Course Information
Date: 08/09/2026
Start Time: 10:00
Completion Time: 3 Hours
Venue: Craigavon Civic Centre, 66 Lakeview Road, Craigavon, BT64 1AL
Speakers: Mary Murnaghan
Course Description
The wellbeing of dental professionals is essential to delivering safe, effective, and compassionate patient care. Dentistry can present unique challenges, including high workloads, complex patient expectations, regulatory pressures, and the risk of professional isolation. These factors can impact mental health, job satisfaction, and clinical performance if not recognised and managed effectively.
This course is designed to support dental professionals in understanding the importance of wellbeing and developing practical strategies to maintain good mental health throughout their careers. Participants will explore the relationship between wellbeing, resilience, professionalism, and patient safety, while gaining insight into the occupational stressors commonly encountered in dental practice.
Through a combination of evidence-based learning, reflective practice, and practical exercises, participants will learn to recognise the early signs of stress, burnout, and mental ill health in themselves and their colleagues. The course will equip learners with tools to manage stress, build resilience, promote work–life balance, and adopt sustainable professional habits.
The programme also focuses on developing effective communication and peer support skills, including active listening, empathy, constructive feedback, and appropriate signposting to support services. Participants will examine their professional responsibilities in relation to colleague wellbeing and patient safety, with consideration of ethical boundaries, confidentiality, and escalation procedures.
In addition, the course explores how individuals and teams can contribute to creating positive workplace cultures that foster psychological safety, inclusivity, and openness around mental health. Learners will be encouraged to challenge stigma, build supportive professional relationships, and promote environments where wellbeing is recognised as a shared responsibility.
Course Aims
- To equip dental professionals with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to maintain personal wellbeing, support colleagues, and foster a psychologically safe and resilient working environment within dental practice.
Course Objectives
- Understand the concept of wellbeing in dentistry
- Recognise signs of stress, burnout, and mental ill health
- Identify early warning signs in themselves and colleagues.
- Understand risk factors and protective factors.
- Develop personal strategies for resilience and self-care
- Apply evidence-based techniques (e.g., stress management, reflective practice).
- Promote work–life balance and sustainable practice habits.
- Enhance communication and peer support skills
- Build supportive professional relationships.
- Practise active listening, empathy, and constructive feedback.
- Understand professional responsibilities and boundaries
- Recognise ethical obligations related to colleague wellbeing and patient safety.
- Navigate confidentiality and appropriate escalation.
- Access and utilise support systems
- Identify formal and informal support pathways (e.g., occupational health, mentoring, regulatory guidance).
- Understand referral and signposting processes.
- Promote a positive workplace culture
Learning Outcomes
After completing the course, participants will be able to:
Knowledge
- Describe key concepts of wellbeing, burnout, and resilience in dental practice.
- Explain the impact of stress and poor wellbeing on clinical performance and patient care.
- Identify organisational and individual factors influencing professional wellbeing.
Skills
- Recognise early signs of distress in themselves and colleagues.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills for providing peer support.
- Apply practical techniques for stress management and resilience building.
- Signpost colleagues appropriately to support services.
- Reflect on their own wellbeing and professional behaviours.
Attitudes / Professional Values
- Value the importance of wellbeing as integral to professionalism and patient safety.
- Demonstrate openness to discussing mental health and reducing stigma.
- Commit to fostering supportive, inclusive, and respectful working environments.
GDC Development Outcomes
- A & B
Resources
Dietary Requirements
Please advise the Dental Continuing Education Team dentalcourses.nimdta@hscni.net if you have any dietary requirements.