The details

Course: Psychological Wellbeing Practice

Start date: February 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 1 year

Location: Colchester Campus

Based in: Health and Social Care (School of)

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.

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.

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.

Specialist facilities

The School of Health and Social Care is located at two sites; in the Kimmy Eldridge building at our Colchester campus and in the Gateway Building at our Southend campus.

We have purpose-built nursing skills labs at both our Colchester and Southend campuses to meet the needs of a growing and lively School. View our image gallery and find out more about our <="" a="">.

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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.

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UK entry requirements

<="" a="">Entry to the programme is through interview for a trainee PWP post in one of our local IAPT compliant partners. Roles are advertised via NHS Jobs Website or other local IAPT compliant provider organisations.

Employment as a trainee PWP is a pre-requisite for applying for the programme.

A NQF Level 5 qualification, and a demonstrated capacity to study at NQF Level 6 (Degree level study)

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in each component.

Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels listed above. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications.

Course structure

As a Graduate Certificate this programme runs over a 9 month period and consists of 3 modules at 20 credits awarding a Graduate Certificate upon successful completion.

The programme had been written and validated against national curriculum requirements for PWP training set out by the British Psychological Society (BPS). It is fully compliant with this curriculum, and is validated by the BPS for the maximum period until 2023.

We're reactive, we're pioneering, we never stand still, so modules might change from year to year in response to new developments and innovation. Those listed below show how a typical course might look, but more detail on course structure, including details of all optional modules, is available on our Programme Specification.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Teaching

We have a range of video and virtual learning materials to support your learning with us
Moodle offers a virtual platform to support your learning both on and off campus
Extensive experiential exercises and direct feedback from our teaching team make up half of the attendance work during the learning process
You will have 1 day a week on campus and 1 day a week completing set university tasks in your practice environment, with the remaining 3 days spent working in practice

Assessment

The modules are examined through a range of assessment methods, including Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), evaluation of audio recording in practice, written reflective analysis, case presentation and clinical portfolio.
Your employing supervisor will work with you to ensure you are meeting practice outcomes associated with the course, and they will assess your progress on a regular basis utilising a portfolio.

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

2025 Open Days (Colchester Campus)

Saturday 21 June 2025 - June Open Day

Saturday 20 September 2025 - September Open Day

Saturday 8 November 2025 - November Open Day

Find out more

You must be working within an IAPT service as a trainee psychological wellbeing practitioner. Applicants are advised to search for PWP trainees posts on NHS jobs and also, as many providers are now voluntary or independent sector, through national media. The advertised position will advise where the training will take place.

Our feeder IAPT services are currently HPFT, EPUT, Vita, Suffolk and Thurrock, we work closely with these organisations and we usually form part of their interview selection panels. This ensures that your suitability for training as part of the employment selection process. Following a successful joint interview you will be asked to complete a University of Essex application form. If there is no University representative at your interview, you will need to attend an independent interview to assess your suitability for training.

We are currently unable to accept self-funding students on these programmes at this time.

IAPT Administrator Telephone 01206 874488 Email hhsiapt@essex.ac.uk

A sunny day with banners flying on Colchester Campus Square 4.

Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.

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View from Square 2 outside the Rab Butler Building looking towards Square 3

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

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The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.