The IMHCN is an International Non Governmental Organisation founded by Mental Health Organisations and individuals who have developed good practices and services in community mental health based on the whole life whole system approach.
Our membership consists of professionals, managers, service users and experts of experience, family members, policy makers from many countries.
The IMHCN was established in 1994 and is now a not for profit company, registered as a UK charity
For more information about IMHCN go here
If you would like to join us go here
Find out more about the conference and to book your place here
IMHCN International Mental Health Learning, Development and Training School
The International Mental Health Learning, Development and Training School aims to address the need and help to transform mental health services and practices across the world.
The aims and objectives of the School are to:
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- Assist Mental Health providers in the transformation of their services and practices
- To help organisations to develop a Whole Person, Whole Life-Whole System Strategy
- To increase the knowledge of mental health workers in the social determinants of mental health
- To introduce recovery and discovery tools and instruments
We will be running regular webinars in partnership with OnlineEvents, you can see our programme here.
Find out more about the International School here.
NEW Webinar Programme for Autumn/Winter 2022
Clarissa Corradi-Webster (Brazil), Rossana Maria Seabra Sade (Brazil), Jan Pfeifer (Czechia), John Jenkins (UK)
Friday, 7 October 2022, 14:00 – 16:00 BST
Click here to book you place
This webinar will outline the importance of changing the culture inside the hospital and how to overcome the barriers to change through different thinking, practices and services.
This will include:
- Improving the fabric, environment, habitat, programs, therapies, rehabilitation programs, community partnerships and integration with other Mental Health services
- The training and re-orientation of staff is essential, based on a recovery and discovery approach
- The importance of the systemic protection of human rights for service users
- Preparing the management and staff to work on developing community supports and services for social re-integration of users into the community
- The process of community mental health system development and subsequent downsizing of psychiatric hospitals
- The importance of addressing the social determinants of mental health through a whole life whole system approach
Knowing the Person and Working Alongside the Person Workshop
with Bodil Oster (Denmark) and Paul Baker (UK)
Thursday, 3rd November 2022 14.00 - 16.00 BST
Click here to book your place
There is a need to build trusting relationships between services users, families and practitioners. This is important because knowing the person as a person, not just as someone with a mental illness is critical to improve the outcomes for service users
This webinar will hear from the experience of providing a different approach from Lyngby Services in Denmark. Understanding the importance of the whole life story of the person is the foundation of being able to provide a holistic approach. This can be achieved through relationships, co-produced between service users and staff, also involving the private and social network and community.
This webinar will provide an example of changing the power structure in the professional-service user relationship. Letting the service user choose who to work with, is an example of this. Working with low threshold and user/network involvement from the first contact of the person with the services is an important part of this way of working.
Webinars available as recordings
You can view the webinars we have held to date as recordings for £9.99. Click on title to go to OnlineEvents where you can purchase the recording
Roberto Mezzina, Pina Ridente, Renzo Bonn, Peppe Dell'Acqua
This webinar describes the Trieste Mental Health Services and Practices. It will focus on the principles and values that underpinned the structure of this progressive mental health system and service developed over the last 40 years.
Essential elements & components of the experience include:
- human rights, recovery and social inclusion, citizenship, holistic care
- Developing a methodology for a whole system / network of community services and social capital
- Developing a 24-hour Community Mental Health Centre and crisis approach
The Development of the Recovery/Discovery House & Community Workshop with Fabio Musco, Michele Sipala, Thais Thome S. Oliveira & Paul Baker
This webinar will consider the ways in which the needs of people with severe and enduring needs can be supported through the creation of recovery/discovery spaces and through their community of peers, family and workers. The focus of the Trieste Recovery House is to create a space of self-determination, shared responsibility and ownership including family members. We will discuss the establishment of the recovery house and community in Trieste that has been running for over five years and supported over 60 people and their families. We will also discuss the role of the Recovery Community that supported the work of the Recovery House by creating a democratic and reflective space based on the principles of ‘nothing about us without us’.
The Development of the Recovery/Discovery House & Community Workshop with Fabio Musco, Michele Sipala, Thais Thome S. Oliveira & Paul Baker
This webinar considers the ways in which the needs of people with severe and enduring needs can be supported through the creation of recovery/discovery spaces and through their community of peers, family and workers. The focus of the Trieste Recovery House is to create a space of self-determination, shared responsibility and ownership including family members. We discuss the establishment of the recovery house and community in Trieste that has been running for over five years and supported over 60 people and their families.We also discuss the role of the Recovery Community that supported the work of the Recovery House by creating a democratic and reflective space based on the principles of ‘nothing about us without us’.
Changing the Thinking, Practice in Mental Health Service Systems Workshop with Paul Baker and John Jenkins
This webinar is aimed at challenging powerful hierarchies that perpetuate outdated thinking. We describe a successful participatory approach through Action Learning sets that have been used in several places. We describe what Action Learning Sets are and how they can be useful in changing thinking, practice and systems. This successful participatory approach has been used across the world in transforming mental health, gaining widespread ownership through active and meaningful participation including the importance of leadership, co-production, sharing knowledge and innovation.
Integrating Mental Health into Primary Health Services Workshop with Dr Alison Battersby, Sara Mitchell, and Rajiah Abu Sway
The benefits of integrating mental health into primary healthcare are significant. On the one hand, integration ensures that the population as a whole has access to the mental healthcare that they need early in the course of problems and without disruption. On the other hand, when people receive treatment in primary healthcare facilities the likelihood of better health outcomes, and even full recovery, as well as maintained social integration is increased. Our presenters will draw on their own experience of the benefits of developing comprehensive primary mental health support.
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