International conference: “Client in the centre”
An International conference about community-based mental health care will take place in Hotel Westin, Zagreb, on 9 and 10 March 2017, under the title "Client in the center".
The conference offers an opportunity to share knowledge and learn about community-based mental health care: what are the principles, how can you organize it, what are the experiences of different countries? It will give the opportunity to exchange information, to connect with other countries and get ideas for innovation and progress.
In modern mental health care the focus is on recovery. Many countries all-over the world have built, or are building, a community based system to address the needs of the clients. People with mental health problems seeking for help are always in need of several things. They are not only patients, but human beings with wishes and possibilities. Recovery means that a person can use his own skills (again), and that symptoms of a mental disorder or challenge are not hindering. To use ones skills, it is necessary to do that in the community. It is important to be connected to the own surrounding, own family and friends, own social environment. Isolation and exclusion will not help to recover. The starting point of mental health care should be close to where people live and where people want to be successful. Organizing, and working with, community based mental health care teams can be a state of the art answer to the needs of people with (severe) mental health problems.
Domestic and foreign experts by training, as well as experts by experience (peer support), will hold lectures on the conference, of which we highlight just a few. Ivan Frković will present experience from Aftercare Australia, countries longest serving mental health organization, supporting people with mental health issues to lead fulfilling, independent lives. On the problem of stigmatization of people with psychosocial challenges, the lecture will be held by prominent psychologist, university professor and former Director of the Division of Mental Health of WHO dr.Norman Sartorius. Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Verona and Principal Investigator for the Verona site in the COFI project, which aims to reduce hospitalizations and costs of care, as well as to improve the experience and security of persons with psychosocial challenges, prof. Mirella Ruggeri, will speak about Italian experience.
The second part of both days is scheduled for parallel workshops on themes: stigma, creating an umbrella psychosocial organization in Croatia, integrated care, recovery, community involvement, post-care and position of different disciplines and services (previous appliance for the workshops is mandatory, and available here).
Conference will open with a performance S druge strane ogledala by Ludruga, which will represent the popular method of psychodrama Forum Theater.
Notice: English is the official language of the conference!
Details on the conference can be found here: https://mentalhealthcroatia2017.wordpress.com