages and education background, working with difference. 
• Interviewing and questioning skills 
• Risk assessment, safeguarding and management in education settings
• Common mental health problems in CYP relevant to education settings (including attentional difficulties, sleep disturbance, emotional dysregulation, self harm, substance mis-use)
• Child development including normal development and deviations from this.
• Speech and language development and problems
• Neurological development – how children and young people learn and learning problems: learning assessment to include dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia
• Knowledge and awareness of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and impact in education settings
• Knowledge of the use of measures, goal-setting and goal based outcomes in education settings

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Two summative assessments are required for this module. In all cases re-assessment will be the same as the original assessment. Where you have been referred/deferred for any form of assessment detailed above you will have the opportunity to retake within the period specified above from the date that feedback was provided.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of deferral, your re-assessment will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment and the overall module mark will not be capped.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), the overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

If you fail re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), you will be failed in the module and as a consequence you will be failed in the programme and your registration as a student of the University will be terminated.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Core reading:

• Bennett-Levy, J., Richards, D., Farrand, P. et al (2010). Oxford guide to low intensity CBT interventions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Department of Health (2012). Child IAPT national curriculum. London: Department of Health
• Fonagy, P., & Target, M. (2005). What works for whom: A critical review for children and adolescents. London: Routledge
• O’Hagan, K. (2001). Cultural competence in the caring professions. London: Jessica Kingsley.
• Repper, J., & Perkins, R. (2003). Social inclusion and recovery. London: Bailliere Tindall.
• Roth, A.D., & Pilling, S. (2007). Core competencies required to deliver effective psychological therapies. London: HMSO, Department of Health.
• Weare, K. (2013). Promoting mental, emotional and social health: A whole school approach. London: Routledge.

Wider reading:

• Department of Health (2015). Future in mind. Promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing
• Lester, H., & Glasby, J. (2006). Mental health policy and practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Pilgrim, D., & Rogers, A. (2005). Sociology of mental health. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
• Rogers, A., & Pilgrim, D. (2003). Mental health and Inequality. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Thornicroft, G. (2006). Shunned: Discrimination against people with mental Illness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7761

Key words search

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, IAPT, EMHP, Wellbeing Practitioner, PWP, CYP, CBT, Schools, children and young people, diversity, equal opportunities, recovery-orientated values, case management supervision, professional development, psychosocial, signposting, recovery