Mental Health Courses & Masterclasses

We are an organisation comprised of London-based practicing psychiatrists. We offer masterclasses and courses for mental health professionals, other healthcare professionals, and businesses.

Our Upcoming Talks

Managing Finances as a Doctor – FREE TALK

Learn about managing your finances as an NHS doctor including some top tips! Open to all UK-based doctors!

Topics Covered

➝ Tax rebates: what doctors can claim and how to claim them
➝ Practical ways to make sure you’re not leaving money unclaimed
➝ Study budgets, study leave and getting courses funded
➝ Professional expenses and tax-deductible costs
➝ NHS pensions and understanding the basics

Audience

➝ All UK-based doctors

Format

60 minute online talk – link sent upon registration

Book your FREE PLACE Now!

CASC Masterclass Series for Jan 2027 Exam

Join us for our popular CASC Masterclasses!

Topics Covered

We have masterclasses on forensics & Risk assessment in CASC, perinatal & eating disorders, neurology, lobe exams & cognitive assessment, OCD stations, improving structure and communication the CASC, tackling mental state examinations in the CASC, and tackling management stations in the CASC.

Audience

Open to Psychiatry trainees sitting the CASC exams

Format

8 masterclasses (60 minutes) – featuring video demos and Q&A! 4 masterclasses are free, 4 are paid.

Book your FREE PLACE now!

Maternity Leave During Medical Training – FREE TALK

Understand your rights, options and practical considerations when taking maternity leave during training.

Topics Covered

➝ Maternity leave and pay: what you’re entitled to as a trainee
➝ Keeping your training on track: rotations, extensions and LTFT options
➝ Study leave, annual leave and keeping up with professional development
➝ Returning to training: planning your return and accessing support
➝ Practical tips for navigating pregnancy, maternity leave and training

Audience

All UK-based doctors

Format

60 minute online talk with Q&A

Coming Soon!

Our Courses for Healthcare Professionals & Organisations

Managing Risk in Mental Health Settings – Masterclass & Simulation

Mental health professionals often need to hold a lot of risk when managing mental health patients with various diagnoses. This course is a live simulation, using professional actors, exploring various risk situations in mental health, with realistic scenarios of patients with various mental health conditions. After each scenario, we debrief as a group, exploring the topic and reflecting about human factors and decision making.

Topics Covered

➝ Responding to escalating suicide and self-harm risk
➝Managing situations where risk is unclear, changing or conflicting
➝Difficult conversations with patients, families and colleagues
➝Making decisions under pressure and working effectively as a multidisciplinary team
➝Live post-scenario debriefs exploring what happened, why decisions were made and what could have been done differently

Audience

➝Primarily for healthcare professionals working in mental health settings, or those working regularly with mental health patients – in areas such as A&E

Format

Online – half day or full day live simulation course using life actors & comprehensive debriefs

Coming Soon!

Physical Health Essentials for Mental Health Professionals

A practical masterclass designed to build confidence in recognising and responding to common physical health problems encountered in mental health settings.

Topics Covered

➝ Recognising common physical health problems and understanding what to look for
➝ Physical health checks, observations and interpreting basic clinical information
➝ Knowing when something is routine, urgent or an emergency — and when to escalate
➝ Managing common long-term conditions in people receiving mental healthcare
➝ Recognising physical deterioration, medication-related problems and red flags that shouldn’t be missed

Audience

Mental health professionals including nurses, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists who are looking to upskill in physical health

Format

Online – half day or full day course

Coming Soon!

Psychotherapy for Psychiatry Trainees: CBT & Psychodynamic Therapies

A practical masterclass introducing the core ideas behind CBT and psychodynamic psychotherapy, with a focus on applying them to the clinical cases encountered during core psychiatry training. Delivered by current London-based Medical Psychotherapy higher trainees.

Topics Covered

➝ The core principles of CBT and psychodynamic psychotherapy
➝ Core concepts in delivering CBT: setting an agenda, identifying thoughts and behaviours, Socratic questioning, behavioural experiments and homework
➝ Core concepts in delivering psychodynamic therapy: establishing the therapeutic relationship, exploring patterns and relationships, transference and working with emotions
➝ Moving from assessment to a clear formulation
➝ Working through clinical examples and practising how to structure and conduct CBT and psychodynamic sessions

Audience

Primarily aimed at Psychiatry core trainees – however open to all healthcare professionals interested in these forms of therapy

Format

Half day masterclass – online

Coming Soon!

