Eligible schools
East and North Ayrshire schools
Location/Day/Time
- Kilmarnock Campus - Tuesday and Thursday 14:00 - 16:00.
- Kilwinning Campus - Tuesday and Thursday 14:00 - 16:00.
Overview
The award is relevant for you if you are looking to enhance your skills portfolio and anyone who is considering a career within Health and Social Care. The award provides you with pertinent and valuable skills which can be applied in many living contexts.
Course Content
These qualifications aim to address gaps in your knowledge and to improve an understanding of mental health questions in young people. The inaccuracies surrounding perceptions of mental healthcare are addressed and this course will provide you with information to promote understanding and equip you with positive coping strategies to improve and maintain mental health and wellbeing.
The award aims to:
- Reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in young people.
- Provide healthy coping strategies.
- Promote knowledge of the impact of mental health on behaviour dispelling myths surrounding mental health.
- Promote understanding of positive and negative impacts on mental health helping individuals to make the right choices.
- Promote an understanding of the potential uses and impact of social media and the internet and create resilience.
To complete the award you will successfully achieve:
- Influences on Mental Health and Wellbeing.
- Coping Strategies and Building Resilience.
- Understanding Mental Health Issues.
Entry Requirements
School permission for you to attend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during term time.
National 4 level qualifications.
An interest in mental health and working with people.
You may be invited for a group and/or individual interview where you can find out more about the course and tell us why you're interested in this subject area or we'll make an offer based on your application form.
How will I be assessed?
Written/oral/e-assessment
What should I expect?
The course has three units which you work through over the year. You will have some lectures and complete some independent supervised work on our virtual learning environment, MyLearning. The first unit explores the meaning of the terms mental health and mental illness, investigating the various forms of mental illness. The second unit focuses on how mental health is affected by different factors such as the media, social media, our family situation, and our personality. In the third unit you will learn about helpful and unhelpful ways of coping with stress, and you will design an educational tool which can be used by various groups.
Employer and Industry Links
Ayrshire college has strong partnerships with different care providers supporting people with a number of different needs related to:
- Physical health.
- Mental health.
- Homelessness.
- Addiction.
- Children.
- Older adults.
- Learning disabilities.
- Additional Support Needs.
Careers and Further Study
Successful completion of this course may provide you with opportunities to progress to Health and Social Care: An Introduction or Health and Social Care: Developing Skills and Knowledge.
Testimonials
"It was really nerve wracking at the start of the course but it was great to make friends at college and I liked the lecturer. The classes were chilled out and it was fun- like it wasn’t too hard. We got help to apply for level 4 full-time when we finished the schools class and I am really enjoying that course." Sinead
"I was struggling at school and avoided going, they thought going to college would be better. I came to college on my own from Cumnock and was lucky to meet new friends. The course was really good as it was all like group tasks and projects so we made friends and it wasn’t as much pressure as my school classes. I am now on the level 4 full time course with a friend from the school class. It is great and I'm really enjoying it. My attendance at college is great as I enjoy it." Shannon