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The Tavistock and portman, NHS Foundation Trust
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Perinatal mental health, risk, care and treatment (DAA022)

Deepen your understanding of perinatal mental health and its impact to enhance the care you provide

Perinatal mental health, risk, care and treatment
Fee
£599
Duration
16 hours
Delivery
Online: self-study
Qualification
CPD certificate
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This online course provides an accessible introduction to various types of perinatal mental illness. Through interactive content you will explore the significant effect it can have on women, birthing people, their infants and families and receive a CPD certificate upon completion.

You will learn about a range of factors that can contribute to mental health problems in pregnancy and after birth, as well as the risks that can be associated with perinatal mental illness. The course also provides information about care and treatment, and the importance of professionals working in partnership.

Reflecting on your own experience of caring for women and birthing people with mental health problems during pregnancy and the postnatal period, you will acquire practical knowledge and skills which can be integrated into your clinical practice – directly enhancing the care you provide.

“Women and birthing people see a wide range of professionals when planning a pregnancy, pregnant and after birth,” says course lead, Jo Brook. “It is vital that everyone they come into contact with understands the impact of perinatal mental illness, and the associated risks, for women, birthing people and families.”

“This perinatal mental health course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview in a way that allows professionals to participate flexibly to fit in with their busy working lives. We hope that the combination of interactive learning, videos and reflection will enable learning to be embedded into clinical practice to improve care for women, birthing people and families.”

This course has been reviewed and updated with new expanded content reflecting latest guidance, evidence and research providing an enhanced learning experience.

Looking for a shorter introduction to perinatal mental health? You may be interested in our A brief introduction to perinatal mental health course.

Aims and learning objectives

This CPD-certified course will allow you to:

  • appreciate the importance of understanding each woman and birthing person’s individual context and history, as well as considering the perspectives of the woman, infant and partner
  • study a range of perinatal mental disorders, including their presentation and the effect they can have on women, birthing people, infants and families
  • build an awareness of risk in the perinatal period including risk of suicide, risk of domestic abuse, and risk to the infant
  • explore interventions available for women, birthing people and families, including psychological interventions, the use of medication and partnership-working
  • identify the professionals and services involved in supporting women, birthing people, their infants and families across the care pathway

You will learn by:

  • discovering key concepts through interactive lecture content and videos
  • deepening your understanding via regular opportunities for reflection
  • testing your knowledge with a multiple choice quiz, which will unlock access to your CPD certificate upon completion

Who is this course for?

We welcome anyone on this course who has a keen interest in the subject area. In particular, the course is for you if you are a:

  • mental health practitioner in non-specialist services, such as adult mental health and CAMHS, and are keen to develop your knowledge and skills in relation to the care of women and birthing people in the perinatal period
  • non-mental health professional who cares for women and birthing people during the pregnancy and the postnatal period and you are keen to develop your knowledge and skills in perinatal mental health to improve the care you provide

You may also be working as a:

  • midwife or maternity support worker
  • obstetrician
  • doula
  • health visitor or health visitor assistant
  • social worker or other practitioner within social care
  • family hub, children’s centre or early years practitioner
  • nursery nurse
  • third sector volunteer or practitioner
  • peer support worker

Whilst this course, Perinatal mental health, risk, care and treatment (DAA022), and A brief introduction to perinatal mental health (DAA002), are both aimed at the same professional groups, this course – at 16 hours – is more comprehensive, containing greater detail about perinatal mental illnesses, care and treatment. For a shorter overview, we recommend A brief introduction to perinatal mental health (DAA002).

If you are looking to commission a number of places on this course for your organisation or service, please contact us first at CPDevents@tavi-port.ac.uk. Group discounts may be available on request.

We would also be keen to hear from you if you would be interested in discussing additional tailored, live training options for your staff, to embed or expand upon the learning from this course. 

Course details

This interactive course runs continuously, so you can sign up at any time. It offers flexible, self-directed online learning in four units which you can undertake at any time, pace and location that suits you.

You will have access to the course and its materials for one year enabling you to revisit materials as required. Access begins the day after you’ve booked, when you will receive your account details by email.

This online course covers the following areas:

  • factors from a woman or birthing person’s history and current context which can affect their experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting and her risk of developing perinatal mental health problems
  • the woman’s, birthing person’s, partner’s and infant’s experiences and perspectives during the perinatal period
  • perinatal mental disorders including perinatal depression, perinatal OCD, postpartum psychosis, personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • risks associated with perinatal mental illness, including risk of suicide, of domestic abuse and to the infant and other children
  • care and treatment including:
    • screening and identifying women and birthing people who have, or who are at risk of developing, perinatal mental illness
    • psychological interventions for the mother and for the mother-infant relationship
    • an introduction to the use of medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding
    • multi-agency partnership working

There are no specific requirements for the course, and there’s no assumption you will have have prior knowledge in mental health.

There is a multiple choice question assessment at the end of the course, which will unlock a Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust CPD certificate upon completion.

Testimonials

“Great content and very well delivered. This course provides an excellent initial introduction to a wide range of mental health difficulties women can face during the perinatal period. I particularly enjoyed the holistic approach the course takes to exploring women’s mental health and how this impacts her life and those around her.”
Student
“This course was an excellent introduction to perinatal depression. The presentation was outstanding, the structure of the course was designed to keep the student well engaged and motivated. The interviews with the professionals involved with women’s care helped clarify and deepen our understanding. I have really learnt a lot – thank you.”
Student
“This course enabled me to develop my understanding and interest in a highly complex area. The learning material was well presented and easy to navigate at my own speed. A really enjoyable introduction to perinatal mental health.”
Student
“The course was extremely comprehensive and was structured in a way that really allowed for reinforcement of learning through revisiting of concepts and material. The combination of different media was very well-referenced, making it an all-round learning opportunity and a very nourishing experience. Thank you. It was a very valuable opportunity.”
Student
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for this course which I found very interesting, formative and a clear and honest insight into perinatal mental health, I found the materials and videos from families and professionals beneficial for developing my professional practice.”
Student

Why study with us?

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has been at the forefront of exploring mental health and wellbeing for over 100 years. We bring our extensive experience to this course as the only NHS Trust to be registered as a Higher Education Provider by the Office for Students. This means your learning will be grounded in practice and real life application. We have made our training accessible and available to everyone to explore in your own time, at your own pace.

Course facilitators

  • Jo Brook

    Jo Brook

    Perinatal Mental Health Training and Service Development Lead

Accreditations

CPD Certification

This course has been independently evaluated for Continuing Professional Development purposes by the CPD Certification Service. This means that the learning activity meets global CPD standards and benchmarks, and the learning value has been scrutinised to ensure integrity and quality.

Book your place today

This course runs continuously. You can book a place at any time using our MyTAP booking system. Access begins the day after you’ve booked, when you will receive login details by email.

Book now
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