News:

Now use CPD Online for half your annual CPD requirement – From the end of January 2012 the number of hours of CPD Online that you can put towards your annual CPD requirements rises from 10 to 25 hours. Since this is half of your requirement, it means that you will get even more value from your subscription!

My CPD Online – The “My CPD” section on the CPD Online site has now been renamed “My CPD Online”. This is a permanent change to help avoid confusion with any other parts of the College’s CPD programme.

Educational feature:

Share your CPD Online experience, By Gavin McKay and Giuseppe Spoto on behalf of the Crawley/Horsham CPD Group

We would like to report back to members on a very successful training event we had in Crawley, facilitated by Daniel Tomkins from the CPD Online team. The College has been active in introducing e-learning as an additional method of delivering personal development plans as part of the CPD cycle and this will soon be further facilitated by the increasing of the number of CPD credits achievable through e-learning. We invited Daniel to give a demonstration of CPD Online on 30 September 2011. The aims were to introduce CPD Online to group members and to stimulate interest in e-learning as a group activity.

We invited members of two local CPD Peer Groups for a one-hour session using the multimedia projector in our conference room. The group members had a range of CPD Online experience, with some having completed several modules and others yet to subscribe. The session started with a demonstration of the CPD Online “control panel” – the notebook and certificate storage facility. We then worked through the CPD Online module Treating depression in later life as a group. The group was unanimous in its view that it was an extremely valuable experience. The learning was very active, with an atmosphere of lively participation. The module test was taken as a group before and after the module in an open and democratic manner. This was great fun and drew out competitive streaks in several group members!

We are planning to continue to meet for e-learning sessions and integrate this into our CPD programme, hopefully also purchasing an institutional subscription to CPD Online. Thanks again to Daniel for a very successful day.

If you would like a quote for a multi-user license please contact Daniel Tomkins, Sales and Marketing Manager, on 020 7235 2351 x6120 or email: dtomkins@rcpsych.ac.uk

Body dysmorphic disorder: Parts 1 and 2

Patients with body dysmorphic disorder are preoccupied with the notion that one or more features of their appearance are unattractive, ugly or deformed. Formal diagnosis by mental health professionals is often a long time after onset despite factors including social isolation, depression, and high risk of suicide. Learn more about this disorder in Part 1, and in Part 2 find out how to diagnose and treat it.

GAIN Guidelines: Mental Health (NI) Order 1986 (free modules)

Four new modules have been developed to support the GAIN Guidelines on the use of the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, the legislation governing the care, treatment and protection of persons with a mental disorder in Northern Ireland. Module 1 provides a detailed introduction to the legislation and the principles and additional legislation informing practice. Module 2 covers admission to hospital, Module 3 assessment and treatment, and Module 4 safeguards and rights.

Do you know which are the most frequently misused stimulants and what their impact on mental and physical health is? Understand the psychopathological consequences related to substance misuse and refine your diagnostic and clinical management skills.