Program Overview

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Recognition of the personal and social cost of unmet mental health need within primary care has led to a government-supported initiative to broaden access to psychological therapies, introducing the cutting-edge role of psychological well-being practitioners. This brings evidence-based cognitive behavioural treatments to all people who experience mild to moderate depression or anxiety. You can study Psychological Well-being Practice (PWP) with us at one of two levels. Our Graduate Certificate is relevant for those without an undergraduate degree, who can demonstrate they have the skills to be able to study at level 6, and our Postgraduate Certificate is relevant for those who already have an undergraduate degree. We also offer an apprenticeship route to the Graduate level qualification - find out more about this on our apprenticeships pages. Our certificates in PWP enable you to work with people who experience common mental health problems. You will learn to use a range of protocols derived from the best evidence based practice methodologies available. The protocols are drawn from cognitive behavioural theory and utilise self-help processes to empower patients to take control of their own well-being needs. You will learn the coaching and facilitation skills necessary to support this kind of self-help process and receive a full grounding in the theory underpinning these approaches. You will also learn about the service structure underpinning the IAPT (Improving Access Psychological Therapies) initiative which you will be working in during your training. The University of Essex has a robust academic tradition and achieves regular high levels of student satisfaction. We continue to work with students, service users and practice partners to continue to improve this established track record. The School of Health and Social Care is proud to work closely with our Service User Reference Group (SURG). SURG is made up of service users, carers, and volunteers who generously share their first-hand experiences of health and social care. We work collaboratively with SURG to design our courses to ensure that we truly are putting the needs of patients and clients at the heart of what we do. SURG are involved as part of our course application processes and often form part of our interview panels. This helps us to be confident that we are selecting the right applicants for the course and their future careers. SURG members also support the delivery of our teaching sessions and research activity, which means you’ll benefit from an insight into their lived experiences of living with a diagnosis, health condition, or circumstance. You’ll find that not only does your clinical knowledge expand, but your empathy, compassion and ability to advocate develops also. You can find out more about SURG by reading their blog here . Mandatory Vaccinations As you may be aware, the UK government has now revoked legislation that requires all health and social care staff working in sites regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Whilst vaccination is not essential, we encourage our applicants and students to be fully vaccinated. Find out more about what this means for applicants to this course .

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) against the requirements for qualification as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. Why we're great.

• We give you a solid grounding in cognitive behavioural protocols and treatments, allowing you to utilise self-help processes to empower patients
• We personalise learning and development through small group processes to help you become an effective practitioner
• We work closely with our local IAPT compliant partners to ensure your training prepares you well for your current role in practice and your future career.

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Our expert staff

A unique feature of our school is the strong relationship with our practice partners. Our present staff group have all worked in local IAPT compliant services, and have a wealth of experience in both delivering and supervising psychological well-being interventions. The teaching team have qualifications in occupational therapy, counselling, and nursing, and we draw on a broad variety of colleagues from other disciplines to enhance learning experiences. The team's ability to deliver strongly integrated learning, theory and practice allows genuine personal development and skills acquisition to be grounded in the practice arena.

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Specialist facilities

As part of the University, you have access to our state-of-the-art library and the very latest equipment and IT facilities to assist you with the effective learning and acquisition of new skills. As a School, we have purpose built facilities where you can meet to discuss your progress and ongoing work. Along with our state-of-the-art telephone exchange training skills lab to support the training of psychological well-being practitioners, we have new consultation spaces available for use on our Colchester Campus. This models real-world environments, and builds experience working through telephone based consultation processes, prior to commencing this in practice. Our staff offer approachable support at all levels. Our university student support network can also offer you help with personal and study issues during your time with us. You also have access to an excellent theatre and sports and social club experiences at Essex.

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Your future

During your training, it is usual for students to be employed at NHS Band 4 or equivalent. Following training, it is usual for your employing organisation to continue your employment at NHS Band 5 or equivalent. This change in banding acknowledges your qualified status. PWPs may also go on to achieve senior PWP status and role after gaining further experience. You may also choose to extend your role into one of the new developing areas in IAPT. Some PWPs may become more involved in education of new practitioners. Generally PWPs stay within the role deepening their skills and competencies. Other career development areas may be available in your particular IAPT services.