Our Duty of Care for TV Productions is the UK’s first course for mental health professionals (MHP’s) who wish to work in TV production. The course will equip you with the knowledge to safely undertake this role, delivered by a highly experienced team of clinicians and industry professionals.
The programme is a blended learning course, requiring one Friday to Sunday weekend of classroom learning and one evening per month online learning for 6 months of the year. Classroom sessions will take place in Leeds. For those based a considerable distance away, there is an option to join these sessions via Zoom.
There will be guest lectures from industry professionals in addition to your core training, these are not compulsory but it is recommended that you attend. Throughout the duration of your course, you will be offered mentoring and guidance for work that you undertake in the TV industry, this will not be considered as clinical supervision.
YAFTA’s Duty of Care Diploma is validated by the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) service to award 120 CPD points upon completion.
“This is one of the best, most fulfilling training courses that I have ever participated in. It is not just an essential training for MHPs entering the industry but an incredibly enjoyable one too. Charlotte is very generous in sharing her wealth of experience and knowledge in the field. The course equips you with very practical skills as well as knowledge and insight regarding the specifics of how the industry work.
Charlotte’s experience and skills in this field are second to none. The depth of her knowledge, expertise, and passion for the subject matter is clear as well as the evidently strong ethical standards she upholds and strives to embed in the industry.
The delivery of the course is excellent. The sessions are very well-paced, interactive, and thoughtfully structured, ensuring that complex topics and practice issues are presented in a clear and accessible way. The sessions are rich and detailed. Crucially, they are very much grounded in the practical aspects of this work. The variety of activities, discussions, and real-world examples are superb and help to reinforce learning. I feel like I am learning best practice and developing fundamental skills and knowledge from the most credible and robust professional in this niche area.
The quality and variety of guest speakers is also excellent. Each guest speaker has been from a slightly different area or field of expertise and each has been very generous with their insight, perspectives and professional experiences.
I feel like this diploma is essential for anyone undertaking work in the field, whether a total newbie or with some experience under their belt. Charlotte walks through the various elements of working in tv and media as a MHP, with exceptional detail. I feel like I am learning to develop the best habits and excellent standards of safe, thorough and psychologically-informed practice from a genuinely credible expert in the field . Charlotte provides lots of practical examples which have been extremely helpful to learn from. She is a very clear and effective communicator and teacher and has such a lovely warmth in her style of interaction and delivery. This course has already made me a better practitioner in my ‘day job’. I feel so much more confident already about venturing into this complex field of work and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone considering it. It feels inconceivable to embark on work of this nature without the very thorough, practical knowledge, skills and experience that this course provides.”
April 2026 Duty of Care Diploma Graduate. Educational Psychologist (CPsychol, HCPC).
Through this blended learning, Duty of Care for TV Productions Diploma course, you will not only learn about various TV programming formats and how to assess specifically for these formats, you will also learn about the pace and expectations of working in this sector to ensure that you are prepared and as protected as you can be when you start working in the industry.
Working as a duty of care mental health professional is a complex role which requires knowledge of the TV production process, the risk inherent in each genre of TV production, how to conduct risk assessment for each genre and the unique risks for the contributor and you as the clinician.
In addition to your classroom and online sessions with Dr Charlotte and her team of psychologists and psychiatrists who have worked on productions through her clinic you will have guest lectures from industry professionals such as directors, TV contributors themselves, heads of welfare, and casting executives. This will help you to learn about your role from the perspective of those that you will be working for, as well as from other mental health professionals. It also gives you the opportunity to build relationships with those that will be hiring you in the future.
“There can be a perception that it’s easy to transfer skills from a mental health setting into the media but I found that there is a lot more to it that I expected. The pace is very different to working in the NHS which brings its own challenges. What constitutes ‘risk’ or ‘care’ in TV is very different from our understanding of these terms in the NHS. Given the responsibility for you as a clinician and the potential risk to your own registration, it is prudent to learn about the environment before working clinically in it. This course provides the opportunity for professionals to learn about working this fast paced sector, from a very experienced team.”
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist (GMC, RCPsych)
Dr Charlotte has been a member of the British Psychological Society Media Ethics Advisory Group for 6 years and has been involved in helping to develop best practice guidelines for those working the sector.
Dr Charlotte Armitage is an experienced duty of care mental health professional. She has been the duty of care mental health professional, responsible for conducting psychological risk assessment and sign off, onset support, aftercare and consultancy on productions for all major broadcasters.
Dr Charlotte has managed the duty of care on a range of programming formats including reality TV, game shows, scripted, podcast, true crime, documentary and journalistic pieces, working with a range of contributors.
Productions that Dr Charlotte has worked on include: Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Celebrity Ex in the City, Deal or No Deal, Genius Game, Foot Fixer, Heartstopper, Hollyoaks, Celebs go Dating, The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE), Made in Chelsea, Mucky Mansion, Kill List, The Girlfriends and a plethora of true crime podcast and documentaries.
Dr Mo Qadri (GMS, RCPsych): Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. Dr Qadri currently is a consultant in NHS inpatient forensic services and has worked as a MHP for The Media Clinic on productions such Naked Attraction and Models on Sky1. Dr Qadri will be lecturing on using psychodynamic formulation in clinical assessment for TV contributors.
