Online GP CPD

Find out more about the mental health information films currently available to view online through our GP Portal below. 

• Anxiety: Question and Answer Workshop

  Dr Michael McDonough, Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of our Anxiety Disorders Programme team, and Dr Ann Rakpraja, Psychiatry Registrar here at SPMHS, explore assessments and referrals for anxiety presentations; the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety presentations; managing complex presentations of anxiety in the GP surgery; and therapy for anxiety disorders.

  Established in 2005, our Anxiety Disorders Programme is the only specialised anxiety service in Ireland and caters for a wide range of anxiety disorders. It is delivered by a multidisciplinary team and offers service users a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychiatry and occupational therapy to assist them in the management of their anxiety.

  This film is recognised for one CPD point.

• Bipolar Affective Disorder in Primary Care

  Sean Lonergan, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist on the Bipolar Affective Disorder programme here in SPMHS, explores how GPs can treat and support their patients living with bipolar affective disorder.

  This one-hour module explores:

  • how to increase recognition and awareness of how patients may present with symptoms of bipolar affective disorder in primary care
  • how to differentiate bipolar affective disorder from unipolar depression
  • bipolar affective disorder diagnoses types
  • risk factors and stressors for people living with bipolar affective disorder
  • supporting patients when they are well, becoming unwell or when a severe mood episode occurs
  • when to refer to specialist care.

  This film is recognised for one CPD point.

• Compassion-Focused Therapy: An Introduction

  Dr Marion Mernagh and Dr Sinéad Ní Chaoláin PHD, Clinical Psychologists here at SPMHS, explore what compassion-focused therapy is and who it is aimed at, as well as discussing its core therapeutic elements.

  This film looks at some of the key concepts and principles within compassion-focused therapy, and why compassion is important from a mental health perspective. Dr Mernagh and Dr Ní Chaoláin also discuss the "Three Systems" model of emotion regulation, and how GPs might apply this model to both their own work as practitioners, as well as to the needs of their patients.

  GPs are invited to consider how concepts of compassion apply to themselves, and to engage in a compassion-focused therapy practice.

• Memory Clinic: Supporting people experiencing memory difficulties

  The Memory Clinic at SPMHS offers a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment of service users who present with a range of memory and cognitive difficulties. The purpose is to accurately define, describe and diagnose any underlying clinical conditions, as well as to compile a detailed plan of management to remit the difficulties. 

  In this one hour film, presenters Dr Karen Looney, Principal Clinical Neuropsychologist and Dr Sarah O’Dwyer, Consultant Psychiatrist, describe the work of the Memory Clinic and discuss a variety of related topics such as cognitive screening tools and normal versus cognitive changes more likely to reflect an underlying clinical condition. 

  This film is recognised for one CPD point.

• Psychological Formulation and Addiction

  Dr Violet Johnstone, Senior Counselling Psychologist, and Dr Aideen O’Neill, Clinical Psychologist here at SPMHS, explore how addiction and substance use disorders fit into a psychological formulation.

  As well as discussing our Temple Formulation Group psychology programme, this module also explores how the history of addiction has been understood and treated to date, as well as discussing addiction from a psychological perspective, and emerging psychological theories related to addiction.

  This film is recognised for one CPD point.

• Psychosis

  Dr Seamus O'Ceallaigh, consultant psychiatrist here at SPMHS, explores the topic of psychosis and how GPs can treat and support their patients living with psychosis.

  This one-hour module discusses:

  • engagement in psychosis
  • early intervention and improved outcomes
  • assessing and managing risk and comorbid factors
  • improving whole health outcomes in psychosis
  • pharmacological strategies for psychosis management
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for psychosis
  • accessing specialist care.

   This film is recognised for one CPD point.

• Understanding, recognising and responding to over-control

  There is growing interest and research into what might underlie certain mental health disorders that are associated with too much control (over-control). People who are over-controlled keep distant from others, are rigid in their patterns and are emotionally inhibited. They often receive a diagnosis of refractory depression, anorexia nervosa, obsessive compulsive personality disorder or avoidant personality disorder, and tend not to respond well to traditional treatments. 

  In this one-hour film, Dr Violet Johnstone and Dr Cian McDonough, Senior Clinical Psychologists here at SPMHS, explore how to understand and recognise over-control, what a GRO programme involves, research into radical openness, and referral pathways. 

  This film is recognised for one CPD point.

• Understanding psychosis from a psychological perspective

  Dr Conal Twomey, Senior Clinical Psychologist here in SPMHS and Adjunct Associate Professor in University College Dublin, and Tara Deehan, Senior Counselling Psychologist here in SPMHS, present on understanding psychosis from a psychological perspective.

  This hour-long webinar explores:

  • Psychological lens of experiences of psychosis using the compassion-focused therapy (CFT) model
  • CFT as a group intervention and what’s involved in our CFT for Psychosis (CFT-P) programme
  • Building a compassionate mindset in managing experiences of psychosis
  • Research exploring service users’ preferences for group interventions
  • Referring to CFT-P.

  This film is recognised for one CPD point.