GLOBAL CONSORTIUM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PROMOTION
AND PREVENTION IN MENTAL HEALTH (GCAPP)

• E-Newsletter September 2010 

• E-Newsletter March 2009

• E-Newsletter May 2008

  • Melbourne, Australia, 10-12 September 2008

  • European Union Mental Health Pact

  • Institute of Medicine Report

  • World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH)

  • Thirteenth Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health: Phoenix, Arizona, September 25-27, 2008

  • The Clifford Beers Foundation, UK

  • Intercamhs (International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools)

  • Other Conference Dates
     

• E-Newsletter January 2008

  • Melbourne, Australia

  • World Federation for Mental Health

  • Free Issue of New Journal on Advances in School Mental Health Promotion

  • The Carter Center Mental Health Program

  • International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE)

  • INTERCAMHS (International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools

  • Other Intercamhs Activities in 2007

  • Other News:

• E-Newsletter August 2007

  • GCAPP Leadership Change

  • 5th World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders

  • World Federation for Mental Health

  • The Carter Center Mental Health Program

  • New Academic Journal from The Clifford Beers Foundation

  • IUHPE Conference in Vancouver

  • International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools

  • Other News
     

• E-Newsletter, April 2007

  • World Federation for Mental Health

  • The Clifford Beers Foundation

  • The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Australia Current Activity in the Promotion of Mental Health

  • International  Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools

  • International Union For Health Promotion and Education

  • Other News

GLOBAL CONSORTIUM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PROMOTION AND PREVENTION IN MENTAL HEALTH (GCAPP)
E-BULLETIN, SEPTEMBER 2010

Sixth World Conference, Washington D.C.

The Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders takes place in Washington, D.C., on 17-19 November 2010. Please consider attending! The program offers many international perspectives and highlights advances in mental health promotion and in the prevention of disorders; indigenous mental health; mental health programs for schools; healing from adverse experiences and trauma; suicide prevention; developing stakeholder partnerships; and training a workforce for promotion and prevention.

The website at http://wmhconf2010.hhd.org has information about registration and the conference hotel. The plenary program and the schedule of workshop presentations is also posted there.

Speakers include:

Sir Michael Marmot
Michael Marmot has led a research group on health inequalities for the past 30 years. He is Principal Investigator of the Whitehall Studies of British civil servants, investigating explanations for the striking inverse social gradient in morbidity and mortality. He leads the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and is engaged in several international research efforts on the social determinants of health. He was Chair of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health set up by the World Health Organization in 2005: ‘Closing the Gap in a Generation.’

Professor Marmot won the Balzan Prize for Epidemiology in 2004, gave the Harveian Oration in 2006 and won the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research in 2008. At the request of the British Government he conducted a review of health inequalities, published in the report 'Fair Society, Healthy Lives' in February 2010. He has now been invited by the Regional Director of WHO Europe to conduct a European review of health inequalities. Sir Michael is the President of the British Medical Association (BMA).

Hon. Leslie Ramsammy
The Hon. Minister of Health of Guyana, Leslie Ramsammy, has served as a member of his country’s parliament since 1997. He was President of the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly in 2008-2009, and President of the Pan American Health Organization’s Directing Council in 2006-2008. He is currently chair of the Steering Committee of CARPHA (the Caribbean Public Health Agency), an entity being created for public health by the countries of CARICOM. He is also chair of Affordable Medicines for Malaria, an entity of the Global Fund, and serves on the Advisory Committee of the NCDnet, a global advisory board to promote greater attention to chronic diseases.

Sir Mason Durie
A leader in the field of indigenous mental health, Mason Durie is a member of the Rangitane and Ngati Kauwhata (Maori) tribes. He is Professor of Maori Research and Development and Deputy Vice- Chancellor at Massey University, New Zealand, where he was appointed to the Chair in Maori Studies in 1988. He is involved in several major research programs, and has published many articles on health, mental health, and the social determinants of health. He was an inaugural member of the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation and pioneered community mental health programs with a particular focus on indigenous communities.

Hon. Michael J. Kirby
Michael Kirby is Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. He served in the Canadian Senate from 1984-2006, and from 1999 to 2006 was chairman of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. During his term as chairman Canada’s health care system was the major focus of the Committee’s work. This included the development of an influential report on mental health in 2006, “Out of the Shadows at Last.” In 2008 the Governor General of Canada announced his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his lifetime achievements concerning major public policy issues and his current commitment to confronting the challenges related to mental illness.

Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik is the founder and President of the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights. He was the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Humanitarian Envoy for the Horn of Africa from February 2006 to June 2007, a period when the area was experiencing extreme drought and food insecurity. Mr. Bondevik served as Prime Minister of Norway in 1997-2000 and 2001-2005. Previously he was Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1989-1990 and Minister of Church and Education in 1983-1986. In 1979 he was ordained as a priest in the Lutheran Church of Norway. He has become a prominent mental health advocate after experiencing depression. He speaks internationally on stigma, mental health care and recovery, and gave a memorable address at the Fourth World Conference in Oslo in 2006.

Former U.S. Senator Gordon J. Smith
Gordon Smith has served two terms as U.S. Senator from Oregon. During his tenure in the Senate his committee assignments included the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Foreign Relations Committee. He joined the National Association of Broadcasters as President and CEO in November 2009. Following the death of his adopted son, Senator Smith was instrumental in the passage of a US$84 million U.S. Youth Suicide Prevention Law in 2004.

A complete list of keynote speakers is available on the conference website. The conference is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has received special support from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and the Mental Health Commission of Canada. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. Indian Health Service are also supporters.

The Scientific Committee is chaired by Dr. David McQueen, Associate Director for Global Health Promotion at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The Host Organization is Education Development Center, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts, and its conference team is headed by Dr. Jerry Reed, Director of EDC’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Injury, Violence and Suicide. The three founding partners of the conference series are the World Federation for Mental Health, The Carter Center, and the Clifford Beers Foundation.

Global Consortium for the Advancement of Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health (GCAPP)

GCAPP will hold a meeting for its member organizations on 16 November, before the opening of the Sixth World Conference. Helen Herrman of the University of Melbourne will chair the meeting.

International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools (Intercamhs)

Intercamhs will hold a one-day pre-conference workshop on 16 November before the opening of the Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. The workshop will be held at the headquarters of the American Institutes of Research in Washington, D.C. Its topic is “Advancing School Mental Health Globally: Maximizing School Leader Involvement in School Mental Health and Moving Toward Enhanced Implementation Practice.” For registration and to see the workshop program’s flyer, go to the home page of the Sixth World Conference (http://wmhconf2010.hhd.org).

World Federation for Mental Health

WFMH President Tony Fowke, AM, has announced the appointment of Dr. Vijay K. Ganju as the new Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation for Mental Health.

Dr. Ganju has provided leadership for initiatives related to mental health system transformation, implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices, mental health system financing and the development of outcomes systems. At the state level in the U.S.A., he directed the Texas Mental Health System Transformation project and was previously the Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation at the state’s mental health and mental retardation agency. At the national level, he was the director of the SAMHSA-supported Center for Mental Health Quality and Accountability, which supports the development and dissemination of evidence-based practices, performance measurement, and quality improvement initiatives. He also coordinated the development and implementation of an outcomes system, components of which are being implemented in all the U.S. states and territories.

At the international level, Dr. Ganju has worked with the World Health Organization on the development of mental health training modules. He was the lead author for the module on mental health financing and a co-author for the module on quality improvement.

He has provided consultation to mental health systems in Canada, Albania and Macedonia and is currently working on a project for mental health care delivery in the Pacific islands.

WFMH World Mental Health Day Campaign

On 10 October 2010 the World Federation for Mental Health will launch its annual World Mental Health Day campaign. This year’s theme is “Mental Health and Long-Term Conditions: The Need for Continued and Integrated Care.” It addresses the mental and emotional issues of those with long-term conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory illness, and the need to improve the services available in order to provide comprehensive care.

New GCAPP Member Organization

Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare became a member of GCAPP in 2010. The Institute is a WHO Collaborating Center for Mental Health Promotion, Prevention and Policy. The website (English version) is at www.thl.fi/en_US/web/en.

Voksne for Barn

GCAPP member Voksne for Barn (Adults for Children), the host of the Fourth World Conference in Oslo, Norway, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010 with several special activities.

On 1-2 November it will host an international conference on the theme “Developing Strength and Resilience in Children,” to be followed by a networking meeting on 3 November. This is the second international meeting to be held by the organization COPMI - Children with Mentally Ill Parents. The focus will be on developing good schools that promote children’s wellbeing and mental health, and on preventing mental health problems and illness in children and adolescents at risk.

