International Mental Health Collaborating Network (IMHCN)
International Learning, Development and Training School
Transforming Mental Health Services and Practices
The International School is being developed with IMHCN Partners from across the world. Its purpose is to assist service providers and individual to learn from innovative models of care and effective practices based on the whole life needs of service users. A major part of this School will be to provide webinars, masterclasses and workshops on important and contemporary subjects and themes in transforming mental health services.
A series of Learning,Training and Development Webinars provided by IMHCN for 2022 – 2023.
These Webinars are designed to assist the Transforming Mental Health programs in service provider organisations and increase people’s knowledge of innovative services and practices.
The workshops will have interrelated and complimentary themes based on real experiences that can guide the developments in other places.
The webinars can provide support and knowledge for “training the trainer” to enhance and disseminate what is learnt to a wider group of stakeholders.
They are intended to be an introduction to the theme and can be followed by a more detailed and participative workshop. We will also be establishing Learning forums as Action Learning Sets for organisations designed to challenge culture and thinking.
There will be a sliding scale of costs to allow the opportunity for all participants to be involved.
We will use Zoom platforms that have multiple functions to enable full participation.
Over many years in developing community mental health services to replace the institutional system in the UK and a few other countries, the IMHCN recognised that we needed a more fundamental approach to ensure better mental health outcomes for service users and family members.
The social determinants were not adequately addressed so people’s whole life needs were not met. Therefore, in 2000 in NIMH(E) and IMHCN introduced the Whole Life-Whole System Approach. It is a strategic planning and implementation instrument to integrate and develop together the:
- Social determinants of Health and Mental Health
- Anthropological, Meaning and Culture
- Philosophical: Challenging beliefs; Reflection and Dialogue
- Whole Life, Recovery/Discovery Paradigm, Changing Thinking
- Whole Systems: comprehensive community mental health services and development
- Biological, clinical approach
- Psychological therapies and psycho-educational tools
- Education and Knowledge
- Sharing and Learning from International best practice
This webinar will describe this approach and the results of its implementation in different places and organisations.
Who should attend?
Managers, professionals, service users, family members, Community Organisations
Course Content
Presenter
CEO International Mental Health Collaborating Network (UK)
John has worked in community mental health development for years as a clinician, manager, policy maker, change agent and educator. In the 1970’s he worked in South Wales as a manager in 3 hospitals changing the culture and services. In 1976-1988 he was the General Manager of Devon Health Authority, developing the first comprehensive mental health service in the UK resulting in the closure of 3 psychiatric institutions.
He then became a senior policy adviser in the Department of Health reviewing previous mental health policies and formulating new policies and initiatives. In 1992 he established and directed the Center for Mental Health Services Development at Kings College, London.This was established by the DoH to assist in the implementation of policy.
He was the Director of Operations and Service Development at North Birmingham Mental Health Trust that pioneered the mental health community functional teams that later became national policy and implemented throughout England.
Together with colleagues across the world he established the International Mental Health Collaborating Network(IMHCN) in 1993, an International NGO and is the current Chief Executive. He has been and is still a mental health adviser to Ministries of Health and Health Authorities in: Australia,New Zealand,India,Malaysia,Serbia,Romania,France,Italy,Ireland, Argentina.
He has been a senior consultant with WHO in Kosova, Albania and Macedonia and program manager for WHO in Palestine.
He has been a Senior Lecturer at Brunel University and Kings College in London and in others around the world over the last 40 years.
He provides consultancy and training on Whole Life-Whole Systems and Recovery/Discovery, organisational and community development, the management of change in the UK and other countries.
Paul works for IMHCN, he is a community development worker with a focus on mental health. He trains and works on discovery approaches and peer support work practice and theory. The aim is to enable people with mental health difficulties to work towards their own discovery journeys through developing supportive networks, community involvement and maintaining well being. He has a particular interest and experience of working internationally, with diverse cultures and communities in engaging service providers and people who use services in create the opportunities for changes in culture and practice. Currently working on developing a discovery learning community in Manchester and developing new approaches in Brazil.
