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 September 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:

XA38 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.

For further course information: