The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) is holding a roundtable event on the need for gender sensitive mental health services, in Dublin on Wednesday 16 November and HSMC's Karen Newbigging will be giving a keynote address.
Gender inequalities have a powerful impact on mental health and wellbeing. Ireland currently has a ‘gender blind’ mental health strategy and services. Having a gender perspective will positively affect how support is provided to women and men, and how health promotion materials or treatment programmes address their particular mental health concerns. This event also takes place in the context of Ireland’s review of the national mental health policy framework, A Vision for Change, and in the lead up to the 7th World Congress on Women’s Mental Health which will be held in Dublin in March 2017.
Dr. Shari McDaid, Director, Mental Health Reform will chair the Roundtable.
There will be a keynote address from Dr Karen Newbigging, Senior Lecturer in Health Policy and Management, University of Birmingham. Dr Newbigging has a wealth of experience from the UK in relation to this issue, from an academic and a practical perspective. She was the National Lead for Gender Equality and Women’s Mental Health, supporting organisational and service developments to improve gender equality and women's mental health. She originally trained and worked as a clinical psychologist for 16 years, and has worked extensively with community mental health teams in different roles. Her past and current research focuses on supporting the transformation of the mental health system, with a particular interest in advocacy, service user involvement and equalities.
Key agencies working in the area of mental health are invited to attend this Roundtable event, and to give responses to Dr Newbigging’s presentation on the issue. From this Roundtable it is planned to make recommendations to the HSE and the Department of Health in relation to the provision of gender sensitive mental health services.
Date: Wednesday 16 November 2016
Time: 10.30 - 12.30
Venue: Unite the Union Building, 55-56 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin