Take your pharmacy expertise to the next level and become a trusted leader in mental health care!
Mental health is one of the fastest-growing areas of healthcare, and pharmacists are critical to improving outcomes for patients with psychiatric conditions. This course gives you the tools to make a real impact. The Fundamentals of Mental Health Pharmacy course has been designed by expert mental health pharmacists and experienced pharmacy educators to deliver practical, evidence-based learning that translates directly into clinical practice.
What You’ll Gain:
- Confidence to manage complex psychotropic regimens across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings
- Thorough understanding of antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilisers, and anxiolytics, including when and how to initiate, adjust, and monitor therapy
- Skills to identify and manage adverse effects and drug interactions that can significantly impact patient safety
- Strategies to improve medication adherence and patient engagement, including communication techniques for vulnerable populations
- Ability to navigate treatment for patients with comorbid physical and mental health conditions, ensuring holistic care
- Enhanced clinical reasoning to support multidisciplinary decision-making and optimise patient outcomes
Core Modules
The online component of the course comprises of eight e-Learning modules.
Need flexible learning as a busy pharmacist?
Our e-learning package features self-paced modules that fit your schedule, providing comprehensive learning to validate your expertise. Learn from leading pharmacists in Mental Health without leaving your current role.
Optional Add-ons:
Interactive Workshops
- 2 x 2-hour interactive face-to-face or virtual case-based workshops facilitated by an experienced Mental Health pharmacist.
These workshops will allow learners to apply the knowledge learnt through the e-Learning modules to specialised patient cases, to develop core skills in the management of patients in the addiction and mental health space.
Experiential Placement
The e-Learning module in this course may be included as 32 hours of CPD upon successful completion of its integrated assessment activities.
The 2016 Competency Standards that align with this activity include:
- 1.1 Uphold professionalism in practice
- 1.2 Observe and promote ethical standards
- 1.5 Apply expertise in professional practice
- 1.6 Contribute to continuous improvement in quality and safety
- 2.2 Collaborate with professional colleagues
- 2.4 Apply interpersonal communication skills to address problems
- 3.1 Develop a patient centred, culturally responsive approach to medication management
- 3.2 Implement the medication management strategy or plan
- 3.3 Monitor and evaluate medication management
- 3.5 Support Quality Use of Medicines
- Analyze the foundational principles of mental health practice, including key diagnostic criteria, legislative frameworks, therapeutic communication strategies, and the pharmacist’s role in multidisciplinary mental health care delivery.
- Evaluate the pharmacological management of mood disorders, including the pathophysiology, treatment algorithms, medication mechanisms, and therapeutic monitoring for depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder.
- Apply evidence-based approaches to managing psychotic disorders, including the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antipsychotics, long-acting injectable formulations, clozapine management protocols, and monitoring strategies for treatment response and adverse effects.
- Demonstrate competency in acute psychiatric crisis management, including risk assessment, de-escalation techniques, pharmacological interventions for acute behavioral disturbance, and trauma-informed care principles in emergency and inpatient settings.
- Implement harm reduction strategies and evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, including understanding addiction neurobiology, withdrawal management, opioid substitution therapy, and the pharmacist’s role in community-based addiction services.
- Optimize medication management in specialized mental health populations, including patients with eating disorders, personality disorders, ADHD, and complex comorbidities requiring individualized treatment approaches.
- Overview the ambulatory and community mental health care system, understanding service models, interprofessional collaboration, continuity of care principles, and the pharmacist’s contribution to community-based mental health support.
- Apply clinical decision-making skills for complex mental health scenarios, integrating knowledge of psychopharmacology, therapeutic drug monitoring, medication safety, patient-centered care, and ethical considerations to support optimal mental health outcomes.
Each online module will be consolidated via a multiple-choice assessment based on real-life cases.
Learners will be awarded a certificate of completion upon satisfactory completion of the required learning and assessments.
Registrations now available
*All registration options include 12 months of access to the e-Learning modules from the date of registration
Option 1 - e-Learning component* only
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Prices include GST
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Includes 16 hours of self-directed e-Learning modules on core mental health pharmacy topics
Option 2 - e-Learning component* and workshops
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Prices include GST
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Includes 16 hours of self-directed e-Learning modules on core mental health pharmacy topics
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2 x 2-hour virtual case-based workshops
Option 3 - e-Learning component*, workshops and placement
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Prices include GST
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Includes 16 hours of self-directed e-Learning modules on core mental health pharmacy topics
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2 x 2-hour interactive virtual case-based workshops AND
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1 x 8 hour observational placement with experienced Mental Health Pharmacist
Express your interest in the program
Not ready to start the program right now?
Enter your details below to express your interest or ask us a question about this program and our Pharmacy Learning and Development team will be in touch.