Mental health assessment, stigma and effective communication, screening tools, roles and functions of the multidisciplinary team, motivational interviewing, prevention of professional burnout and secondary traumatization, knowledge on these and other important issues was deepened, and practical skills related to mental health were improved among fifteen specialists working in the criminal justice system of Georgia during a three-day training in Tbilisi on February 19-21. Professionals engaged in theoretical and practical exercises, equipping them with the necessary tools to better serve the mental health needs of individuals within the system.

The three-day programme was developed based on the publication - "Practical Guidebook on the Pressing Issues of Mental Health", prepared by two Georgian national experts of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe. In addition to psychologists and social workers from the Special Penitentiary Service, National Agency for Crime Prevention, Execution of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation, and the Juvenile Referral Center, two representatives of the Training Centre  of Justice attended the training. In the future, it is planned to introduce a training curriculum at the Training Center of Justice of Georgia for the training of additional groups of specialists.

The training was conducted within the framework of the Pompidou Group component of the Council of Europe project - " Support to Penitentiary System Reforms in Georgia".