June NUI Galway Launch New Mental Health Promotion Course

NUI Galway team up with Mental Health Ireland for pioneering educational programme

NUI Galway and Mental Health Ireland have teamed up to commence a first-of-its-kind Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health Promotion. An Open Evening for the course will take place on Wednesday, 12 June at 6pm at the University, followed by an official course launch the following day, Wednesday, 13 June, at 1pm during the annual Health Promotion Research Centre Conference.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health Promotion is designed for applicants from different sectors, such as mental health, health promotion, public health, primary care, education, nursing, social work, community work, who wish to develop knowledge, skills and competencies of mental health promotion and its implementation in practice.

The part-time course aims to provide participants with professional education and training in the principles and practice of promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. The programme runs from September to the following May.

The academic direction of the programme will be provided by Professor Margaret Barry, NUI Galway. Academics in the Discipline of Health Promotion, together with contributions from practitioners and those with lived experience in the specialist field of study, will deliver the lectures and workshops.

Professor Barry commented: “We are delighted to partner with Mental Health Ireland in developing this unique postgraduate level programme in Mental Health Promotion. Good mental health is fundamental to population health and wellbeing and this outreach programme is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to promote positive mental health across all ages in key settings such as the home, schools, community and health services. Together with a focus on current research, policy and practice, participants will acquire practical skills in implementing evidence-based interventions that will protect and promote good mental health. Employing a combination of online and face-to-face instruction, this part-time programme is designed for professionals working in different sectors who wish to incorporate mental health promotion into their work.”

The course is a blended learning programme, with a combination of teaching techniques employed to support learning. It is a level 9 programme comprising of 30 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) points in total.

Mental Health Ireland offers financial support through the Tony Leahy Scholarship fund for people with lived experience, who meet the eligibility criteria, to access this programme. For more information on the Tony Leahy Scholarship contact training@mentalhealthireland.ie.

CEO of Mental Health Ireland Martin Rogan said: “NUI Galway is world leading in mental health promotion and we were proud to team up with them to develop the Postgraduate course launching in September. Mental Health Ireland supports deeply evidence based mental health promotion education available to all communities as the next stage in developing an impactful and sustainable conversation around mental health and wellbeing. This year, we named the Tony Leahy scholarship to remove barriers for individuals who use mental health services and their families, to embrace educational programmes and recovery.”

For further Information on the course details contact Denise Glavin, Discipline of Health Promotion, NUI Galway at 091 493092, denise.glavin@nuigalway.ie or visit www.nuigalway.ie/hpr.

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