The Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health PGCert Student Experience
Cas (who works in criminal justice) and Joe (who works in counselling) answer questions about the highlights of their course, along with how it has benefitted their professional lives.
In this blog you will hear directly from our students about the PGCert in Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health (Children, Young People and Adults). This course investigates the impact of attachment, adversity, trauma and mental health difficulties, equipping professionals with the skills and knowledge to support children, young people and adults across all settings. Cas and Joe answer our questions about how this course has helped them in their professional goals and their subject understanding.
What led you to apply for this course?
Cas
“Volunteering with young people and adults within a prison environment, I was very conscious of the extent of mental health issues and trauma. This made me want to learn more about their experiences to help me to help them. I really struggled to find a course of relevance, and so was pretty excited to discover the University of Chester’s PGCert in Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health (Children, Young People and Adults) as it ticked all of the boxes.”
Joe
“I wanted to develop professionally and to further my knowledge in working with children and young people and this course suited my goals.”
What have been the highlights of the course so far?
Joe
“I have gained a better understanding of different models around attachment theory and the developmental stages of a child and young person. I find myself looking forward to the tutorials and lectures that take place online, and with engaging with fellow students. To me, the learning community has been a really positive aspect of my learning experience.
The engagement of the tutors and their open teaching style has helped me feel comfortable and part of the course. The website has also been intuitive and easy to follow, and the support from the library staff has been fantastic.”
Cas
“For me, the highlight has been the course content. I find it all fascinating and am really enjoying learning both on a professional and personal level. I also enjoy the course culture. The teaching style is very relaxed, welcoming, and engaging, with the teaching team placing notable emphasis on student welfare and wellbeing both in and out of class time.”
How is the course flexible?
Cas
“I'm studying via the distance cohort which has worked well around my day-to-day commitments, both in work and life. Balancing learning can be challenging timewise, but the teaching team fully understand this. They are very approachable and responsive, offering flexibility and support to students if it’s needed.”
Joe
“I choose the course over others due to it being online. While it was available to attend lectures in person, it was not possible for me, so I was delighted that this choice was there. During the course itself, the tutors and lecturers understood the balance of full-time work, family, and studying. While I didn’t need to apply for any extensions, it was always said that if other things in life were piling up, then these would be considered and looked at when it came to flexibility on submission dates for assignments.”
How will this qualification help you in the future?
Cas
“The course is already helping me! The ATMH course content is helping me to understand the roots of adolescent and adult behaviour and outcomes which in turn, is enabling me to adapt my approach to supporting them far more effectively. It's a highly practical qualification, where the knowledge gained across each module can directly be transferred into professional practice.”
Joe
“I am not sure yet whether I will use it as stepping stone to further education or leave it as a standalone postgraduate course. The most important thing to me has been that the content and learning I have taken from the course is easily applied to the real world. Regarding the qualification itself, I am sure it would help with employment, or industry credibility, or using the credits to complete an MSc if I decide to continue in study.”
What has been the impact of the course on your professional role?
Joe
“It has helped me to bring theory of mind to the clients I work with and bring a better understanding to the different stages of development for a child. This has helped me to understand how events can affect children and young people in different ways.”
Do you have any tips for students thinking about applying for this course?
Joe
“I would suggest looking at why you want to do it. The course itself is great and the lecturers are super supportive. Much of it is theoretical, but with that said, there is a strong emphasis on applying learning and research to different professional contexts which I have found to be very useful. It is a course that covers some difficult life situations, so bringing resilience may be useful. If you want to use this as a route to an MSc, then make sure that this course is transferable to the area you want to study within.”
Cas
“Go for it! The course content is highly relevant to a range of sectors, not just education, and I would strongly recommend it to those working in criminal justice.”
Make sure to check out the course page for our Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health PGCert for more information on how you can start your learning journey at Chester. Apply for a place at our September, January or May intake!