📢 Available Free 🌱
Fill out the Expression of Interest (EOI) form to access the program.
Why the NAMAH Primer?
A free, self-paced certificate module designed by physicians, for physicians
Before You begin
This primer invites you — not as a student, but as a practitioner and a colleague — to pause, reflect, and invest in your own well-being. The content is designed for medical professionals and assumes prior clinical experience. Rather than testing knowledge, this primer helps you reflect on your current awareness, perceptions, and confidence related to physician mental health, burnout, and resilience.
Thanks
Why
Healthcare professionals work in demanding environments characterised by high responsibility, emotional intensity, time pressure, and complex decision-making. While these challenges are intrinsic to medical practice, sustained exposure without adequate support can impact professional effectiveness, personal health, and quality of patient care.
Physician well-being is increasingly recognized as a critical component of safe, compassionate, and high-quality healthcare delivery. Strengthening awareness and resilience among doctors not only supports their own health but also enhances team functioning, communication, and clinical outcomes.
Despite growing recognition of its importance, many physicians receive limited formal training in recognizing occupational stress, preventing burnout, establishing professional boundaries, and sustaining long-term career well-being. This primer is designed to address that gap.
The NAMAH ECHO Experience
This primer builds on the foundation of the NAMAH ECHO course — a live tele-mentoring certificate course that has completed five cohorts (2023–2025) with over 100 physicians across India.
Findings
These findings confirm that structured engagement with physician well-being content — even through a 12-week programme — can produce meaningful, measurable change.
This asynchronous e-learning primer is based on the core content from those cohorts, informed by the collective learning and lived experiences of participating physicians, in the spirit of “All Teach, All Learn.”
Module Objectives
Describe the foundations of physician well-being
including the multi-dimensional nature of wellness, the mechanisms of occupational burnout, and the role of resilience, purpose, and meaning in sustaining a medical career
Recognise mental health challenges that disproportionately affect physicians
including mood and anxiety disorders, substance use, the imposter phenomenon, and suicidal ideation — and identify appropriate pathways for help-seeking and peer support
Reflect on how personality traits, gender, and institutional systems shape your well-being
including the adaptive and maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism, and the structural stressors inherent in medical workplaces.
Apply practical strategies for self-regulation, thought, and time management
in clinical settings, drawing from both evidence-based psychological approaches and Indian contemplative traditions
Define your role as a leader, mentor, and physician advocate
for a culture of well-being within your team and institution
The program is organised into four lessons and sixteen topics. Each lesson can take around a one to two hours to complete, but of course you can go at your own pace–perhaps take longer on one “week’s” activities and less on the next. Each lesson includes strategies to try at work, practices to support change and deepen skills, and additional resources. After completing this primer, you will be able to:
Who This Module Is For
Practicing physicians across specialties
Residents and fellows
Early-career consultants
Medical faculty and academic clinicians
Physicians in leadership or administrative roles
Allied medical professionals in clinical roles
Healthcare administrators involved in workforce well-being
Medical educators and training supervisors
Mental health specialists seeking advanced psychotherapy training
Researchers looking for deep psychometric or epidemiological analysis
Professionals pursuing specialized certification in physician mental health
This is a primer focused on foundational understanding rather than advanced clinical intervention.
