Abuse Recognition & Support in Healthcare

Unique Certification in Recognizing Signs of Abuse & Support from the Health Professional – OPEP-DV – Collaboration MBS & University of Tartu

This certification is offered exclusively to Psychology students of the College of Crete MBS by the University of Tartu team in Estonia, as part of the Erasmus+ OPEP-DV project, funded by the European Union.
The course material was developed by professionals and specialists from six partner organizations based in Estonia, Cyprus, Spain, and Greece, under the supervision and full guidance of Anastasia Turusinova from the University of Tartu, in collaboration with the Union of Women Associations of Heraklion.

The course has been specifically designed for physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals—such as physicians, psychologists, and mental health counselors—with the aim of helping them identify signs of domestic and intimate partner violence in their patients.

This online course consists of four modules and has an approximate duration of one month.

The modules are as follows:

Lecture I: Types of violence and their consequences. Distinction between domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV).

Lecture II: Recognizing victims in physiotherapy settings (e.g., Elder Abuse Suspicion Index, Dating Violence in Adolescents).

Lecture III: How to provide appropriate support.

Lecture IV: Clarifying key aspects of professional responses to victims of violence.

Participation in this program offers Psychology students at the College of Crete MBS a unique opportunity to obtain a specialized, EU-recognized certification (with 1 ECTS) focused on a particularly critical social issue. Through its interdisciplinary approach, international collaboration, and emphasis on practical knowledge, the course equips participants with the skills necessary to address the challenges of their professional roles in the field of mental health.

Because at the College of Crete MBS, knowledge is not confined to the classroom — It extends into the world.