Throughout the learning process you will be awarded a Digital Open Badge for completing each unit. These are internationally recognised by many employers and educational institutions and will allow you to display your study achievements, even if you only wish to complete a specific unit.

Upon finishing the course, you will be issued an E-Certificate featuring all earned badges and stating that you have completed the full course, so that you can add it to your CV or education portfolio.

If you're interested in exploring what else University of Derby Online Learning has to offer, browse our online courses.

An accredited provider of the CPD Standards Office

We are proud to be an accredited provider of the CPD Standards Office for our online short courses and free courses, demonstrating that they conform to CPD best practice and are appropriate for inclusion in a formal CPD record.

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Course units

The course is made up of 4 units, each will require approximately 5 hours of study.

Within the first unit you will explore definitions of depression from both a theoretical and practical context. This will involve understanding how depression presents in everyday life. We will also raise the awareness of potential influences of depression, and explore the ways stigma and misconceptions can influence those with depression.

During the second unit you will look at depression from a diagnostic perspective to consider the complexities of the diagnostic process. This will help you to understand how a doctor makes sense of the symptoms and recognise that depression is not always the only condition that a person may be experiencing.

Unit 3 focuses on how behaviour impacts depression and specific activities that can impact on mood. You will be able to evidence behaviour change by exploring the impact of laughter, exercise, singing, mindfulness and interaction with animals on depression.

In the final unit you will learn how to identify negative thoughts and understand unhelpful thinking styles within depression. You will have the opportunity to practice some strategies to address negative thoughts and explore the nature of our evolutionary mind.