Group counselling session

Mental Health and Resilience - Certificate of Higher Education

Summary

The Cert HE in Mental Health and Resilience is a unique qualification which is aimed specifically at individuals who wish to work in non-medical mental health settings.

This Cert HE is designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge and confidence required to be successful in this highly challenging and rewarding field of work. It will support your development of highly sought after key skills and attributes that will enhance your professional practice in non-medical mental health settings such as community mental health services, emotional wellbeing and pastoral roles in schools, and dual support services.

As well as supporting your transition directly into work, the Cert HE provides you with the opportunity to progress onto the FdA in Mental Health and Resilience at Blackpool and The Fylde College

  • Course code SM1HE0003
  • UCAS code B990
  • Duration 1 Year
  • Day/s of week Wednesday
  • Time 09:15 - 16:45

Next course dates

Start date Location Duration
07 Sep 2026
University Centre
1 Year

Before applying, please check whether you meet the entry requirements under 'Key Information' for this course. Don't hesitate to call us on 01253 504343 if you need assistance.

  • 86,694 Annual job openings in the North West
  • £25,650 Average annual salary
  • Well-resourced onsite training equipment

What Uni Reviews

Really enjoyed my time at uni, the tutors have unconditional support for all students."
- Jessica Halliwell
Amazing course. Learnt so much, tutors are fantastic."
- Kelly Broadbent
Tutors and HELMs are fantastic!"
- Bethany Daniels

Where can this subject lead?

Career progression

Successful completion of the Cert HE provides you with the opportunity to progress onto the FdA in Mental Health and Resilience. The diverse nature of mental health has created a wide range of career progression opportunities in a variety of sectors such as mental health settings, pastoral education roles, community and armed forces support and therapeutic practices. The Cert HE intends to provide you with the necessary skill set to support your entry into these sectors or further progression within your chosen career. 

Upon successful completion of the Professional Behaviours and Counselling Skills module, you will also be awarded with the NCFE Cache Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills at no extra cost.

Next steps at B&FC

On successful completion of the Cert HE you may progress to the FdA in Mental Health and Resilience. 

Employment Opportunities

Demand for those qualified in mental health is growing year on year in a range of sectors. Employment options that you can transition into, on achieving the Cert HE includes the roles below:

Non-Medical Mental Health Roles: | Assistant Practitioner in a range of mental health related organisations such as ‘Youththerapy’ Referral Hub Practitioner | Children’s Mental Health Peer Support Worker | Community Mental Health Team School Pastoral Support Staff Roles within Housing Associations. | Public Health Roles | Roles within Women’s Aid | Civilian roles supporting Forces staff experiencing PTSD | HCA Blackpool Victoria Hospital

Key information

Entry Requirements

We welcome students from a wide range of backgrounds to enrol for this level 4 programme of study. 

For a successful offer onto this programme all students will require a GCSE English at grade 4 or C or functional skills at level 2. 

In addition, you ideally should have one of the following: 

BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care or related subject (Pass, Pass, Pass) 

Certificate in Mental Health (Pass) T Level Health (Pass) 

A levels D, D, D (72 UCAS points) 

Access to HE in Health, Nursing or Social Science (Pass)

Applicants will be invited to take part in an informal discussion with the programme team, where you can learn more about the programme, prior to an offer being made. 4 hours paid or voluntary work in a relevant area is also required.

If you are a non-standard student, who has not followed the traditional routes to higher education, we can consider your application on a case-by-case basis. Applicants who can demonstrate relevant work/life skills or knowledge will also be considered on an individual basis.

Qualification obtained

CertHE Mental Health and Resilience

Fees and funding

Visit our Tuition Fees page and Financial Support for Degrees page for more information about fees and funding.

Extra costs and equipment

No special equipment is required as a full range of IT is available within the Learning Resource Centre for enrolled students. You may wish to purchase a computer (desktop or laptop) as all assessments are submitted electronically and the relevant software can be provided by the College free of charge.

Regulation and Accreditation

Accrediting Institute: N/A

Awarding Body: Blackpool and The Fylde College

Regulatory Body: Office for Students (OfS)

Terms and conditions

Please visit our Student Terms and Conditions page for more information.

What will I learn?

There is a commitment to lifelong learning and career development which is initially supported in the Academic Skills in Health and Education which develops skills such as academic writing conventions such as referencing, essay structure, paraphrasing and summarising.  You will further develop and refine your digital literacy skills which will support both informal and formal assessments. In this module, and across the Cert HE, you will develop and be supported to evaluate the credibility, reliability and validity of your research findings.

