Our Programs

COVID-19 Alert

We are continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation as per government recommendations and plan to deliver workshops where it is deemed appropriate to do so. The health and wellbeing of you, your community and our staff are our priority.

The workshops listed in the training calendar are currently planned to go ahead.

If you have any concerns please contact our education team at education@blackdog.org.au.

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Our Programs

Black Dog Institute Health Professional education is for GPs, psychologists, counsellors, social workers and mental health care workers looking to expand their knowledge and skills in the area of mental health. As a world leading translational research institute, our accredited programs draw on the most current research and clinical evidence. Our interactive, case-based workshops are led by expert clinician facilitators who inform theory with practical, real world examples.

Attend your workshops to:

  • update your clinical knowledge
  • practice skills that are directly transferable into practice
  • learn from expert facilitators and peers
  • network with fellow health professionals
  • gain CPD points

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ABC of CBT: Skills for GPs

Psychological presentations are increasingly common in general practice. For many people, psychological care delivered by their regular general practitioner is both an acceptable and accessible starting point to seeking help for their emotional health. Our ABC of CBT provides GPs with a broad range of psychological skills readily applied in a general practice setting. Successful completion of the program also fulfills the criteria for FPS Skills Training accreditation allowing GPs to access Medicare item numbers for the delivery of focused psychological strategies. This program is delivered via the following modalities: • 2 x 6 hour workshops (2 weeks apart) • 8-hours of self directed learning between workshop days 1 and 2 • 1 x 2 hour coaching session (online) two weeks after day 2
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Advanced Training in Suicide Prevention

This workshop aims to increase health professionals’ skill and confidence in taking a detailed suicide history and developing a collaborative management plan to increase the safety of people planning suicide. It also provides practical tools for health professionals managing the full spectrum of suicide risk presentations including the acute suicidal crisis, care after a suicide attempt and assisting families experiencing suicide bereavement.
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Advanced Training in Suicide Prevention Coaching Session

A one hour coaching session for groups of health professionals who have attended the Advanced Training in Suicide Prevention (ATSP) or Talking About Suicide in General Practice (TASGP) workshop. The session is aimed at improving the recognition of warning signs for suicidality and the development of collaborative safety plans that incorporate the involvement of support people in the person’s life as well as creating a network of health professionals and relevant services to assist the person in remaining safe.  
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Dealing with Anxiety Disorders

This highly interactive workshop aims to provide GPs with a comprehensive theoretical understanding of anxiety disorders together with an extensive range of skills and strategies to better manage anxiety in their practices. Clinical scenarios form the basis of learning as participants explore how anxiety disorders arise, how they are maintained and the role general practitioners can play in addressing these effectively.   The program will assist GPs to gain further confidence and competence in the effective use of Focused Psychological Strategies (FPS).  

Please note this program is only applicable to GPs
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Dealing with Depression

Dealing with Depression is a highly interactive program that aims to provide general practitioners with a practical framework for diagnosing and managing depression. The program uses case based learning to explore key challenges GPs experience when caring for patients with depression. Cases will be examined and effective strategies will be devised to address these challenges.
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Depression Dilemmas

Despite improved awareness and education, there are still some presentations of depression that are highly challenging for clinicians to manage in the primary care setting. Depression Dilemmas is a new interactive workshop that tackles areas of treating mood disorders that clinicians can find particularly demanding. Using case studies as the platform for learning, the program explores strategies to tackle depression in the context of alcohol use disorder, late life depression and depression that is failing to remit despite seemingly adequate treatment. Open to both general practitioners and psychologists, this advanced workshop also provides an opportunity for the two professions to interact, share each other’s perspective and problem solve together.
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Diagnosis and Treatment of PTSD in Emergence Service Workers

GPs often play a central role in the provision of healthcare to communities in the immediate, acute phase of emergency situations and, on an ongoing basis for the long-term recovery of individuals and their broader community. Emergency Service Workers are one of the high risk groups for trauma exposure.

This workshop has been designed to assist GPs and other health professionals to identify patients with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other comorbidities. Participants will also learn how to provide appropriate patient support such as psychological first aid and treatment pathways. 

In recognition of the challenges surrounding treating trauma affected patients and the fact that many health professionals live in the trauma affected communities, this workshop also focuses on self-care including the resources and strategies most suitable to support this.

This training aims to increase the skills and confidence of GP’s and allied health professionals to:

  • Understand the relationship between traumatic events and the development of mental health conditions
  • Identify evidence-based treatment and referral pathways for a patient impacted by trauma
  • Recommend evidence-based resources, including e-Mental Health, for family/kinship groups impacted by trauma 
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Expert Insights: Using TMS and Ketamine to Treat Depression: Efficacy, Evidence and Application

Most of us have been faced with a patient who is not responding to standard treatments for depression. What can we do to support these patients? TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and Ketamine have a growing body of research which indicate that they can be successful in the treatment of depression with many patients showing positive results.  

This Expert Insights panel session will discuss how these treatments work, the evidence behind them, which patients may benefit and referral options.

Chaired by Dr Carol Newall

Panellists:

  • Adam Bayes - Consultant Psychiatrist at the Black Dog Institute and Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychiatry, UNSW.
  • Rohan Francis-Taylor - Consultant psychiatrist, Black Dog Institute Depression clinic & Neurostimulation clinic
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Ketamine Seminar

Designed for clinicians, mental health professionals and academic researchers, the Ketamine Seminar will be facilitated by leading experts in ketamine research and novel treatments of mood disorders, Prof. Colleen Loo and the Sydney Neurostimulation Centre (SyNC) team.

This seminar focuses on:

  • scientific aspects of ketamine
  • clinical treatment in depression
  • regulations and safety considerations
  • ketamine and psychotherapy

This program is delivered via the following modalities:

3 x 2.5 hour online sessions: Wed 23rd, Thurs 24th and Fri 25th September 2020, 4.00-6.30 PM)
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Managing Youth Mental Health

Managing youth mental health presents a myriad of challenges for GPs working in primary care but also a unique opportunity to assist young people in the context of their families and communities.

Managing Youth Mental Health is a highly interactive, clinically focused 6 hr program that aims to provide GPs with a practical and structured approach to youth mental healthcare readily implemented within the busy general practice setting.
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Perinatal in Practice

This workshop aims to introduce health professionals to the current understanding of perinatal mood disorders and its management, using lecture, case studies and interactive exercises.
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Suicide Prevention Training for Pharmacists

Suicide has a devastating impact on families, friends and whole communities. Pharmacists, due to their role and their accessibility in the community, have the potential to play a key role in recognising the signs and symptoms of suicide, restricting means and keeping the person safe until support is available. This Suicide Prevention Training for Pharmacists is an interactive, cased based workshop enabling peer discussion alongside the development of practical skills to implement.

This training aims to increase pharmacists’ skills and confidence in: 

• Recognising signs warranting further exploration for suicidality

• Talking with someone who may display suicidal signs and symptoms

• Understanding of the various referral options.
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Talking About Suicide in General Practice

The Talking About Suicide in General Practice workshop aims to increase GPs skill and confidence in: • recognising presentations where suicide risk is high • undertaking a detailed risk assessment • management planning using a collaborative, team based approach  

Upcoming Courses