UAE – The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), and New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have teamed up to host a comprehensive, accredited mental health skills course in the primary care setting.
The customized workforce training program dubbed ‘The Mental Health Upskilling Program 2022’ aimed to help equip primary care physicians, nurses, and care coordinators with practical behavioral medicine therapeutic tools and techniques.
The program included five interactive in-person workshops that brought together a wide group of experts and healthcare professionals. Upon successful completion of the course and final evaluation, participants were issued a certificate and relevant CME credits.
Each session in the Mental Health Upskilling Program 2022 included an informative module focused on a high-yield behavioral medicine topic along with interactive elements and role plays delivered by renowned names in the industry.
It was conducted by experts in the field such as Dr. Vedrana Mladina, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Associate Director of Counseling at NYUAD Health Center, and Dr. Ayaz Virji, Executive Medical Director of the Health Center at NYUAD.
Other present experts in the domain included Dr. Tai R. Broach, Associate Professor of Practice in Psychology at Zayed University, and Taregh Shaban, Lecturer in Psychology at the Department of Cognitive Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain.
HE Hind Mubarak Al Zaabi, Executive Director of Healthcare Facilities Sector from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, underscored that with great reason, they realize the importance of mental well-being and its long-term impact on the community.
“In line with the Department’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the mental and physical well-being of Abu Dhabi’s population, we are pleased to endorse and facilitate similar initiatives that upskill the healthcare workforce in the Emirate,” said Hind Al Zaabi.
She outlined that the regulator of the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi is committed to improving the quality of life of its population and empowering healthcare providers to ensure the availability of an integrated healthcare system that offers world-class healthcare services.
Dr. Ghanem Al Hassani, Group Education Director from SEHA observed: “Primary care physicians are the professionals’ patients seek help from first. We need to provide them with the tools to guide their decision-making as soon as they notice degradation in a patient’s behavior.”
Meanwhile, Course Director Dr. Vedrana Mladina said: “In alignment with DoH’s strategic plan to meet mental healthcare needs in the Emirate, the course helps integrate mental healthcare services into the busy primary care office setting.”
She pointed out that the NYUAD Health Center’s holistic healthcare delivery model follows the same principle by integrating specialized mental health care into primary care for students.
Dr. Vedrana Mladina outlined that the course structure includes in-person sessions, required readings, participation in real case discussions as well as post-course follow-up and supervision.
“Course topics include ‘Low-Intensity Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for depression’, ‘Suicide and self-harm risk assessment and safety planning’, and ‘Self-care and burnout prevention for primary care practitioner to mention a few.” she added.
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