Instructional Design
| Certificate Module Name | 🩺 NAMAH Primer on Mental Health and Resilience for Physicians |
| Learning Level | Foundational – Reflective This primer assumes clinical experience but does not require prior knowledge of physician mental health. It is designed for awareness-building and personal reflection, not advanced clinical training. |
| Learning Modality | Online, self-paced asynchronous learning via the NIMHANS e-Learning platform. Each lesson is independent — you may begin with any lesson and complete topics at your own pace. Estimated engagement: 2–3 hours per lesson, across 4 lessons. |
| Course Structure | 4 Lessons | 18 Topics | 4 Quizzes | 1 Pre-module Survey | 1 Post-module Feedback 🌿 Lesson 1: Physician Wellness, Burnout, and Resilience (4 Topics) 🧠 Lesson 2: Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Physicians (5 Topics) 🏛️ Lesson 3: Personality, Systemic Stressors, and Support Structures (4 Topics) 🌱 Lesson 4: Self-Regulation, Positive Practices, and Spiritual Well-Being (5 Topics) |
| Pedagogical Approach | Content is organised around three learning modes per topic: Evidence and Awareness — research summaries, case illustrations, infographics, and mindmaps grounded in Indian and international studies Reflection — structured journaling prompts, self-assessments (including the validated BFI-10 Personality Inventory), and scenario-based exercises Practice — skills-based strategies and guided practices drawing from both cognitive-behavioural approaches and Indian contemplative traditions (yoga, pranayama, Nishkama Karma) The spirit of “All Teach, All Learn” — the guiding principle of the NAMAH ECHO programme — informs this primer. Learners are invited as practitioners and colleagues, not merely as students. |
| Design | Developed by the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM) and Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN), NIMHANS, Bengaluru, in collaboration with the NAMAH ECHO Faculty and Alumni Network. Content is informed by five cohorts of the live NAMAH ECHO tele-mentoring programme (2023–2025), with over 150 participating physicians across India. Programme evaluation published in Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine (Parate et al., 2024). |
| Duration of Access | Two months from date of enrolment |
| Professional Development Certificate | On completion of all lesson quizzes with a score of ≥80%, an e-Certificate of Achievement with score is available for download. Three attempts are available for each quiz. The quizzes assess applied understanding through scenario-based and reflective questions, not rote recall. A Letter of Completion for each individual lesson is also available upon passing the respective lesson quiz. |
| Suggested Citation | NIMHANS eLearning, Centre for Addiction Medicine & Virtual Knowledge Network, NIMHANS. NAMAH Primer on Mental Health and Resilience for Physicians. Bengaluru, India. Available from: https://nimhanselearning.org/courses/namah-primer-on-mental-health-and-resilience-for-physicians/ |
| Copyright Information | This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for non-commercial purposes only. © 2025 by Virtual Knowledge Network, Centre for Addiction Medicine & NIMHANS Digital Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
| First Edition | January 2026 (Expert Review / Beta Testing Version) |
| Funding and Support | This programme is supported by an independent educational grant from Mylan Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. – A Viatris Company (2024–26). The funder had no role in content development, editorial decisions, or module design. All content reflects the independent academic judgment of the NIMHANS faculty team. |
| Connect with Us | vk*@********ns.in |
| FAQs | 1. Is this an accredited course? This is a professional development certification module from the Centre for Addiction Medicine & NIMHANS Digital Academy and is NOT a formally accredited academic course. 2. How do I get the Certificate of Completion? Complete all lesson quizzes with a score of ≥80%. Three attempts are available for each quiz. Download the e-Certificate of Achievement after successfully completing all requirements. 3. Can I get a letter for completing individual lessons? Yes. Complete the respective lesson quiz with a score of ≥80% (three attempts available) and download the Letter of Completion immediately. 4. Do I need to complete lessons in order? No. Each lesson is independent. You may begin with any lesson that interests you most. 5. I am a mental health professional — is this module relevant to me? This primer is foundational in scope and primarily addresses physicians without specialist mental health training. Mental health professionals may find it useful as a peer-support orientation or team training resource, but it is not designed for advanced clinical training in physician mental health. |
| Team | Primary Audience: Practicing physicians across all specialities, Residents and Medical Fellows Early-career consultants Medical faculty and academic clinicians Physicians in leadership or administrative roles Also Valuable For: Dentists and allied medical professionals in clinical roles Health care administrators involved in workforce well-being Medical educators and training supervisors Note: This primer is not intended as advanced psychotherapy training or specialist certification in physician mental health. |
Generative AI tools were used in the preparation of this content. All materials have been reviewed and validated by subject matter experts before inclusion.
