Mental Health Nursing Transitional Education Program
About the program
The Mental Health Nursing Transitional Education Program is free of charge, and designed for registered nurses in their first 1-5 years of practice within mental health settings. This grant-supported initiative builds the knowledge, confidence, and practical strategies needed to deliver safe, person-centred care across a variety of mental health contexts.
Delivered as a series of five short courses (each 4 hours), the program is ideal for busy professionals and contributes a total of 20 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours.
This is a non-credit bearing short course and does not form part of Charles Darwin University's accredited course offerings.
This program received grant funding from the Australian Government.
What you will learn
You will gain practical strategies in high-priority areas, including:
- Trauma-informed care
- Effective communication with individuals with personality disorders
- Managing self-harm and risk
- Responding safely to aggression and violence
- Building resilience and self-care practices
By completing this program, you will enhance your clinical capability, strengthen your therapeutic responses, and be better equipped to promote recovery-oriented, safe, and trauma informed mental health care.
Eligibility
Open to registered nurses within their first 1-5 years of practice in a mental health setting, or newly transitioning into mental health nursing from other areas of practice.
Flexible online delivery
- Self-paced and fully online
- Complete all five short courses in a 5-week window (each approximately 4 hours)
- Learn when it suits you - around work and life commitments.
Fees
This program received grant funding from the Australian Government. Full-feeing places are available, contact us to find out more.
Assessment and certification
Each course includes a short, pass/fail multiple-choice quiz (80% pass mark). On completion of each course and quiz, you will receive a 4-hour CPD certificate. Completion of all five courses will result in a total of 20 CPD hours.
Learning materials
All learning materials are included - videos, readings, case studies, and quizzes are provided via the online platform.
No additional textbooks or purchases are required. Participants are encouraged to engage with the provided resources fully to support successful completion of each course and associated CPD quiz.
Study and career pathways
The content of this program has been aligned with foundational topics covered in the Graduate Certificate of Mental Health Nursing. Participants who complete the program and wish to pursue formal postgraduate study are encouraged to apply for the Graduate Certificate of Mental Health Nursing here.
Short course for mentoring in clinical practice
Are you an experienced mental health nurse supporting early‑career colleagues in clinical practice?
This non‑credit‑bearing free short course is designed for senior clinicians supporting junior mental health nurses.
If you have two or more years of nursing experience and provide supervision, guidance, or informal mentoring to junior staff, this free, online, self‑paced short course will support you to strengthen your mentoring capability.
Mentoring in Clinical Practice is a non‑credit‑bearing short course designed to complement the Mental Health Nursing Transitional Education Program by building foundational mentoring skills for clinical settings. The course focuses on culturally informed, person‑centred mentorship and equips participants to support junior mental health nurses through effective communication, role‑modelling, and adult learning approaches aligned to contemporary practice.
What you will learn
Mentor roles and responsibilities in clinical mental health settings
- Culturally responsive, person‑centred mentoring practices
- Effective role‑modelling to support learning and practice development
- Adult learning principles and different learner styles
- Supporting clinical reasoning and decision‑making in practice
- Providing constructive feedback and managing challenging conversations
- Identifying and addressing common barriers to learning in clinical environments
This course is ideal for senior clinicians who play a key role in supporting, retaining, and developing the mental health nursing workforce.
CPD hours
This course includes approximately 4 hours of learning content designed to build your knowledge and skills in mentorship. To successfully complete the course and receive your 4 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certificate, you must achieve a minimum score of 80% in the Certificate Quiz.
Pathways for further study
For participants interested in extending their role in teaching and learning, this course provides a strong foundation for postgraduate study in clinical education, including progression to a Graduate Certificate of Clinical Education.
Further study supports clinicians to formally develop expertise in workplace learning, assessment, and supervision across health and clinical settings. For further information click here