On 8-11 September 2015 a mental health training session for the staff of the National Center for Human Rights, members of the NPM and the Ministry of Health of RK was held in Almaty. The training included both theory and practice and an on-site monitoring visit to a psychiatric institution. The theoretical training covered issues such as: the different types of mental disorder; assessment and treatment approaches in psychiatry; potential ill-treatment, restraint and isolation; and, legal safeguards in psychiatry and international and CPT standards. The practical aspects dealt with: planning the visit, engaging staff, selecting patients, environmental issues, material conditions and staffing, safe and effective interviewing, involuntary treatment, legal rights, consent, examining records, and reporting. All these issues were tested during the subsequent monitoring visit to a psychiatric institution.