Email UpdatesThe Certificate in Advanced Mental Health Care in Primary Care course was developed for physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who work in primary care and want to increase their confidence, knowledge, skill, and capacity to treat mental health conditions. Created by an interdisciplinary group of experts, faculty members are practicing clinicians and educators in primary care with extensive experience at the complex intersections of psychiatry, psychology, social health, and primary health care.
The course addresses the real-life, complex patient presentations we see in primary care every day. Thematically integrated throughout is content that acknowledges and responds to the daily challenges of providing care to populations facing structural barriers to care, with emphasis on the critical role of chronic stress exposure, trauma, and adversity in the development of mental health conditions.
The course includes the role of psychopharmacology in primary care, with content dedicated to providing clinicians with fundamental knowledge about all major psychotropic medication classes and detailed information on how to use individual medications based on different patient factors, co-occurring conditions, and presenting symptoms. Participants will learn how to select the right medication, how to dose it, and how to safely monitor its effects. They will also receive comprehensive guides to diagnostic assessment of different conditions, patient-centered communication and engagement, and counseling skills that medical clinicians can utilize in their daily practice.