Professional Certificate in Primary Care (Mental Health)

This course is primarily targeted towards Doctors and other Allied Health Professionals working and training in primary care/general practice. 

Key curriculum highlights include:

• Epidemiology of common mental health conditions in primary care 
• Assessment and management of patients with mental health issues
• For any given mental health presentation, know when / how to investigate / refer / admit
• Assessment and treatment of patients with mental health issues in special circumstances, e.g. substance misuse, children and adolescents and the elderly
• Practitioner health and self-care 
• Engagement and participation in a Balint group 

Three Workshops will take place on UCD campus including:

1. Practitioner self-care and wellness  
2. Neurodiversity in primary care
3. An approach to Involuntary admissions in primary care 

This Professional Certificate is delivered over one semester part-time. It incorporates both distance learning via webinars and three in-person workshops. It is designed to include both theoretical and professional practice elements, with significant emphasis  on hot topics in mental health and individual self- care for the general practitioner.

Assessment will include a mixed modality incorporating continuous assessment, engagement in learning activities, reflective practice and also summative assessment in the form of end of module written exams.

Hold an NFQ Level 8 undergraduate degree ( or international equivalent) in a relevant subject, e.g. Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery, Psychology, Public Health, Social Sciences etc.

or

Possess an equivalent professional qualification

or

Have relevant clinical experience in mental health, primary care, social care.

You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

This programme is currently open for applications and the next intake is January 2025.

Click on this link and follow the steps outlined.
Scroll to the bottom of the course page and click the (yellow) APPLY button
Follow the on screen instructions.

You will be directed to a login page

If you have never applied to study at UCD before, click on Create Account and follow the instructions shown to you on the screen and by email. Once your account has been created, you will receive an email from UCD IT Services with your login credentials. To continue with your application, you should click on the ‘Continue’ hyperlink embedded in the email. Once you have logged into your account, you will see the application form for the programme you had selected 

Please complete all the ‘Required Application Tasks’ to submit your application. 

To help you complete your application, we have created a comprehensive video guide about how to fill out the application. 

Course programme code:

X971 for the Professional Certificate

The School welcomes applications from eligible international applicants. For more information on studying at UCD as an international student please see UCD Global website.

To participate fully in this online programme, we recommend that participants have:

• PC or a laptop with an up-to-date operating system
• High Speed Broadband (minimum of 4MB download and 1MB upload speed)
• Access to a modern standard-compliant web browser.
• Camera for Zoom 

For more information on course fees please visit UCD Fees & Grants Office website.

We are fortunate to have many colleagues, with diverse and wide-ranging areas of expertise, who have contributed to the development and delivery of the programme, including:

• Dr Anna Beug, General Practitioner & UCD School of Medicine
• Prof Mary Clarke, Consultant Psychiatrist, St John of God
• Dr Nia Clendennen, General Practitioner & Assistant Professor / Lecturer, UCD School of Medicine
• Prof Des Crowley, General Practitioner & Assistant Director Substance Misuse Programme, Irish College of General Practitioners
• Prof Walter Cullen, General Practitioner & Professor of Urban General Practice, UCD School of Medicine
• Prof Anne Doherty, Consultant Psychiatrist & Associate Professor, UCD School of Medicine
• Dr Leonard Douglas, Consultant Psychiatrist, St Vincent’s University Hospital
• Prof Blanaid Gavin, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist & Associate Professor UCD School of Medicine
• Prof Allys Guerandel, Consultant Psychiatrist, St Vincent’s University Hospital & UCD Clinical Professor
• Dr Gautam Gulati, Consultant Psychiatrist, Health Services Executive
• Dr Anthony Heffernan, General Practitioner, Mallow Primary Healthcare Centre & Assistant Professor, UCD School of Medicine
• Dr Anthony Hoban, General Practitioner & Assistant Professor, UCD School of Medicine
• Dr Kevin Kilbride, Consultant Psychiatrist, Health Services Executive
• Dr Kevin Lally, Senior Registrar in Psychiatry Health Services Executive
• Prof Abbie Lane, Consultant Psychiatrist & Associate Professor at UCD
• Dr Sheila Loughman, General Practitioner & Assistant Professor, UCD School of Medicine
• Dr Caroline Maher, Consultant Psychiatrist St Vincent’s Hospital, Adult Eating Disorders Service Dublin South/Wicklow
• Prof Anthony McCarthy, Consultant Psychiatrist, St Vincent’s University Hospital
• Dr Susan Moore, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, St Vincent’s University Hospital
• Dr Amr Niazi, Consultant Psychiatrist Health Services Executive & HSE National Clinical Advisor and Clinical Group Lead (Mental Health)
• Dr Brian Osborne, General Practitioner & Assistant Medical Director, Irish College of General Practitioners
• Dr Austin O’Carroll, General Practitioner & Founder Safetynet Ireland
• Dr Barry O'Donnell, Psychotherapist and Director of Psychotherapy Programmes, UCD School of Medicine
• Dr Daragh O’Neill, General Practitioner & Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor, UCD School of Medciine
• Dr Andree Rochfort, General Practitioner and Director of Doctors Health Programme, Irish College of General Practitioners
• Dr Vincent Russell, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, RCSI
• Dr Edyta Truskowska, Consultant Psychiatrist in Community Mental Health, Elm Mount Mental Health Services & St Vincent’s University Hospital

Programme Management Team

Development and delivery of the Programme is being led by:


Prof Allys Guerandel
Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Research SVUH and UCD

Dr Anna Beug
General practitioner, GP Trainer with the North Dublin City GP training scheme, Lecturer UCD School of Medicine

I am a GP with over 20 years’ experience and a GP trainer. I have extensive experience of teaching in the areas of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Adult Mental Health and Communication Skills. I have worked extensively with groups of GP trainers, GP trainees and undergraduates.

I deliver interactive seminars in Child and Adolescent Mental Health as part of the programme.

I am particularly interested in bringing a primary care focus to my teaching which addresses the specific challenges of delivering high quality mental health care in general practice.

Prof Walter Cullen
General Practitioner & Professor of Urban General Practice, UCD School of Medicine

I am a general practitioner with an interest in medical education and the care of patients with mental health and substance use disorders. I am delighted to be part of the multidisciplinary team who developed this programme.

I am responsible for academic governance and oversight, liaison with clinical sites, assessment, student feedback, course evaluation.

Prof Anne Doherty
Consultant Psychiatrist & Associate Professor, UCD School of Medicine

Dr Blanaid Gavin
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Associate Professor, UCD School of Medicine

I have a special interest in the early recognition and treatment of mental health difficulties in young people and have worked with a broad range of agencies to promote awareness of mental health needs of young people.

I am well published on a variety of topics related to children’s mental health and have co -authored a mental health handbook for teachers in addition to the ICGP National Guidelines on children’s mental health and the national guidelines on psychosis.

Dr Anthony Hoban
General Practitioner & Assistant Professor / Lecturer in General Practice, UCD School of Medicine
I am a GP with a keen interest in mental health in the primary care setting. I have been involved in studying the mental health needs of vulnerable populations in Dublin’s inner city and have primary care liaison services in the community.

I have lectured on addiction, depression, sleep disorders and understanding distress in the context of decision making. I am one of the module co-ordinators and will be involved in assessment and feedback. I look forward to helping students on the programme.

For further course information: