The Department of Nursing and Health Care at SETU Waterford is offering a new suite of modules on children and young people’s mental health. The suite of modules can be taken individually to achieve various professional certificates (10 credits each) or cumulatively to achieve an award of Postgraduate Diploma (60 Credits) or MSc (90 Credits), depending on individual preference.
There is a surge of children with mental health difficulties following the global pandemic and we are offering these modules will be of interest to teachers, nurses, therapists and other individuals who are in roles that support children and young people.
Overview of the programme
The aim of this proposed programme is to provide postgraduate students with the appropriate knowledge and skills in the area of young people and children’s mental health to enable them to contribute effectively to care of young people in a variety of settings. This programme will enable students to develop and enhance their knowledge of relevant child mental health theory, skills, and evidence-based practice. There is no other programme available that offers such a flexible and comprehensive suite of modules and the programme has been designed around the need for a development of expertise in these identified areas.
Aim of the programme
The programme aims to advance the student’s knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional values in a variety of settings when understanding and supporting young people in psychological distress.
Delivery
The Mental Health Practice with Children and Young People program is designed to be as flexible as possible and to meet the needs of any professionals working with or hoping to work with young people.
There are six 10-credit modules that can be taken individually as Professional Certificates, or together along with a 10 Credit research module, to make up a 60-credit PG Diploma, or with an additional 30-credit Dissertation module which makes up a 90-credit MSC. Candidates can do as little or as much as they need for their own professional roles. The course requires candidates to have a level 8 qualification, there is no stipulation that it needs to be in the area of social sciences or education.
It is a multi-disciplinary program delivered in a blended capacity with 18 hours online and 16 hours of in-person teaching per module.
Fees
The fees are €950 per Module/ Prof Certificate, or €5500 for the Grad Dip and €8,500 for the full MSC
There is no license to practice involved in any of the awards, but each will enhance the student’s knowledge of the specific areas of children’s and young people’s mental health
Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Practice for Children and Young People (60 Credits)
Certificate in Child Development and Mental Distress (10 Credits)
Certificate in Contemporary Issues for Children and Young People (10 Credits)
Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Mental Health (10 Credits)
Using Research to Enhance Professional Practice (10 Credits)
Practical Interventions for Children and Young People in Mental Distress (10 Credits)
Plus one elective of either: Neuro-Developmental Disorders (10 Credits) or Working with Children with Transcultural Trauma (10 Credits)
MSc in Mental Health Practice for Children and Young People (90 Credits)
Child Development and Mental Distress (10 Credits)
Contemporary Issues for Children and Young People (10 Credits)
Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Mental Health (10 Credits)
Using Evidence to Enhance Practice (10 Credits)
Practical Interventions for Children and Young People in Mental Distress (10 Credits)
Plus one elective of either: Neuro-Developmental Disorders (10 Credits) or Working with Children with Transcultural Trauma (10 Credits)
Plus
Research Dissertation (30 Credits)
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND MENTAL DISTRESS (Sept-Dec 2023)
The hours required are 18 hours online and 12 hours in person. The online lectures will be from 9-11am on Thursday mornings, but these will be recorded and there will be one online discussion session on one Thursday per month from 6-7pm. The in-person days will be in SETU Waterford and will be at the beginning and middle of the module. All students are expected to attend the in-person workshops.
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (Gender Identity, The Impact of Technology on Mental Health) (Sept-Dec 2023)
The hours required are 18 hours online and 12 hours in person. The online lectures will be from 12-2pm on Thursdays, these will be recorded and there will be one online discussion session on one Thursday per month from 6-7pm. The in-person days will be in SETU Waterford and will be at the beginning and middle of the module. All students are expected to attend the in-person workshops.
PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC APPROACHES TO MENTAL DISTRESS (Sept-Dec 2023)
The hours required are 18 hours online and 12 hours in person. The online lectures will be from 3pm-5pmon Thursdays, but these will be recorded and there will be one online discussion session on one Thursday per month from 6-7pm. The in-person days will be in SETU Waterford and will be at the beginning and middle of the module. All students are expected to attend the in-person workshops.
NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (Jan – May 2024) (ASD and ADHD)
The hours required are 18 hours online and 12 hours in person. The online lectures will be from 9-11am on Thursday mornings, but these will be recorded and there will be one online discussion session on one Thursday per month from 6-7pm. The in-person days will be in SETU Waterford and will be at the beginning and middle of the module. All students are expected to attend the in-person workshops.
PRACTICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN MENTAL DISTRESS (Jan – May 2024)
The hours required are 18 hours online and 12 hours in person. The online lectures will be from 12-2pm on Thursdays, but these will be recorded and there will be one online discussion session on one Thursday per month from 6-7pm. The in-person days will be in SETU Waterford and will be at the beginning and middle of the module. All students are expected to attend the in-person workshops.
WORKING WITH MARGINALISED CHILDREN AND THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRANSCULTURAL TRAUMA (Jan – May 2024)
The hours required are 18 hours online and 12 hours in person. The online lectures will be from 3pm-5pm on Thursdays, but these will be recorded and there will be one online discussion session on one Thursday per month from 6-7pm. The in-person days will be in SETU Waterford and will be at the beginning and middle of the module. All students are expected to attend the in-person workshops.
The primary target audiences for this programme are any professionals that cater or encounter young people with mental health needs. This includes nurses, social care workers, speech and language therapists and other allied professionals who engage with young people in a variety of educational, judicial and healthcare settings.
The prospective student will have to confirm that they hold the equivalent to a Level 8 in an appropriate discipline or have evidence of APEL (Accreditation for Prior Experiential Learning).
Where English is not the student’s first language, proof of English language competency as per SETU regulations will have to be provided.
Accreditation of prior learning can be considered within the following two categories:
1. Accreditation of prior certified learning.
2. Accreditation of prior experiential learning.
This flexible programme offers a unique opportunity for students to develop knowledge and skills of a wide variety of mental health presentations in children and young people.
The multi-disciplinary format and modular components mean that this program is flexible enough to cater for the needs of the student who would like to embark on an MSc or Postgraduate Diploma programme or for those who may already possess these qualifications and wish to specialise or upskill in a particular area of young people’s mental health.