Inside Forensic Psychiatry: Mental Health, Crime & the Law

An engaging introduction to forensic psychiatry, delivered by current higher trainees in the specialty. Explore the clinical, legal and ethical challenges at the interface between mental health and the criminal justice system, with real-world cases and practical insights into what forensic psychiatrists actually do.

Topics Covered

➝ Forensic psychiatry in practice: who forensic psychiatrists work with, where they work and how forensic services differ from general psychiatry
➝ Mental health and the law: an introduction to key concepts including detention, courts, sentencing and the interface between psychiatric and legal decision-making
➝ Fitness to plead, insanity and diminished responsibility: understanding the major psychiatric concepts that arise in criminal cases
➝ Risk and offending: how psychiatrists assess the relationship between mental disorder, offending and risk, and how this informs clinical management
➝ Medico-legal reports: what they are, why they are needed, how they are structured and the role of the psychiatrist as an expert
➝ Life as a forensic psychiatrist: the training pathway, different forensic settings and what it’s actually like to work in the specialty

Audience

➝ Mainly aimed for psychiatry core trainees however open to anyone who is interested or curious about the world of forensic psychiatry.

Format

Half day online masterclass

Coming Soon!

Functional Neurological Disorder: Understanding FND in Clinical Practice

A practical introduction to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) for mental and physical health professionals. Explore what FND is, how it presents, how the diagnosis is made, and how to communicate and work with patients effectively across physical and mental healthcare settings.

Topics Covered

➝ What is FND? Understanding the condition, common symptoms and how functional neurological symptoms arise
➝ Recognising FND in practice: Common presentations including movement symptoms, weakness, sensory symptoms, functional seizures, pain, fatigue and cognitive symptoms
➝ Making the diagnosis: Understanding positive clinical features, differential diagnoses and when further neurological assessment is needed
➝ Explaining FND to patients: How to communicate the diagnosis clearly, validate symptoms and avoid common pitfalls in explaining the condition
➝ Mental and physical health in FND: Understanding the relationship between neurological symptoms, psychological factors, physical illness and wider psychosocial factors
➝ Managing FND: The role of neurology, psychiatry, psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other members of the MDT, and how professionals can work together effectively

Audience

Open to all healthcare professionals

Format

Full day course, online

Coming Soon!

Mental Health Scenarios: A simulation course for Healthcare Professionals in A&E, Acute Settings and the General Hospital

A practical simulation course for doctors, nurses and other physical health professionals working in general hospital settings.

Topics Covered

➝ Mental health in the general hospital: Understanding the relationship between physical and mental health, and why psychological wellbeing matters across physical healthcare settings
Recognising common mental health presentations: Identifying depression, anxiety, psychosis, mania, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and other mental health difficulties in patients presenting with physical health problems
Mental health assessment in physical healthcare: Improve confidence in screening for mental health conditions and identifying when further assessment is needed
Difficult Conversations: Practical approaches to communicating with patients with severe mental illness
Risks: Understanding and responding to suicide and self-harm risk, vulnerability, capacity and safeguarding concerns in the general hospital
Working with liaison psychiatry: Understanding when to involve specialist mental health services and how physical and mental health professionals can work together effectively

Audience

This masterclass is aimed for doctors, nurses and other physical health professionals working in general hospital settings.

Format

Full day online interactive simulation course using live actors.

Coming Soon!

Know More About Us

Why PsychPanda?

PsychPanda is a mental-health education platform, which initially started as focusing on delivering tutoring, masterclasses, and mock exams for the Royal College of Psychiatry Membership exams. We received excellent feedback and have helped large numbers of doctors to succeed in their exams. Since then we have expanded to deliver masterclasses and simulation-based courses using live actors – aimed at psychiatry doctors, other mental health professionals, wider healthcare staff and other sectors and businesses.

Our courses provide high-quality, immersive learning experiences with the aim of upskilling professionals in mental health. We are happy to tailor our courses to meet the needs of your organisation.

Our team of Speciality Registrar Psychiatrists are all high-performing, having worked in the busiest mental health locations of the UK, with some having won awards for their professional achievements. Between us we have a wealth of experience in clinical practice, education, research, simulation-based education, and public speaking.

Our Core Team

Dr Damir Rafi

Forensic Psychiatry Specialty Registrar

Co-Founder of PsychPanda. Interests in Neuropsychiatry & Simulation-Based Education

More about Dr Damir Rafi

• Dr Rafi is a Psychiatrist specialising in forensics.
• He has spent several years working as a medical educator, with a particular interest in innovation and novel forms of teaching. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
• In 2025 he Co-Founded PsychPanda and PsychPanda Corporate – offering mental health talks and training to medical and corporate audiences.