Through the Professional Behaviours and Counselling Skills module you will start to develop collaborative teamwork and consider the therapeutic relationship and multi-agency practice. Research opportunities are embedded throughout the Cert HE designed to develop your personal and intellectual autonomy.  

In the module Understanding Principles of Mental Health and Resilience you will be able to explore topics related to mental health and resilience through wider research, developing your understanding and the impact of this on individuals and wider context and settings.

You will have the opportunity to explore ethical, social and professional practice in the Mental Health Legislation and Policy module. and explore in the module Safeguarding and Mental Health contemporary approaches.

Industry placement, field trips and guest speakers

It is highly recommended that you undertake an equivalent of 4 hours per week term time practice in either paid or voluntary employment within the sector, as this will support your academic journey. It is also beneficial for you to be in paid or voluntary employment by the end of the level 4 course, if you intend to progress onto the next level of study as this is a requirement of the Level 5 of the Foundation Degree. 

  • Modules at level 4

    Module title Code Credits Optional
    Academic Skills in Health and Education SM4MD0002 20 No
    Underpinning Principles of Mental Health and Resilience SM4MD0003 20 No
    Wellbeing and Interventions SM4MD0004 20 No
    Professional Behaviours and Counselling Skills SM4MD0005 20 No
    Safeguarding and Mental Health SM4MD0006 20 No
    Mental Health Legislation and Policy SM4MD0007 20 No

Learning Support - at a glance

  • Higher Education Learning Mentors (HELMs)
  • One-to-one and group learning support sessions
  • Pre-degree preparation workshops
  • IT Support
Discover available Learning Support

Programme Specification

Download our Programme Specification for this course.

Student case study - Heidi

Why did you decide to study this qualification?
I chose this course because I want to work in substance abuse, supporting adults with addiction. I already work in the sector and this will enable me to progress my career and make the difference I really want to see in people's lives.

Why did you choose B&FC?
I chose B&FC as I had heard lots of good things about studying here and positive feedback.

What have been the benefits of studying here?
Socialising and meeting new people, having some much-needed time to myself and achieving my goals.

How will I learn?

You will be taught using a combination of student-centred teaching and learning approaches.  Lectures will embrace theoretical concepts and include guest speakers and industry representation from the sector to embed your learning.  

Seminars will allow you to engage effectively in academic discussion and present viewpoints in relation to ethical and legal responsibilities. You will engage in critical analysis with opportunities to question research articles and critique sources of information. 

Workshops and one to one progress meetings will further allow you to develop in your studies and receive bespoke support based on your needs.

Scheduled Learning

Scheduled time relates to the time you spend in directed study with the guidance and support of our academic tutors. Scheduled learning can take a variety of forms and will include lectures, seminars, tutorials, guest speakers and workshop time.

Independent Study

Higher education courses rely on you undertaking work outside of formal, scheduled sessions and this is generally categorised as independent study. Independent study might include preparation for scheduled sessions, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks and revision.

Expert tutors

All tutors involved in the delivery of school leaver courses within the College are approved to teach the subjects and modules they deliver.

Our recruitment process ensures that tutors delivering a given programme are suitably qualified and, where appropriate, possess relevant technical and industrial experience and professional practice. The aim of this is to enrich our students’ learning experience and enable them them to get the inside track on what working in the industry is really like.

Learning Methods

Learning Method Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
Scheduled 252 0 0
Independent 948 0 0
Placement 0 0 0
Total 1200 0 0
Ready to take the next step? Navigate to the top of the page and click Apply Now to continue your degree-level journey.

Not the course for you?

Take a look at some of our other degree-level study options and see what sparks your imagination.

  • Mental Health and Resilience - Foundation Degree

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  • Children, Young People and Families - Certificate of Higher Education

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  • Criminology and Criminal Justice - Certificate of Higher Education

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How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in a variety of ways on the programme, which are intended to develop key skills that are beneficial to further study and employment within the Mental Health sector. Assessment methods which you can expect to engage with include essays, presentations, reflections, annotated bibliographies, case studies, seminars and booklets. 

The mixture of practical and written methods of assessing your progress on the course will offer you the opportunity to develop skills essential to practice and build your confidence in working within the sector.

  • Academic Skills in Health and Education – 60% Coursework and 40% Practical
  • Underpinning Principles of Mental Health and Resilience – 100% Coursework
  • Wellbeing and Interventions - 70% Coursework and 30% Practical
  • Professional Behaviours and Counselling Skills – 100% Coursework
  • Safeguarding and Mental Health – 40% Practical 60% Coursework
  • Mental Health Legislation and Policy – 100% Coursework
Assessment Method Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
Coursework 79% 0% 0%
Exam 0% 0% 0%
Practical 0% 0% 0%