Course summary

Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020). We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses. Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford. Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors. The importance of trauma and its enduring effects, in the context of poor outcomes for service users, has led to significant interest in developing specialist trauma interventions, as well as ‘trauma informed’ frameworks and models of care. Developing trauma informed services have become a key strategic and clinical aim within the NHS and healthcare sector based on the specialist trauma services increasing awareness of trauma and the needs of people requiring specialised care with traumatic backgrounds. The Practitioner in Psychological Trauma MSc has been developed in partnership with the Centre of Developmental and Complex Trauma, St Andrew’s Healthcare and is currently completing accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS) to provide a robust, clinically focused MSc. It provides health professionals the theoretical understanding and professional competences to provide psychological services to those who require specialised trauma care. The MSc operates within a framework of understanding the idiosyncratic care needs of service users in order to provide an integrated and holistic approach to specialist trauma care whilst equipping students with skills to develop trauma informed practice within their organisations and team. As a taught, part time MSc, offered over two years. The structure and content of the MSc follow the level three ‘trauma expert’ competencies outlined by the British Psychological Society for working with people with psychological trauma related needs. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the importance of increasing core skills of self-awareness, including an awareness of one’s own professional and academic needs, as well as promoting self-care and accessing appropriate supervision. In recognition of the challenges of working with traumatised and complex populations, students are assigned a personal tutor who will offer support during the course, with a minimum of two meetings per semester. Group reflective practice and support sessions also run throughout the MSc. To support the developing research competencies and completion of the dissertation components of the MSc, the Centre of Developmental and Complex Trauma, St Andrew’s Healthcare research portfolio and its wider research network is available to students. Teaching will be delivered at the Centre of Developmental and Complex Trauma, St Andrew’s Healthcare, Northampton in their postgraduate education centre. The dedicated post-graduate teaching centre provides an exceptional learning space with large lecture and seminar rooms, student resource centre, break out areas, a kitchen, relaxation area and study rooms.