St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS) was delighted to host our 2023 Founder’s Day conference on Friday, 1 December.
This annual conference recognises and fulfils the legacy of our founder, Jonathan Swift, an Irish pioneer in mental healthcare.
The theme of our 2023 Founder’s Day conference focused on the mental health of migrants and refugees.
The conference explored migrant and refugee mental health from a broad perspective, both in terms of the needs of migrants and refugees and of the most appropriate responses to those needs. Relevant research in the field of migrant and refugee mental health was presented, and the lived experiences of migrants and refugees in Ireland were shared.
Discussions and information shared at the conference would be particularly useful to academics, healthcare professionals and clinicians, and those supporting migrants and refugees, such as caregivers, volunteers, and aid workers.
Speakers and agenda
Speakers at Founder’s Day 2023 included:
- Jennifer Chipa, expert by experience and mental health peer advocate
- Nick Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Refugee Council
- Safa Kharita, expert by experience and pharmacologist
- Professor Craig Morgan, Professor of Social Epidemiology at King’s College London
- Dr Caroline Munyi, Migrant Women’s Health Coordinator at AkiDwA
- Pieter Ventevogel, Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
A message from Minister of State for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD, was also shared at the conference, which took place online.
The full schedule and speaker topics are available in the conference programme here.
Certification
Founder's Day is an important opportunity for Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
The Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and the Psychological Society of Ireland both recognised Founder's Day for four CPD points, while the Irish College of General Practitioners has recognised the conference for 3.5 CPD points.
CPD points are only available to attendees of the live conference.
Recording
You can watch a recording of Founder's Day 2023 below.
See previous Founder's Day conferences
Look back on past Founder’s Day conferences by accessing videos, podcasts, and presentations. Our conferences have covered a range of topics, including adolescent mental health, mental health legislation and human rights in Ireland, mental health policy and anxiety disorders, and more.
