Bryony Walker

The article discusses the importance of young people with early signs of psychosis pursuing the interests of their age group in a mental health setting.

A co-facilitated workshop on the experience of family members caring for someone with mental health problems.

Between 2008 and 2011 academic teaching staff from Leeds Beckett University (UK) and Chainama Hills College of Health Sciences (Zambia) worked together on a Development Partnership in Higher Education (DelPHe) project funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) via the British Council. The partnership focused on “up-scaling” the provision of mental health education which was intended to build capacity through the delivery of a range of workshops for health educators at Chainama College, Lusaka. The project was evaluated on completion using small focus group discussions (FGDs), so educators could feedback on their experience of the workshops and discuss the impact of learning into their teaching practice. This chapter discusses the challenges of scaling up the mental health workforce in Zambia; the ratio- nale for the content and delivery style of workshops with the health educa- tors and finally presents and critically discusses the evaluation findings. Keywords: Mental health; action research; post-colonial; curriculum design; partnerships; DelPHe

The Francis report (2013) highlights the devastating effects on patients and carers when health staff do not offer caring and compassionate health interventions. The Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) (2010) 'Standards for Education of Pre-Registration Nurses' prioritises 'Communication and Interpersonal Skills' by making this one of the 4 Standards of competence for entry onto the nursing register. Standard 2 highlights the ability to: * Listen with empathy and warmth, * Recognise emotion, * Provide person-centred care, * Build therapeutic relationships, A unique area of challenge for educators in the education and training of health and social care staff is that of teaching 'effective' communication and interpersonal skills which are transferrable to practice.

The book ends by looking at what it means to be a competent practitioner and the importance of continual professional development.

This workshop will actively explore areas of difference and similarity between these two ‘helping’ approaches. It will include demonstration of skills in both approaches and invite you to participate in activities and discussions

Recent evidence seems to suggest mental health service users can be at risk of persistent harm as a result of psychological interventions. This article analyses ways of addressing harm by using the ‘lenses’ of four ethical theories to view psychological formulation.

The need to increase the capacity of developing countries to meet the mental health needs of their populations is widely acknowledged. This article examines some of the challenges associated with a British Council DelPHE project aimed at strengthening the capacity of mental health educators to prepare the mental health workforce in Zambia for a shift from an institutional to a community-based model of care. The analysis draws on data from two focus groups in which the participants were drawn from college educators who had taken part in workshops intended to enhance curriculum alignment to ensure that the education and training provided for clinical officers (psychiatry) and mental health nurses was "fit for purpose." In particular, the article highlights their perspectives on some of the tensions in focusing on mental health as opposed to broader health care and in ensuring appropriate opportunities for practice or field placements. The continuing impact of stigma and limited resources available for mental ill-health is acknowledged within the wider context of inequities in mental health care. Findings of this evaluation may be applicable to other sub-Saharan contexts, but should be understood only within the Zambian context.