Closing of the Psych Up project : 3 resources to improve the support of your learners living with psychological troubles

Closing of the Psych Up project : 3 resources to improve the support of your learners living with psychological troubles

31 August 2021

Do you work in a VET organisation ? Do you support and train adult learners who sometimes show signs of psychological disorders or mental illness? Do you sometimes feel helpless in the face of these disorders? If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, the results of the Psych Up project can help you!

Psych Up developed 3 outputs :

  1. A function profile, highlighting the specific competences of the psychological disorders referent
  2. A training reference framework, presenting the ideal training path for the psychological disorders referent: which training objectives, which contents for the training courses
  3. Finally, a kit of useful resources for professionals in the field for the discovery, management and support of psychological disorders in training

Three tools to help professionals in the field of VET

The first production is the function profile. It should be noted that we have called this production a job profile, and not a job reference tool. Why this nuance? Because, during our research and work, we noticed that “referent in psychological disorders” is not a profession in its own right. It is rather a versatile, flexible function that can be assumed, in whole or in part, by several people within a training organisation. Thus, several people can occupy this function, within the framework of their profession: trainers, social workers, integration agents, educational coordinators, directors, technical supervisors, etc.

This job profile outlines 3 key activities carried out by the “Psychological Disorders Referent” (or Psych Up Referent):

  1. Building and developing a network of local partners
  2. Supporting the learner throughout his/her training and integration process
  3. Building and implementing an inclusion policy

For each of these activities, we have listed a series of competences performed by the referent, as well as the resources he/she mobilises to carry out his/her function (knowledge, know-how, …)

Once the function profile was finalised, we were able to move on to the next step, which was to draw up a training reference framework. As explained earlier, these two resources are linked: the training reference framework is necessarily based on the activities performed and the skills required for the function. The training framework therefore highlights an ideal training programme for the function of a referent in psychological disorders.

This referential therefore details the training programme that a Psych Up referent must follow in order to carry out his missions. It presents 2 Learning Units which constitute the training reference system:

  1. Welcoming and supporting people living with psychological disorders throughout their education/training pathway, as well as educational staff.
  2. Develop a network of partners in the local area and refer people with psychological disorders to these partners

This training frame can be useful in three different ways:

– It can be used by the Psych Up Referent as a training plan, to plan and follow an appropriate training pathway in order to acquire new skills and knowledge useful for his/her daily work.

– It can be used as a reference by training providers, to organise training programmes and modules for Psych Up Referrers (and other related functions).

– It can be useful for the employer of the Psych Up Adviser, as a useful record in recruitment, in order to hire candidates with relevant experience and training for the position.

Finally, the third and last output of the project is a bank of resources for the Psych Up Referent. This bank of resources, or tool kit, includes a large panel of resources useful for helping VET professionals to improve support for people affected by psychological disorders.

All three outputs are available on our resources page, just click here to access them!

Of course, if you are interested in this project, you can find out more and discover the productions and other resources on our communication channels: