"With over 19 million carers in Europe (Source: Eurocarers), their mental well being is crucial for their cared for persons, who depend heavily on carers to have an acceptable quality of life.Associations between physical and psychological health and being a caregiver are well established and therefore need our attention.MENTAP addressed therefore the core issue at stake: caregivers are at elevated risk for developing mental health disorders.Carers do face the following challenges:- Stress and worry: often feels stressed and worried, spends a lot of time thinking about their illness and the impact it is having on both of their lives. Carer may always be thinking about things they need to do as part of their role as carer, and find it hard to switch off.- Social isolation: Many people find it hard to make time to socialise or carry on with hobbies or interests. They may also feel guilty if they take time for themselves. Over time, social isolation can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.- Physical health problems: Caring can be physically demanding. If the role as carer involves lifting or carrying, they could suffer from aches and pains, particularly in your back.- Depression: The carer may find that the challenges they face while being a carer make them feel low or depressed. If they feel very frustrated or hopeless, they may also have thoughts of harming themselves or even of ending their life. They may also develop unhelpful coping strategies to dealwith these difficult feelings, such as using drugs or alcohol, or eating more or less than they need to.- Frustration and anger: They may often feel very frustrated and angry, especially if they have had to give up parts of their own life.- Low self-esteem: Being a carer can have a big impact on their self-esteem. They may feel that they are not worthy of care and attention, and that all their time should be focused on the person they care for. They may find it hard to interact socially, or feel that they are missing out on parts of having a normal life.In fact, carers often neglect their own healthcare needs and in many cases it is only a matter of time before they themselves become ill. They are at risk physically and emotionally with stress-related illnesses but it can be hard for them to admit that they are struggling. Carers are a ""critical asset"" who should be protected.MENTAP's core believe is that the psychological well-being is an important aspect for a carer in order to be able to perform their work to the highest quality (caring for people with disabilities, older people, etc.). One's psychological well-being is based on the individual's awareness of purpose andmeaning of life, the feeling for meaningful connections with other people, the awareness of self-determination and control over life, the reflections of the past and the future and the openness to own self experience, values, meanings and perspectives. Carers need assistance in this, especially asthey are prone to lack of mental well-being due to the hardships they face in their care work.Past studies (see Need analysis attached in Annex) have highlighted this mental aspect of carers, and MENTAP wants to address this by developing a dedicated curriculum, aligned with ECVET, that offers a modular training course, whereby carers can re-establish a mentally healthy lifestyle and well-being. The spillover effect of the project will be that this will also be beneficial for nurses, psychologists, etc. that are working with people with disabilities.To achieve this, MENTAP will establish following outcomes:- IO1: MENTAP curriculum and ""Train the trainers"" handbook- IO2: Coping strategies and relevant self assessment realised through interactive illustrated wizard embedded via mobile/online application- IO3: Impact and best practices methodological guidelinesThese outcomes will be developed by a team of 4 partners from 3 countries (Bulgaria, Belgium, Turkey) consisting of 1 University, 1 rehabilitation center, 1 carer consultancy body and 1 national umbrella organisation of professionals and carers of people with disabilities. All partners work closely with the carer community. The training course will be piloted in all 3 partner countries where feedback will be gathered as well as an impact assessment will be conducted."