Our aims link to our core philosophy and our teaching and learning model...
- We believe that equality, respect and inclusion are essential for clinical work and for learning.
- We acknowledge the nature of mental distress and our understanding is based on shared experience.
- We form close working relationships – which enable students to think more about relationships with clients/patients.
- Involvement and the use of oneself – the subjective – is important and informs reflective thinking.
- Our courses and teaching methods have a profound and lasting effect on the way our students and trainees think and work.
- The learning can be painful, exhilarating and enduring.
We base our clinical work and our teaching and learning experience on the process of “getting to know” the other.
Teaching...
- a lot depends on student engagement
- work discussion
- observation
- live supervision
- a lecture is usually a lecture discussion
- encourages active participation, involvement and a lot of choice for the students
- We reflect with our students on their experience in small and large groups and in one-to-one supervision and tutorials.
Learning...
Learning starts from where we are. So, for example, we start with describing detailed situations at work, or details in a report from observation tasks, or looking closely at a video of live family interaction.
The seminar leader or supervisor facilitates a discussion among a small group of students or clinical trainees – working together to try to understand and build hypotheses.
Lectures, theory reading and exploring research follows on from the experiential learning. This is the model on which theory is built.
We believe that good relationships build the foundations of mental health, and facilitate healthy development, whether in children, adolescents or later in adult life. Early learning develops within relationships and relationships with teachers are important at all stages in life.
We do not believe that didactic models of teaching or of clinical work are as powerful as those methods which seek the active involvement of the other person. We reflect on the qualities and patterns of relationships to help us understand the dynamics of emotional experience and behaviour.
Our students benefit from working with practitioners who experience first-hand the growing pressures and demands on professionals working in mental health today.
- Our tutors are experts in their fields.
- Our tutors are practicing clinicians.
- Our tutors conduct first class academic and clinical reseach.
Check out the staff profiles to find out more about our staff.
