Applied Skills in Perinatal Mental Health Assessment and Care

A perinatal mental health course to build your specialist skills and expertise

Applied Skills in Perinatal Mental Health Assessment and Care has been designed for trained mental health professionals wishing to gain specialist expertise in perinatal mental health. It’s also highly relevant to other health professionals working within the perinatal field and supporting the perinatal mental health and well-being of clients and their families.

Developed in line with the 2023 National Perinatal Mental Health Guideline, this perinatal mental health online training provides a valuable framework to guide and enhance your skills in perinatal mental health assessment, treatment and planning. Successful completion of the course will demonstrate perinatal mental health expertise within your discipline.

NB: Completion of this course will not qualify you for professional registration as a mental health professional

Course cost

• $1,245 AUD + GST

• Group discounts apply: Five or more registrations (20%), ten or more registrations (25%).

• For group bookings an invoice can be issued and course codes provided at checkout to avoid the need for individual payments. Contact [email protected] to arrange this.

• Note: Purchase of this course entitles course access and certification for one person only.

Why take this perinatal mental health training course?

An ideal launch pad into perinatal mental health

Would you like to expand your perinatal mental health knowledge and expertise, but can’t find any perinatal mental health courses that suit your schedule?

Do you dream of running a dedicated or specialist private practice, or want to work with specialist colleagues across services?

Perhaps you’re ready to upskill within perinatal psychology training and offer something unique to women who are in the perinatal journey, and their families.

Whether you are establishing a private practice or working in a team, COPE’s Applied Skills in Perinatal Mental Health Assessment and Care is an ideal launch pad into the specialty area of perinatal mental health.

This perinatal training program is also an opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest guidelines and research, and fulfil CPD requirements of your mental health professional development.

Gain skills and resources for assessing, managing and treating perinatal mental health conditions

Perinatal mental health is a highly specialised field. It also brings unique contextual factors which must be considered and incorporated into the assessment, management and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions.

This course is designed to help you move away from a general mental health approach to one of specialised perinatal mental health practice, in line with the current National Guidelines. Through the presentation of information and consumer insights, this course will equip you with models for undertaking a comprehensive perinatal mental health assessment and approaches to effective treatment and management.

The course also includes case studies based on real-life scenarios and consumer journeys, so you can apply your learning throughout the course and increase your knowledge, confidence and competence as a perinatal health professional.

Complete CPD in your own time, at your own pace

Applied Skills in Perinatal Health Care and Assessment is an intensive online program that can be completed in your own time and at your own pace, making the first perinatal mental health course of its kind, worldwide.

All course content is underpinned by evidence-based best practice in accordance with the Australian Clinical Practice Guideline developed by COPE for the Australian government and approved by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Once you’ve completed this perinatal mental health course via distance learning and received your certificate of completion, you can:

• Register on the COPE Directory*
• Expand your own business
• Apply for perinatal mental health positions, confident in your knowledge and skills
   

*Completion of the Applied Skills course enables automatic qualification for the COPE Directory for perinatal anxiety and depression. Additional mood disorders such as post-partum psychosis, bipolar, borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia in the perinatal period will require additional evidence to be listed on the directory with these skill areas. 

Plus, receive a COPE Registered Practitioner digital badge

To request your Registered Practitioner digital badge, please contact [email protected] .

Perinatal mental health training course​ snapshot

• 25+ hours of online learning
• Complete at your own pace (suggested 12 weeks to consolidate your learning) with ongoing access to all lessons and resources for the lifetime of the course*
• Presentation notes summarising course content and for future reference
• Lesson notes and resources throughout
• Clinical workbooks to apply learning to real-life case studies and supply of a clinical Practice Guide on completion
• Templates and resources (eg. assessment templates, care plans) to use in practice during and following the course
• Built-in assessment at the end of each lesson to consolidate your learning and track your progress
• Digital certificate on completion
• Developed and accredited by COPE: Centre of Perinatal Excellence
• All content is underpinned by Best Practice Clinical Practice Guidelines (Effective Mental Health Care in the Perinatal Period: Australian Clinical Practice Guideline. 2023 Revision)

*Please note: The timeframe of 12 weeks is purely a suggestion to consolidate your learning.  You will not lose access to the course after this time, rather the course remains available to complete at your own pace.

What’s included in this perinatal mental health course?

To nurture your mental health professional development and set you up for success, you’ll be provided with…

• Immediate and unlimited access to all course training and resources for the life of the course – even after course completion

• 3 course modules, 14 lessons

• 25+ hours of online learning that you can complete in your own time, at your own pace

• Presentation notes summarising course content

• Lesson notes, handouts and resources throughout the course

• Course manual for future reference and practice

• Case studies based on real life to apply your learning

• Clinical workbooks for each module with built-in templates to guide your application of theory into practice

• Templates and resources such as assessment templates and care plans to use in practice during and following the course

• Lesson assessments to consolidate your learning and track your progress

• Digital certificate on completion

PLUS…

• COPE Clinical Practice Guide (provided upon completion) for use in your clinical practice

Course modules and lessons

You’ll also receive the COPE Practice Guide

Filled with tools and templates to support the continued application of the course in your day-to-day clinical work

Plus, get automatic qualification for the COPE directory

Successful completion of the course means you will receive a certificate as proof of completion. This can be presented for accreditation purposes.

Your certificate can be provided to your registration body and enables automatic qualification to be featured on the COPE Directory – a national database supporting people to identify services with expertise in perinatal emotional and mental health.

Your course presenter

Dr Nicole Highet, perinatal mental health specialist

Having specialised in perinatal mental health for over 25 years, Nicole has overseen the implementation of national screening programs (iCOPE), guideline and resource development together with extensive training and development for health professionals and community leaders. She has also been responsible for the development and execution of national education and awareness campaigns including the Ready to COPE guide, and The Truth.

Now is an opportune time to establish a career as a perinatal mental health expert

With the national roll-out of the perinatal mental health screening tool, iCOPE, the demand for perinatal mental health support and treatment continues to grow

Acknowledgements

COPE has consulted with consumers, carers and health professionals in the development of this content.

All content is underpinned by National Clinical Practice Guidelines, approved by the Australian Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Expertise has also been provided through collaboration with experts in the field.

Conditions

Purchasing this course entitles access of content and certification by one person only. Sharing of content is in breach of the terms of sale.

All information contained in the course is copyright.

To enquire about student fees, discounts for group bookings or arrange for an invoice to be prepared, contact us at [email protected].