Letter of Completion for each lesson and Certificate for complete module
What Comes Next? Staying Connected
Completing this primer is a beginning, not an end. The NAMAH ecosystem offers continued opportunities for growth:
- Discussion Forum: Share reflections and learn from peers — the spirit of “All Teach, All Learn” continues here.
- Physician Support Network: Connect with NAMAH ECHO accredited peer supporters for confidential guidance.
- Self-Assessment Tools: Continue monitoring your well-being with validated screening instruments.
This program is supported by an independent education grant from Mylan Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. – A Viatris Company (2024-26)
You may like to visit the NAMAH NIMHANS website https://www.namahnimhans.in/ to explore additional resources and join the peer discussion forum https://www.namahnimhans.in/discuss. The discussion space is open to all.
This is a wonderfully designed course with insightful cases and some of the best resources. The content is well spaced and can be completed at your own pace. We as doctors many times have this aura of invincibility and ignore the small nagging issues which can build up to burnout and depression. Knowing that many of us face similar problems and sharing them can build a community support which is invaluable.
This is simply a great course for doctors and other health professionals to understand the causes and treatment, self-treatment and prevention using resilience-based frameworks of physician mental health issues. The course is carefully created with different kinds of activities and fun quizzes. The ambient music is cherry on the top. I recommend every do tor to pursue the case to get insights about oneself and fellow friends collegues to help each other.
Congratulations to team NAMAH.
This initiative to begin the conversation on doctors mental health, it’s relevance in the present time and how to deal with the issues is an extremely commendable and well thought project. The course module is very beautifully organised in appropriate order of topics arranged methodically in order of importance. The subject matter is well thought and is prepared in easily understandable way. The videos are very informative and to the point. My heartfelt gratitude to the team NAMAH for giving me this opportunity of reviewing the primer. Hope this initiative makes discussion on doctors mental health a mainstream topic of discussion in our profession and finds place in routine academic courses as well. This is the need of the hour. A doctor caring for another doctor is the utmost kind gesture we can show one another. Changing our professional perspective from competition towards each other to a compassionate and collaborated profession would be the best message we can give to our future generations who can choose this profession with dignity and courage.
My best wishes and congratulations to NAMAH team for future endeavours.👍
Bhagya DV
Paediatric Anesthesiologist
Indira Gandhi institute of child health, Bengaluru
Email : dv*********@***il.com
Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhagya-dv-80909a127
The NAMAH primer is thoughtful and practical introduction to physician wellness. It highlights the importance of self-care and emotional balance in medical practice. The concepts are simple, relatable, and easy to apply in daily professional life. It encourages doctors to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their purpose. A valuable initiative that supports the mental well-being of the medical community. Heartfelt appreciation to the NAMAH team for thoughtfully creating a platform that supports the well-being of doctors. Overall, the primer is inspiring and reminds us that caring for ourselves is as important as caring for our patients.
-Dr Manan Desai (MBBS, MD Psychiatry, PGDMLE)
Founder & Director, Mind Musing, Valsad city, Gujarat
Website: http://www.mindmusing.in
You must log in and have started this module to submit a review.
The transformation of NAMAH from ECHO to Primer has been a thoughtful and effortful move. This is a unique program on physician wellness, mental health and burnout, and its learnings can be applied to increase self-awareness and self-compassion, support colleagues, and teach residents and students. The content is well-contextualised for the Indian setting, and contains ample relatable case scenarios and practical solutions which can be applied in day-to-day life. Its self-paced nature and reflection prompts allow for deeper and sustained learning. Multiple teaching-learning modalities have been incorporated efficiently in this Primer, and the interface is smooth and user-friendly. Resource materials and video links can help beyond the timeline of the Primer. The anonymous reflections of fellow physicians helps build a sense of a community even without it being a live program. Overall, it is thought-provoking, insightful and holds potential to be deeply transformative. Of the limited time that physicians have, I recommend this Primer as a worthwhile investment.
Gratitude, best wishes, and regards to team NAMAH.
-Dr. Aditi Mohta
MD Community Medicine