Dr Sarah Barber

General Adult Psychiatry Specialty Registrar

Co-Founder of PsychPanda. Educator and Researcher, with expertise in global mental health.

More about Dr Sarah Barber

• Dr Barber is a General Adult Psychiatrist currently conducting a PhD in global mental health.
• Her work is particularly focused around womens’ mental health, sexual health, and trauma.
• She is the Co-Founder of PsychPanda offering mental health talks and training to various auidences.

Dr Rebecca Goodall

Child Psychiatry Specialty Registrar

Co-Founder of PsychPanda, with special interests in ADHD, OCD and Autism. Extensive medical education experience.

More about Dr Rebecca Goodall

• Dr Goodall is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with a particular interest in neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• She was a former Co-Host of The Thinking Mind Podcast, a leading mental health platform, and regularly interviewed high-profile specialists and celebrity guests.
• She is an associate founder of PsychPanda, and has over a decade of experience in medical and mental health education.

Dr Raphael Rifkin-Zybutz

General Adult Psychiatry Specialty Registrar

Educator and Researcher, with expertise in psychedelics. Winner of Royal College of Psychiatrists Presidents Prize (2023)

More about Dr Rifkin-Zybutz

• Dr Rifkin-Zybutz is a General Adult Psychiatrist, currently conducting a PhD in the use of Psychedelics as treatment for mental health conditions.
• He has extensive experience in Medical Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
• In 2023 he was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists Presidents Prize for obtaining the highest exam mark in the Psychiatry postgraduate examinations.

Dr Naomi Tomlinson

General & Older Adult Psychiatry Specialty Registrar

Psychiatry Speciality Registrar with expertise in simulation-based education in both physical and mental health.

More about Dr Naomi Tomlinson

• Dr Tomlinson is a Specialty Registrar in General & Older Adults Psychiatry.
• She has an expertise in innovative ways of learning, including simulation-based education.
• She is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Vinitha Soundararajan

General Adult & Medical Psychotherapy Specialty Registrar

Psychiatry Speciality Registrar with special expertise in psychotherapy and global mental health.

More about Dr Vinitha Soundararajan

• Dr Soundararajan is a Specialty Registrar in General Adult Psychiatry and Medical Psychotherapy, with experience in delivering various forms of psychological therapies.
• She was previously a fellow in public health at Imperial College London.
• She has extensive experience in medical educatoin & teaching.
• She is the host of online platform The Culture Gap, and regularly interviews distinguished guests on topics around the intersection of mental health, culture and community.

Dr Sophie Kyrke-Smith

Forensic Psychiatry Specialty Registrar

Forensic Psychiatry Specialty Registar and medical educator, with a special interest in sports psychology.

More about Dr Sophie Kyrke-Smith

• Dr Kyrke-Smith is a Psychiatrist specialising in forensics.
• She is currently completing a Masters degree in Sports Psychology and the International Society for Sports Psychiatry accreditation.
• She is an Executive Committee Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Sports & Exercise Psychiatry Special Interest Group.

Contact Us

If you would like to know more about our talks or get a price quote, then please contact us by email:

bookings@psychpanda.com

Get in Touch

Mental Health Courses & Masterclasses

Mental Health Courses & Masterclasses

Our Upcoming Talks

Managing Finances as a Doctor – FREE TALK

CASC Masterclass Series for Jan 2027 Exam

Maternity Leave During Medical Training – FREE TALK

Our Courses for Healthcare Professionals & Organisations

Managing Risk in Mental Health Settings – Masterclass & Simulation

Physical Health Essentials for Mental Health Professionals

Psychotherapy for Psychiatry Trainees: CBT & Psychodynamic Therapies

Inside Forensic Psychiatry: Mental Health, Crime & the Law

Functional Neurological Disorder: Understanding FND in Clinical Practice

Mental Health Scenarios: A simulation course for Healthcare Professionals in A&E, Acute Settings and the General Hospital

Why PsychPanda?

Our Core Team

Dr Damir Rafi

Dr Sarah Barber

Dr Rebecca Goodall

Dr Raphael Rifkin-Zybutz

Dr Naomi Tomlinson

Dr Vinitha Soundararajan

Dr Sophie Kyrke-Smith

Contact Us

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