Perspectives in focus: developing the RCPsych Public Mental Health Leadership Certification course

These monthly blog posts by the Public Mental Health Implementation Centre (PMHIC), 'Perspectives on public mental health', aim to highlight the voices of practitioners, patients, carers, and public health experts.

Welcome to this month’s blog post, in which the PMHIC research team announce the launch of the Public Mental Health Leadership certification course - a new type hybrid eLearning and webinar course developed by the PMHIC, eLearning Hub and the Centre for Advanced Learning and Conferences (CALC). 

The PMHIC are delighted to announce the launch of the Public Mental Health Leadership Certification course. The course is designed for both UK and internationally based psychiatrists, and members of the public mental health and public health workforce (including clinicians, allied health professionals, community-based organisations, policy makers and local authority officers). Read more about the Public Mental Health Leadership Certification course.

Many stakeholders have contributed to the development of this course, through collaborative efforts over the past 16 months. In this blog, we delve into their stories, exploring their roles and what motivated them to create the course.

"This is a living, breathing course that is focused on implementation. This is not about you becoming an expert in public mental health. Our aim is to train you as globally competent physicians who are locally invested, applying your knowledge and skills for the benefit of local communities."

Professor Subodh Dave, Dean of RCPsych and Co-Project Lead

Lived experience was a vital part of developing the course. Abi Johnson and Janet Seale are experts by experience who sit on the PMHIC Advisory Board:

“The thread of lived experience runs throughout the course, and this distinguishes it from other learning. The portfolio is bold, and it is brave; it is creative, and it is challenging. It offers an alternative prism through which to view care. It seeks to be part of the continual journey of self-discovery and development, and education about the impact and importance of public mental health.

"My lived experience of caring for loved ones with a range of mental health problems brings, I hope, an enriched insight and contribution to ensuring that lived experience is firmly embedded, and a lens through which the course can be accessed. My involvement was a true example of co-production, a commitment to which was woven throughout the planning, design and development of this portfolio of training.

"Everyone will take away something different from this course. As with most learning, it will be an individual and unique journey for each learner. Underpinning this may be surprises and self-discovery along the way about participants’ personal mental health, and which I think is one of the most precious things to receive from this course.”

Abi Johnson, Expert by Experience and PMHIC Advisory Board Member

“Public Mental Health is important to me because we all have mental health just as we have physical health. Just as we try to encourage good physical health, we need similar public programmes for mental health. From this course, people can expect a good introduction to public mental health. My involvement in developing the course was to give the ‘man in the street’ perspective on course content, to help make the course accessible for all.”

Janet Seale, Expert by Experience and PMHIC Advisory Board Member

The course authors were researchers in the PMHIC – Dr Eliazar Luna, Dr Vas Papageorgiou and Dr Jean Strelitz. They spent time developing the course objectives, researching the content to be included and consulting with various contributors to the course. Their work was overseen by Dr Jude Stansfield (Course Director), Professor Subodh Dave (Dean of RCPsych and Co-project Lead) and Professor Kam Bhui (Co-project Lead).

“Public mental health is important because it’s an effective population-based approach to reduce the impact of mental health conditions and contribute to the prevention of them. I was part of a research team at the PMHIC that wrote the content and coordinated the contribution of other key people to produce a course that integrated different voices.

"Expect a course featuring a diverse range of topics and engaging activities, grounded in evidence-based practice. Ultimately, I hope learners will feel empowered to champion public mental health initiatives locally, understanding the importance of going beyond individualised care approaches.”

Dr Eliazar Luna, PMHIC Researcher and Course Author

We worked with experts in various public mental health topics to develop a series of three case studies, which are woven into the course. Each module builds on the last, and the case studies give real-life examples of how a public mental health approach can be applied in practice.

“I co-developed the course content on domestic abuse, working with colleagues including lived experience and third sector leaders. We encourage the learner to bring together current understanding of the health impacts of domestic abuse alongside relevant statutory duties, the law, good practice guidance and the current landscape of third sector provision. [This is] so they can understand the current challenges, but more importantly, potentials of cross-sector working. Throughout, we have attempted to speak to the fundamental importance of listening to survivors voices, and of an intersectional trauma-informed response.”

Dr Philippa Greenfield, Case Study Contributor

“I am a perinatal psychiatrist. A child needs a village. Public mental health aims at keeping this village healthy. I was invited to provide a case study from Western Australia. The case will highlight inequities and inequalities in health care provision in rural Australia, and how social determinants of mental health affect the healthy development of an infant. Most importantly this course/case will help you to think broadly and explore novel solutions.”

Dr Maliththa Muwanwella, Case Study Contributor

The eLearning team were fundamental to transforming the written content into an interactive and engaging resource:

“As an eLearning Development Manager I have shaped the layout, design and flow of this first Certification course; edited the excellent eLearning content and managed its creation in Storyline format; worked with the authors, College Dean, PMHIC and a number of experts by experience on their valuable input; recorded videos with public health leaders; developed the course homepage alongside my colleague Rebecca Harnett; created promotional materials; and liaised with those in positions of leadership at the March launch event at the House of Lords! It has been an incredibly busy, rewarding year.”

Kate Picard, eLearning Development Manager

Finally, once the content was added to the online platform, it was tested by several volunteers for usability. One of the pilot testers was Ruchika Jain, a doctoral student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:

“As a PhD student doing qualitative research on immigrants’ management of psychological distress, I have witnessed how the social, economic, political and cultural landscape can shape how individuals and groups develop, experience and seek help for mental health conditions. However, these wider determinants are poorly explored by healthcare providers in a clinical context and beyond. I hope participants in this course will gain an insight into the theories of public mental health as well as the practical tools required to deliver intersectional and person-centred care.”

Ruchika Jain, Project Team Member and Pilot Tester

We would like to thank everyone who was involved in developing and producing the course, and we look forward to welcoming the first cohort of learners at the webinar in July 2024.

Please contact the PMHIC team if you have any questions about the course: public.mh@rcpsych.ac.uk.