Earlier in the year Voksne for Barn held its 50th Anniversary Conference in Oslo. The theme of the meeting on 3-4 May 2010 was “Childhood under the Northern Lights.” The program examined the requirements for a healthy childhood in Nordic countries, and also the challenges faced by vulnerable children and the children of refugee families. On the day after the conference Queen Sonja of Norway attended a 50th anniversary celebration event.

The Carter Center Mental Health Program

The Carter Center announced its 2010-2011 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism on 9 July. The awards provide selected journalists with intensive training about mental health and a stipend. This year’s 10 recipients include 6 from the United States, two from South Africa and two from Romania. Since 1997 the program has awarded more than 100 fellowships, and the recipients have produced over 300 stories, documentaries, books and other works.

“Journalists have a very important role to play in shaping the public’s perception of mental illnesses,” said former First Lady and Carter Center Co-founder Rosalynn Carter. “If a news piece or a book shows what mental illness is really like, people will understand that mental illnesses happen to so many of us, and fortunately, even the most serious mental illnesses can be treated and most people can recover.”

Suicide Prevention

Mental Health America has launched a new campaign for suicide prevention, and campaign material is posted on the Internet (www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/suicide).

Education Development Center’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center also has useful material at http://www.sprc.org.

Preventing Violence

Preventing Violence Across the Lifespan Research Network (the PreVAil Network) has placed three Research Briefs on its new website (http://www.uwo.ca/fims/prevail). These cover the following topics:

1. Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment
2. Identifying and Responding to Intimate Partner Violence Against Women
3. Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes

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GLOBAL CONSORTIUM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
PROMOTION AND
PREVENTION IN MENTAL HEALTH
E-NEWSLETTER, MAY 2008

Fifth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Margins to Mainstream

Melbourne, Australia, 10-12 September 2008

Information about the program, registration and hotels is available on the conference web site at www.margins2mainstream.com, and in the special Melbourne conference section of this web site. Early Bird registration (Australian $480) closes on 16 June. Full registration will then be A$600 until 15 July, after which it is A$696 until 9 September.

In addition to the regular topics in the conference series (research; implementation; workforce development) the program focuses on the determinants of mental health in relation to promotion and prevention. The new topics are social participation, violence, discrimination, economic participation, and indigenous mental health. Program sessions will help to shape an outcome document, the Melbourne Conference Charter, which is being managed by a special leadership group. Participants will contribute to its development throughout the conference.

Speakers include:
Dr. Margaret Barry, head of the Department of Health Promotion, National University of Ireland, Galway
Dr. Morton Beiser, professor of psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada, founding director of the Toronto Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS), and national scientific coordinator, Reducing Health Disparities Initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Judi Clements, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand
Kate Gilmore, deputy director of Amnesty International, activist for women’s human rights
Todd Harper, CEO of VicHealth, expert on tobacco control, formerly executive director of the Tasmanian Council on AIDS and Related Diseases
Dr. Helen Herrman, professor, ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne and director, Who Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne
Dr. Rob Moodie, chair of global health, Nossal Institute of Global Health, University of Melbourne
Dr. Carles Muntaner, chair of psychiatry and addictions nursing research, Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Canada
Dr. David Osher, an expert on educational equity, social and emotional learning, and interventions for children and youth with mental health problems
Shekhar Saxena, co-ordinator, mental health evidence and research, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
Randi Talseth, secretary general of Voksne for Barn, Norway, expert on children’s mental health

Meetings Held in Conjunction with the Conference

• The member organizations of the Global Consortium for the Advancement of Promotion and Prevention will hold a meeting on 9 September in Melbourne.
• The Consortium of Health Promotion Foundations will meet, hosted by VicHealth.
• VicHealth will present sessions of its popular short course, Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing, before and after the conference. The dates of the two-day course are 8/9 September, 13/14 September and 15/16 September.
• In collaboration with the International Confederation of Principals and the Australian Principals Association Professional Development Council, Intercamhs (International Alliance on child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools) will hold a preconference meeting, “Mind Your Head: Leading the Way to Healthy Minds and Health Schools.” The full-day event on 8 September will discuss school culture and mental health in a “town hall meeting” format that explores issues through open discussion. For information, phone 618 8245 or 618 8245 9802, or email kerry@apapdc.edu.au or emma@apapdc.edu.au

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European Union Mental Health Pact

The European Commissioner for Health has announced a project to launch a Mental Health Pact containing proposals to develop mental health promotion across mental health, education and the workplace. Action will be focused on 4 priority areas:

• Prevention of Depression and Suicide
• Youth, Education and Mental Health
• Mental Health and Older People; and
• Mental Health in Workplace Settings
  A fifth priority area, Combating Stigma and Social Exclusion, will run through the other four thematic areas.

