Understanding Mental Health

"This training package will help attendees build an understanding of the different ways of defining general concepts relating to adult mental health. Attenees completing this course will gain a broad understanding of how mental health disorders are identified, assessed and treated. By explaining the difference between common mental health problems and severe and enduring mental illness, the scene will be set for further modules in the “Understanding” programme. National and international prevalence studies, local policies pertaining to Northern Ireland, and the structure of Mental Health services in Northern Ireland will be covered. There will be a particular focus on common mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The key psychological schools relating to mental health (cognitive behavioural, psychoanalytic, systemic, humanistic and critical) will be discussed in order to provide attendees with a broad understanding of psychological formulation, as well as debates and controversies in this area. Effective evidence-based interventions will be explored, in addition to practical transdiagnostic skills that can be applied to care plans.
• Understand what the prevalent mental health conditions are that Northern Ireland mental health professionals may work with
• Be able to conceptualise mental health difficulties using a number of different models, e.g. the medical diagnostic model, biopsychosocial models, and psychological formulations.
• Have a general understanding of definitions, assessment and interventions for specific disorders such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• Be aware of the different types of effective treatment and care pathways in Northern Ireland
• Understand how to support the needs of service users within their care plan
• Understand a range of best practice interventions and referral pathways that are applicable to their service users
• Understand the importance of attending to one’s own wellbeing, and review available resources. "