Dr Justyna Suchostawska (HCPC): Counselling Psychologist. Dr Suchostawaska has worked as a MHP for The Media Clinic on productions including Deal or No Deal, Celebs Go Dating and Big Brother.
Our Guest Lecturers are professionals from the TV industry. They will be bringing their expertise of working in the industry, of working with MHP’s and of what they are looking for when they work with MHP’s. Course attendees will have the opportunity to network and provide CV’s to guest lecturers, many of whom are responsible for hiring mental health professionals for TV productions.
Managing Director of HoneyBird Studios. Lisa was Senior Vice President Non-Scripted Television at eOne UK and the Managing Director of successful independent production company Whizz Kid Entertainment. An experienced and trusted industry executive, she co-devised, launched and Executive Produced the huge international reality hit ‘Ex on the Beach’ and ‘Celebrity Ex on the Beach’ for MTV International. Lisa is the consultant welfare executive for Dating Naked UK and Blue Therapy on Netflix.
Ali was the winner of Big Brother UK 2024 and is also a Forensic Psychologist. Ali will be discussing her experience of being a TV contributor and of the welfare support she received.
Martha was a contributor for Big Brother 2024. Martha will be discussing her experience of leaving the Big Brother house, dealing with social media and returning to normal life.
Casting and Welfare Producer for The Voice and Naked Attraction. Sophie will be discussing the casting and welfare process from the perspective of an individual working for the production.
Sophie Robinson is a highly talented, BAFTA and EMMY-winning director who has made groundbreaking productions which include My Beautiful Broken Brain and Surgeons Cut: Living Donor for Netflix and My Dead Body and Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal for Channel 4. Sophie has extensive experience working with vulnerable contributors and will be sharing her expertise on the psychological support required in making these kinds of productions, as well as the risks and responsibilities involved in producing documentaries of this nature.
Joe worked on Jeremy Kyle until its cancellation. Joe will be discussing his distressing experience of dealing with a contributor suicide, the pressure he felt working on the production, the lack of welfare and how it led to the catastrophic events that followed. Joe will be talking about his friend and colleague who worked on the show, who sadly took her own life following the contributor death. Joe’s insights will give students an understanding of what happens behind the camera, what those in production deal with and the ruthless elements of the industry. Since working on Jeremy Kyle, Joe has worked in casting and welfare for a number of productions including Starstuck, Naked Attraction, I Kissed a Boy, Love Triangle and many true crime productions. Joe has a wealth of experience of working with a variety of contributors, that he will be sharing with our students.
Derek Drennan is Managing Director of Nest Productions and Honeybird Studios, with nearly two decades of senior experience across drama, entertainment, factual, kids, and reality television.
Over the past 20 years, he has worked in senior production and executive roles, partnering with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Paramount+ and dozens of acclaimed indies to deliver standout programming. Some of Nests credits include Sophie Morgan’s Fight To Fly (Channel 4), Hillsong (BBC Storyville), and Amy Winehouse & Me: Dionne’s Story (Paramount+) among many others.
Derek is recognised as much for building businesses as for making programmes. Through Nest, he has supported more than 350 independent production companies, from ambitious start-ups to established labels, providing the infrastructure, commercial pathways and strategic oversight that enable creatives to focus on content while their businesses scale with confidence.
In an industry defined by constant change, Derek brings experience, trust and clarity, helping independent producers not just survive but thrive.
Kieren is now the Safeguarding Advisor and Deputy DSL at the BBC. Within this role Kieren is responsible for training Productions, Crew, Chaperones and On-Screen Talent, in Safeguarding; as well as visiting productions, sets and live events to ensure the BBC safeguarding standards are being met. Kieren has trained a number of people including the presenters on BBC Children in Need, as well as professionals across the business.
Jordan was the winner of Big Brother 2023 and has since gone on to a career in influencing. Jordan will be speaking about his experience of being on a reality TV show, of adjusting back into the real world following a stint on reality TV and his experience of parasocial relationships.
This course is suitable for registered mental health professionals who are seeking to pursue a career as a duty of care mental health professional. Professionals should hold registrations with the General Medical Council (GMC), Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or any other Professional Standards Authority (PSA) governed body.
The course will be suitable for those who are currently training with a view to working in the sector as a mental health professional but it is not possible to work as a duty of care mental health professional without registration with one of the governing bodies listed above.
The next course will start in October 2026.
Attendance: Students will be required to attend one Friday to Sunday weekend (classroom or online) and one evening per month (online) for 6 months. The classroom based elements of the course will be delivered in Leeds, however students who are unable to attend in person can join via Zoom.
Students will be required to attend one evening session per month- Online
Coursework: One piece of coursework per month.
Mentoring: Offered throughout the course.
Finance Options available
Pay in instalments with Klarna and Kandoo
There are a limited number of places on this course. Please complete your application form using the link below. We will assess your application form and if you are offered a place on the course you will be sent an offer letter with further instructions of how to register and enrol on the programme.
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