This session summarises the EPA Guidance on prevention of mental ill health and promotion of mental well being using the development of UK policy as structure and presented within the European and global context. The promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental illness are a significant component of any clinician's clinical work load. However, often this aspect is omitted from training and service delivery due to insufficient resources and the sheer volume of clinical load. Considerable evidence confirms that prevention can significantly reduce the onset of and subsequent related burdens to mental illness, and associated personal, social and economic costs. Acute mental illness usually prevents positive mental health or wellbeing, yet similarly someone without mental illness can have poor mental health and poor well being. Prevention of mental illness relates closely to and can result from promotion of mental health and associated resilience. Prevention can be categorised in many ways and most clinicians regularly utilise secondary and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention addresses wider determinants across whole populations. Selective prevention targets groups at higher risk of developing disorder. Secondary prevention involves early detection and intervention and corresponds to indicated prevention.