A training information network

Information system
Imhpa is compiling a comprehensive resource mapping the opportunities available internationally for mental health professionals to improve their skills and knowledge base in the areas of promotion and prevention. The resource can be accessed here.

Training in Programme Development and Implementation

As a contribution to the training opportunities available, Imhpa has collaborated with the project MINDFUL to provide a training module on programme development and implementation.

This training module aims to build capacity across Europe on mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention, especially concerning available strategies, programme development, evaluation and implementation. The training aims to achieve the following outcomes in participants:

· To be highly motivated to implement promotion and prevention policies and practices in their own country
· To have basic knowledge about the planning process of developing, implementing, evaluating and disseminating effective prevention and promotion programmes
· To have basic skills needed for the development and implementation of prevention and promotion programmes
· To have strengthened leadership qualities in further developing the field of promotion and prevention in mental health within their countries and communities

The module has been developed as part of the EC co-financed MINDFUL Project, with the collaboration of Imhpa, and the “Prevention Research Centre” of the Radboud University Nijmegen and the Maastricht University, The Netherlands. It was piloted as a 2.5 day training course in Barcelona, April 2006.

The manual for this course can be downloaded here.

  Training on advocacy skills

Development of this training module, following advocacy principles to provide practical tools for advocacy and policy development, is currently underway. It is hoped that the advocacy training module will be available at the beginning of 2008.

Background
Although mental ill health and physical complaints have been shown, at least to a certain extent, to be connected, little efforts have been made until now to integrate mental health promotion and primary prevention strategies into primary health care daily practice. However, problem solving treatment has proven to be effective with depressed patients in primary care. In addition, problem solving skills are frequently used with success in mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention programmes. This suggests that problem solving skills could also be helpful as a preventive strategy to work with primary health care patients who are at risk to or already suffer from emotional problems, but who do not yet fulfil diagnostic criteria for full-blown disorders. Such a strategy could imply increased mental health for health care users, faster recoveries, the possible prevention of the development of full-blown mental disorders, and, increased quality of life in general. Indirectly, this might have an impact on improving the mental health and the work satisfaction of health care professionals.

More details can be read in the project background document .

Training manual
This training module aims to equip participants with interventions to use both for patients with problems (Brief Problem Solving - BPS) and for patients with symptoms (management of anxiety and insomnia). Material for this module includes a training manual for prevention of mental illness: managing emotional symptoms and problems in primary care

 Download PDF of manual

In the manual, background information is provided on mental health, along with a set of skill-building modules, based on problem solving training. The training provides health professionals with increased awareness of mental health problems, and skills to provide strategies for mental health promotion and prevention for emotional problems throughout their practice.

The Training Manual focuses on the adult population visiting primary health care (aged over 18 years) and being identified to be at risk for emotional problems, including those who suffer from symptoms of depression, anxiety or signs of stress or those patients who are at risk for developing an emotional problem.

Overall, the Training module aims to:

• Raise the awareness among primary health care professionals of the reach and burden of mental ill health;
• Raise the awareness among primary health care professionals of the relation between physical ill health and mental ill health;
• Provide primary health care professionals with a set of skills, tools and strategies based on problem solving skills for mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention to use with patients suffering from emotional symptoms and those who are at risk.

Participants of the training manual taskforce
1. Evelyn van Weel-Baumgarten - chair task force
2. Jurgen Pelikan - rapporteur
3. Hartmut Berger - foreseen challenges-problems
4. Josipa Basic - foreseen challenges-problems
5. Ines Garcia Sánchez - foreseen challenges-problems
6. Marco Stegagno - dissemination-implementation phase
7. Mirella Ruggeri - dissemination-implementation phase
8. Andrej Marusic - adoption in countries with special needs
9. Airi Varnik - adoption in countries with special needs
10. Laurence Mynors-Wallis - content special invitation
11. John Tsiantis - content special invitation