CCMH
Conferences
Irish mental health in Birmingham : what is appropriate and culturally-competent primary care?
Report Launch Friday 27th June 2008
In June 2008 a significant report about the mental health of the Irish people in Birmingham was launched by the Centre for Community Mental Health. This report was developed by a unique partnership between the Centre, Birmingham Irish Welfare and Information Centre; Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust; a GP practice at Balsall Heath Health Centre; Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy; and the Federation of Irish Societies.
Message of Support from Liam Byrne MP
The executive summary and full report from this project are now available to download or purchase from our Publications Page.
Recovery-Based Working with Voice Hearers
Friday 9th May 2008
Recovery Based Working with Voice Hearers is a module offered at Birmingham City University . It is the only module of its kind in the UK . It is based on the pioneering work of Marius Romme and Sandra Escher, who have championed a recovery model for the way we care for people who experience auditory hallucinations.
Previous and current students from this module were invited to participate in small focus group discussions to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the approach in practice, and the opportunities and barriers that they have faced in being able to implement the work of Romme and Escher into their workplace. The afternoon session was opened up to a wider audience to enjoy a series of presentations and an opportunity to discuss the concept of hearing voices in more depth.
A report on the research will be published in Autumn 2008.
Presentations:
Where are we now & why is this research necessary? Jim Chapman
Evidence based practice and practice based evidence Mervyn Morris
Recovery with voices outside psychiatry Sandra Escher and Marius Romme
Crisis Resolution/Home Treatment Conference
Thursday 31 st January Friday 1 st February 2008
The Centre for Community Mental Health and CSIP (Care Services Improvement Partnership) West Midlands presented a 2 day conference at Birmingham City University . Day One focused on themes raised in a recently published National Audit Office (NAO) report Home Treatment: Process, Themes and Recommendations . Day two incorporated the CSIP regional network meeting and focused on interventions and therapies used in a crisis' setting.
Presentations:
Crisis and Home Treatment Teams - Tom Dodd
Management & Leadership in Crisis Resolution Teams: Research outcomes John Alban-Metcalfe
National Audit Office Study of Home Treatment: Process, themes & recommendations Frazer Clark
Open Dialogue: Systemic community crisis work for psychotic and other severe problems Jaakko Seikkula
Crisis Houses & First Episode Psychosis: Where does Soteria fit in? Philip Thomas
Family Work and Home Treatment Martin Atchison
Solution-focussed Approaches & Cognitive Behavioural Approaches Chris Fieldhouse
Soteria Network: Open meeting - Thursday 19th July 2007
A meeting to discuss progress and the way forward for Soteria Network
"Being Understood, Being Respected" ~ Wednesday 28th February 2007
The findings of a three-year study into the mental health service provision in Birmingham for members of the Black African and Black African-Caribbean communities was presented at a conference at The Drum in Newtown on Wednesday 28th February 2007.
The Centre for Community Mental Health led on the project, assisted by AFCAR, an African and African Caribbean voluntary sector provider. The project was funded by the Department of Health and the conference was sponsored by the Adult & Communities Directorate at Birmingham City Council and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust.
The conference was attended by representatives from the Department of Health, Birmingham City University, AFCAR, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Trust as well as local service users, carers, voluntary and statutory organisations
Please click on the links below for more information:
Press Release
Conference Programme
Biographies
Presentations: Surinder Sharma, Department of Health
We hope to have the remaining presentations available soon.
Summary and Full Report are available on Publications page
"Broadening our Horizons" ~ Friday 2nd February 2007
CCMH recently hosted a conference that brought together ideas and expertise from mental health service users, practitioners and researchers from across Europe.
The one-day conference, held at Birmingham City University Westbourne Campus, saw representatives from five partner countries gather to share ideas, experience and innovation in a bid to facilitate communication and ultimately improve service levels of mental health service provision across Europe.
The conference was part of an EU project, 'Experienced Involvement', that CCMH is involved in, which collaborates with people who use services to create work opportunities and develop new ways of providing services. The focus is on inclusive approaches, breaking down barriers between service users, families and friends, carers and professionals.
The opening address was be made by Benedetto Saraceno, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Misuse from the World Health Organisation, followed by presentations and workshops led by experts in the field including Thomas Bock MD, Dr Harrie V Haaster and Laila Gentzel.
Issues explored included current EU projects that are putting ideas into action: including user based research; user involvement in education; training with voice hearers; empowerment and advocacy; and users as service providers.
Please click on the links below for more information:
Podcasts
Conference Poster
Press Release
Conference Programme
Conference Workshops:
Workshop Summaries
1. Empowerment for Everyone!
2. Approaches to Recovery
Presentations:
Trialog Seminar
Opening Address by Dr Saraceno
Ex-In
We hope to have the remaining workshop presentations available soon.
'Alternatives - What Alternatives?' Soteria Network ~ 22nd July 2005 - please go to Soteria Network page
'What Doctors May Not Tell You About Psychiatric Drugs' ~ Grace E. Jackson, MD ~ 9th June 2004
Dr Jackson's presentation aimed to raise awareness of the short and long term effects of common psychiatric drugs when used with children and adults. She directly addressed concerns about the safety of these medications, by providing an understanding of how the brain works, and how it responds and adapts to drug treatment.
Lecture Transcript
Press Release
'The Myth of Mental Illness' ~ Thomas Szasz MD ~ 7th December 2003
Szasz's presentation raised the question "Is there such a thing as mental illness?" and to argue that there is not. Mental illness is not literally a "thing", or physical object, and hence it can "exist" only in the same sort of way in which other theoretical concepts exist. Yet, familiar theories are in the habit of posing, sooner or later, at least to those who come to believe in them, as "objective truths" (or "facts"). During certain historical periods, explanatory conceptions such as deities, witches, and microorganisms appeared not only as theories but as self-evident causes of a vast number of events.
Szasz believes
that today mental illness is widely regarded in a somewhat similar fashion, that is, as the cause of innumerable diverse happenings. What is meant when it is asserted that someone is mentally ill? The notion of mental illness has outlived whatever usefulness it might have had and that it now functions merely as a convenient myth. (Szasz, The Myth of Mental Illness)
Lecture Transcript