The course will build participants’ knowledge and confidence in working with mental health conditions. It assumes previous knowledge and aims to equip participants to work with vulnerable people where mental health conditions are secondary (co-morbid) to their main vulnerability. The course will not in itself equip participants to take on mental health cases.

Course dates and times:

21st and 28th September, 9.30am-3pm 
Registration - 9.15am

Course aims / objectives:

1. Build participants’ knowledge and understanding in mental health (MH) and confidence in working with MH conditions.
2. Equip participants to work with vulnerable witnesses where mental health conditions are secondary to their main vulnerability.
3. The course will broaden and deepen participants’ understanding of this fascinating and complex area.

It will not, in itself, equip participants to take on mental health cases.

Course content:

By the end of the course participants will have:

1. Considered different perspectives on what constitutes mental health and mental ill-health.
2. Improved knowledge of  the  most prevalent psychiatric diagnoses from the ICD-10 and DSM 5 and their impact upon communication.
3. Considered critiques of diagnostic approaches to psychiatry.
4. Explored the fundamental nature of emotional co-regulation and self-regulation to mental health and communication.
5. Considered some perspectives of people diagnosed/impacted upon by  mental health conditions.
6.  Improved knowledge of the mental health act.
7. Improved knowledge of the main groups of psychiatric medication and their impact upon communication.
8. Improved understanding of complex presentations: co-morbidity, concurrent mental health conditions, addiction issues and/or learning difficulties/disabilities, and ‘personality disorders’
9.  Explored how an intermediary works within a witness' professional network and accesses information from it.
10. A better understanding of how to address safeguarding concerns in relation to mental health.
11. Explored approaches to assessing the impact of mental ill-health and emotional dys-regulation on communication.Increased confidence in writing up assessment findings and recommendations for adjustments to support effective participation.
12. Explored the fundamental nature of emotional co-regulation and self-regulation to mental health and communication
13. Explored a range of case studies of witnesses with mental health issues.

Course method:

The workshop is run in the form of a small group training. The presenters will invite high levels of participation and sharing of knowledge and ideas. 

The approach to learning will include:

1. Direct teaching.
2. Small group topic exploration and facilitated large group discussion of findings.
3. Exploration of different media: film, articles, books to access different perspectives on mental health and ill-health.
4. Use case studies and examples from intermediary reports (participants are encouraged to present aspects of their own cases).

The following materials are provided:

• Timetable
• Glossary of terms
• Power point presentations.
• Bibliography and further reading list