The Pact will be launched at a High-Level Conference in Brussels on 13 June, attended by Ministers of Health from EU Member States, and also Ministers of Employment and Education.

A Coordinating Consortium has directed the technical preparatory process leading up to the High-Level Conference. It is led by the Health Department of the Government of Catalonia, Spain, in collaboration with STAKES, Finland; the London School of Economics and Political Science; and the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health. For information on preparations for the conference see the web site at www.ec-mental-health-process.net 

Institute of Medicine Report

The Institute of Medicine Report, “Prevention of Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse among Children, Youth and Young Adults: Research Advances and Promising Interventions” will be released in the second half of 2008.

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World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH)

WFMH has published a monograph summarizing the discussion and recommendations from its International Experts Forum on “Building Awareness – Reducing Risk: Mental Illness and Suicide.” The Forum brought together eighteen experts from nine countries in 2006 to provide a global perspective on the relationship between mental illness and suicide. The monograph provides information on the epidemiology of suicide in regions around the world, and on suicide prevention.

WFMH signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2008 with the Diversity Health Institute of Australia. The Diversity Health Institute is a consortium of public health organizations that work together to improve the health and wellbeing of Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. WFMH and the DHI agreed to work together in a number of areas, including mental health promotion and the prevention of mental disorders.

The theme for WFMH’s 2008 World Mental Health Day campaign is “Making Mental Health a Global Priority – Scaling Up Services Through Citizen Advocacy and Action.” The campaign will highlight the messages contained in The Lancet Series released in September 2007 about the urgent need for improved mental health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It also focuses on core values of the Federation in its 60th anniversary year.

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Thirteenth Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health:
Phoenix, Arizona, September 25-27, 2008

The University of Maryland Center for School Mental Health, with the IDEA Partnership (see www.ideapartnership.org), is holding the 13th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, September 25-27, 2008, in Phoenix, Arizona. This interdisciplinary conference will provide training and networking opportunities on school mental health promotion. There are ten separate conference tracks, corresponding to the ten practice groups within the larger National Community of Practice on School Mental Health (www.sharedwork.org). These tracks are: 1) Connecting School Mental Health and Positive Behavior Supports; 2) Connecting School Mental Health with Juvenile Justice and Dropout Prevention; 3) Education: An Essential Component of Systems of Care; 4) Family-School-Community Partnerships; 5) Improving School Mental Health for Youth with Disabilities; 6) Learning the Language: Promoting Effective Ways for Interdisciplinary Collaboration; 7) Mental Health-Education Training and Workforce; 8) Quality and Evidence-Based Practice; 9) School Mental Health and Child Welfare; 10) Youth Involvement and Leadership. Conference details and registration information are available at http://csmh.umaryland.edu. If you would like a printed brochure or to be added to the center’s mailing list, please email Christina Huntley at chuntley@psych.umaryland.edu.

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The Clifford Beers Foundation,UK

The second issue of Advances in School Mental Health Promotion appeared in April 2008. This new journal is published by The Clifford Beers Foundation in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine Centre for School Mental Health. This issue includes articles on “Preventing Depression in Young People. What Does the Evidence Tell Us and How Can We Use It to Inform School-based Mental Health Initiatives?”; “School Mental Health and Foster Care: A Logical Partnership”; and “Predictors of Bullying Among 10 to 11 Year Old School Students in Australia.” Journal website: www.schoolmentalhealth.co.uk; academic editor’s email address, mweist@psych.unmaryland.edu; managing editor’s email address, michael_murray@ charity.demon.co.uk

The Clifford Beers Foundation will host a conference in Toronto, Canada, on 4-6 March 2009: “Expanding our Horizons and Moving Mental Health Promotion into the Mainstream.” Details will be posted shortly on the Foundation’s web site at www.cliffordbeersfoundation.co.uk.

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Intercamhs (International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools)

Intercamhs and the International Confederation of Principals have allied to develop a collaborative project called Interconnexions that will promote the capacity of school leaders to improve mental health, wellbeing and student learning in school communities around the world. They have launched a global survey to gather information about the type of entry-level material on mental health and wellbeing that principals require for an understanding of why mental health and wellbeing is important to students’ learning. The survey results will help in the design of appropriate tools, concepts, training and resources.

