Annual Mental Health Mini Conference
Seeing and responding to the needs of infants and children: Opportunities for the adult mental health system.
21st Annual Mental Health Mini Conference: Finding Their Voice.
Our 21st Mini Conference will explore through trialogue, the challenges and opportunities for adult mental health services in including the children of consumers as part of family-inclusive practice.
| Date | Tuesday 10 October 2023 |
| Delivery | Livestream |
| Time | 9:30am – 1:30pm |
| Cost | Free |
Conference Details
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system highlighted a significant gap in mental health care for infants and children across the state, especially in the context of parent mental illness.
Despite efforts to address this issue, the mental health and wellbeing system continues to struggle to meet the needs of children within these families.
The Bouverie Centre is leading a renewed focus on the inclusion of infant and child presence within family, systemic, contextual interventions. Beyond the youngest being the most vulnerable within family systems, they bring extraordinary capacity to remind the family of its own resources, and to renew motivation for care and nurture.
In this, Bouverie’s 21st Mini-Conference, we turn our ear to the confronting, quiet, sensitive, important, and often missing voices of young people within our mental health system. We examine the problem and look to solutions for the systematic and safe inclusion of young voices in family healing.
Presentations include:
| Title | Speaker |
|---|---|
| Initiating the Dialogue between Infant Mental Health and Family Therapy: A Qualitative Inquiry. | Dr. Jessica Opie, Research Fellow at The Bouverie Centre. |
| Child Inclusive Methods: Inspiration and Evidence from Parallel Fields. | Jenn McIntosh (PhD, AM), Inaugural Professor of Systemic Practice and Family Therapy at The Bouverie Centre. |
| Transition to Parenthood for Parents with Pre-existing Mental Health Challenges: Engaging Parents around Their Hopes and Dreams. | Hanna Jewell, Social Worker, Family Therapist, and Statewide FaPMI Coordinator. |
Relevant Audience
Family members and carers supporting people with mental health concerns; mental health practitioners and managers, policy makers, and researchers working in the field.