International Mental Health Law, Policy & Rights-Based Services 2026-27 at CMHLP, Indian Law Society, Pune [Certificate Course and Postgraduate Diploma; Online + Residential]

The International Mental Health Law, Policy & Rights-Based Services programme was launched in 2008 by the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy (CMHLP), Indian Law Society, Pune, and equips professionals to influence mental health law, policy, research and practice across diverse contexts. It was formerly known as the International Diploma in Mental Health, Human Rights & Law, and has built a global community of 172 graduates from 67 countries across 17 cohorts.

The programme is grounded in the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and explores their application to mental health legislation, policy, services and practice. Centred on the values of social justice, inclusion and systemic transformation, it is designed to equip participants to drive meaningful social change for people with psychosocial disabilities.

The Certificate and the Postgraduate Diploma are awarded by the Indian Law Society, an autonomous institution established in 1923 for furthering legal education and registered as a not-for-profit charity under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950. Applications for the 2026-27 cohort are open.

This year the programme has been reimagined to offer two distinct learning pathways. Both are grounded in the UNCRPD and provide a rights-based understanding of mental health law, policy and services; the Postgraduate Diploma adds advanced study and practical application.

• Pathway 1 – Certificate Course: a standalone foundational programme for professionals, including people with lived experience and caregivers, introducing rights-based approaches to mental health through a 12-week series of online lectures led by global experts.
• Pathway 2 – Postgraduate Diploma: an advanced programme for those seeking in-depth knowledge and practical skills. Building on the same 12-week online lectures, Diploma participants attend an in-person residential session in Pune and develop practical skills through peer learning, assignments, a final project and mentorship from experts.

The Certificate Course forms the foundational component of the Diploma pathway. Participants who complete the Certificate and later progress to the Postgraduate Diploma will not need to repeat the Certificate curriculum and will continue directly into the advanced components.

Across both pathways the programme addresses mental health law, policy, services and the social determinants of mental health, and their interplay with human rights. It is delivered across five thematic areas.

• Foundations of Mental Health and Law: key issues in mental health; gaps in mental health treatment and access to care; key legal concepts and systems relevant to mental health.
• Human Rights and Mental Health: international human rights frameworks including the UNCRPD; key rights-based concepts including legal capacity, consent to treatment, autonomy and coercion.
• Policy and Planning: mental health policies, legislation and legal frameworks; mental health systems and service organisation; tools to develop, reform, implement and advocate for rights-based mental health policies and systems.
• Rights-based Services: rights-based service delivery; deinstitutionalisation and community-based mental health services; inclusion, independence and guardianship.
• Specialised Areas: mental health of children and young people (including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child); gender and sexuality; humanitarian emergencies; mental health and criminal justice.

The Certificate Course is a 12-week online programme comprising weekly lectures, quizzes and reading materials. The Postgraduate Diploma builds on the Certificate curriculum and includes advanced coursework, supervision, assessments and a residential programme in Pune.

• Online lectures: 12-week series of expert lectures and quizzes (Certificate Course component).
• Residential sessions: in-depth lectures, case discussions and applied learning in Pune, India.
• Self-study phase: graded monthly assignments and reading materials.
• Final project: a project proposal or critical essay under faculty supervision, followed by an online viva voce examination on completion.
• Advocacy workshop: an online workshop on rights-based advocacy.

Diploma assessment is weighted 60 per cent to five monthly assignments, each covering one thematic area, and 40 per cent to the final project (one project proposal or critical essay). Successful graduates receive a certificate, mark sheet and academic transcript. A Diploma (Pass) is awarded for an overall score of 50 to 74 per cent and a Diploma (Distinction) for 75 per cent or above.

Certificate Course participants will grasp the foundational concepts in mental health, human rights, law, policy and rights-based services; understand how the UNCRPD and other international instruments apply to people with psychosocial disabilities; and understand how to apply rights-based approaches in their own work on mental health.

Postgraduate Diploma participants will, in addition, critically engage with and appreciate the central role of the international human rights framework as it relates to people with psychosocial disabilities; develop the ability to draft, adopt and enact rights-based mental health legislation, policy and services; develop the skills to monitor the implementation of mental health legislation, policy and services; and develop the skills to advocate for the protection and promotion of the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities.

• Early- and mid-career professionals working in mental health, law, human rights, policy, research, advocacy and service delivery.
• Persons with lived experience of psychosocial disabilities, and family members and caregivers interested in advancing rights-based mental health.
• The Certificate Course is designed for participants seeking a foundational understanding of mental health law, policy, human rights and rights-based services, and is open to all.
• The Postgraduate Diploma is intended for those who wish to develop advanced knowledge and practical skills. Diploma applicants are typically expected to hold a graduate degree from a recognised university. Relevant disciplines include, but are not limited to, law, medicine, psychiatry, nursing, psychology, social work, social sciences and natural sciences.
• Applications from persons with psychosocial disabilities and family members or caregivers are strongly encouraged. For these applicants, a graduate degree from a recognised university in any discipline is sufficient.

Applications will be assessed on the applicant’s educational and professional background, the statement of purpose, and the potential to contribute to rights-based mental health law, policy, services and advocacy.

Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities within their own contexts. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted regarding the next steps.

Separate fee structures apply to the Certificate Course and the Postgraduate Diploma, based on the applicant’s country of residence. All fees are exclusive of 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax. Country income classifications follow the World Bank’s current income classification, and applicants are asked to check the income status of their country before paying.

• Indian residents: INR 28,500 (Certificate Course) / INR 1,42,500 (Postgraduate Diploma).
• Lower-Middle Income Country residents: USD 300 / USD 1,500.
• Upper-Middle Income Country residents: USD 600 / USD 3,000.
• High-Income Country residents: USD 1,000 / USD 5,000.

The Certificate Course fee covers access to online lectures, the online learning platform and course materials. The Postgraduate Diploma fee covers the Certificate Course in addition to the advanced residential learning sessions in Pune, accommodation and daily breakfast during the residential programme, lunch on all residential teaching days, and expert supervision and mentorship for the final project. The programme is offered by the Indian Law Society on a not-for-profit, self-funded basis, and fees support faculty honoraria, travel, accommodation, learning materials, online platforms and programme administration.

Applications for the 2026-27 cohort are submitted through the official Google application form linked below. The form runs to seven pages and CMHLP advises that it takes approximately an hour to complete, since several questions call for careful reflection; applicants are encouraged to prepare their responses in advance. A Google account sign-in is required because the form accepts file uploads.

The last date to apply is 30 September 2026. After submission, applicants should wait for further communication from the course team, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Beyond the dated stages listed below, Postgraduate Diploma participants complete monthly assignments and develop their final project between April and September 2027, with the online viva voce examination held in October 2027. Queries may be sent to learn@cmhlp.org.