Foundations of Mental Health Care

Overview

EMPOWERING LEADERS FOR IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES

The Certificate of Specialization comprises three programs, taught by faculty from the Harvard School of Public Health, the GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard Initiative and an international pool of experts, embracing both empirical evidence and real-world lessons. Through this training and mentoring program, professionals from around the world will empower themselves to scale-up evidence-based and innovative programs to address the mental health needs of their communities with knowledge, skills, and peer support.

Those who complete both Foundations of Mental Health Care and Scaling Up Mental Health Care programs are invited to join a third program: a peer-learning collaborative to support and learn from one another as they embark on their journey of being champions for mental health.

Learn From the Experts

Foundations of Mental Health Care will be led by renowned faculty who have held both public health research and real-world leadership roles. Core instructors include Shekhar Saxena, former Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization, Vikram Patel, co-leader of GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard, and Giuseppe Raviola, Director of Mental Health for Partners In Health (PIH), and the Director of the Program in Global Mental Health and Social Change (PGMHSC) at Harvard Medical School.  

By completing this synchronous, virtual program, you will learn how to: 

• Apply evidence-based models of care for the population that you serve
• Expand capacity by applying concepts and tools derived from real-world models
• Develop an international network of industry peers 

Objectives & Highlights

Learning Objectives

• Understand the value of mental health for individuals, families, and communities
• Recognize the skills needed to realize a leadership role within health and related fields
• Mobilize and deploy human and financial resources 
• Explore the latest developments in evidence-based programs to implement mental health strategies 
  

Program Highlights

• Enjoy highly dynamic and interactive sessions in a personal environment led by expert faculty
• Foster personal and organizational growth through small group discussions with like-minded peers
• Become aware of the latest developments in evidence-based programs across the world
• Advance your executive and leadership skills in strengthening mental health care services

Credits and Logistics

Continuing Education Credit

All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation upon completion of the program.

Mental Health Care Leadership Champions: Certificate of Specialization is a three-course series from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Executive and Continuing Professional Education

The pandemic and the societal disruptions imposed to contain it will undoubtedly impact global mental health for years to come. This comes at a time when many mental health service providers are already struggling to meet demand.

Designed to help organizations improve access to, and the capacity of, mental health services, Mental Health Care Leadership Champions will deepen the participants’ understanding of the mental health needs of diverse populations, from children to older adults, from relatively healthy to those who are ill, and from vulnerable groups to the privileged. You will also learn how to deliver quality care by deploying the latest innovations like people management strategies and technology-based tools.

In addition, Mental Health Care Leadership Champions will prepare you to:

• Leverage evidence-based strategies and programs to address unmet mental health care needs
• Adopt a dimensional approach for addressing the full spectrum of mental health problems
• Utilize a life course perspective to prioritize mental health care services
• Implement innovations in mental health and addiction care including task sharing, digital interventions, and community-based treatment
• Deploy community-based resources to treat mental disorders
• Develop quality mental health services at scale—to both meet the demands of our current moment and prepare for future challenges.

Who Should Participate

This program is designed for practitioners, policy advisors, health administrators, service planners, business leaders, and civil society organization executives with a responsibility for mental health.
Participants may hold titles such as:

• Director of mental health
• Administrator of mental health
• Mental health consultant
• Commissioner of mental health
• Chief mental health officer
• Human resource director