There are three ways principals can complete the survey:

1. Complete and submit the survey online (preferred method) at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MdLm53ndcvGabhbZlwHBuw_3d_3d.
2. Download and complete the survey as a Word document at http://www.intercamhs.org/html/International_Survey_of_Principals.html, save the file and send it as an email attachment to intercamhs@edc.org.
3. If respondents have limited access to a reliable internet connection click on this link (http://www.intercamhs.org/html/International_Survey_of_Principals.html ) to download a Word or PDF version of the survey, print a paper copy and fax to +1-617-527-4096.

Deadline for survey submission is 30th May 2008. The survey takes roughly 15 minutes to complete. Further questions please email: Intercamhs President A/Professor Louise Rowling (l.rowling@edfac.usyd.edu.au) or Intercamhs Vice President Cheryl Vince Whitman (cvincewhitman@edc.org).

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Other Conference Dates

Mental Health America

Mental Health America will hold an Inaugural Promotion and Prevention Summit on 6-7 June 2008 as part of its annual conference. Featured speakers include Thomas Insel, Helen Herrman, William McFarlane, William Beardslee and Gregor Henderson.

World Psychiatric Association

The WPA International Congress will take place on 1-4 April 2009 in Florence, Italy. The theme is “Treatments in Psychiatry: A New Update.” Information is available on the conference web site, www.wpa2009florence.org.

International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE)

The venue for the 20th IUHPE World Conference in July, 2010 has been moved from Hong Kong to Geneva Switzerland. Health Promotion Switzerland is the local partner and will be co-chair of the Organizing Committee. Information will be posted on its web site, www.healthpromotion.ch and on the IUHPE web site, www.iuhpe.org.

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GLOBAL CONSORTIUM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PROMOTION AND PREVENTION IN MENTAL HEALTH
 

Fifth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Margins to Mainstream

Melbourne, Australia, 10-12 September 2008

The electronic brochure outlining the conference program is available at the conference website, www.margins2mainstream.com  and the Call for Papers is open. The deadline for abstract submissions is 18 February 2008. Abstracts must be submitted online. In addition to individual submissions, the International Scientific Committee invites small groups of presenters to collaborate and submit a complete seminar session around a theme they propose together.

The conference framework is built around four determinants, social participation, violence, discrimination and poverty, and five methodologies – research and evaluation; advocacy; coalition building; program design and implementation; and building the capacity of workforces, communities and organizations. The organizers hope that abstracts will link one of the determinants to one of the methodologies, although an abstract that focuses on only one determinant or methodology is also acceptable. In addition, the structure of the conference will be built around producing a Charter for Mental Health Promotion and Prevention of Disorders that will reflect the recommendations of participants.

The closing date for Early Bird Registration (AUS$480) is 28 May 2008.

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World Federation for Mental Health

Hong Kong Congress; Africa Initiative; World Mental Health Day 2008

WFMH held a very successful World Mental Health Congress in Hong Kong in August, attended by over 850 people, and three hundred attended the Federation’s conference on transcultural mental health in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on 29-31 October 2007. The Hong Kong Congress included an address by Professor William Beardslee on evidence-based strategies to support the children of people with mental illness, and there was a set of workshops on promotion/prevention. The Minneapolis conference addressed issues in mental health promotion in multicultural communities, the provision of culturally appropriate services, and difficulties experienced by refugees, immigrants and survivors of torture.

The first major step in WFMH’s Africa Initiative will take place in Cape Town, South Africa on 29-31 January 2008. More than twenty experts have been invited to participate in a meeting that will guide the development of the project.

For World Mental Health Day 2008 (10 October) and the year-long campaign that follows, WFMH has adopted the theme “Making Mental Health a Global Priority: Scaling Up Services Through Citizen Advocacy and Action.” Materials for the campaign are now being developed, and will reflect the goals of the recent Lancet Series. In 2008 the Federation will also publish a monograph on mental illness and suicide, the outcome of an experts’ meeting held a year ago.

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The Clifford Beers Foundation

Free Issue of New Journal on Advances in School Mental Health Promotion
Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, a new academic journal, was launched in October at the 12th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health Promotion. It is a project of The Clifford Beers Foundation in the United Kingdom in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore, Maryland, USA)

The journal will appear quarterly. For information, see the website www.schoolmentalhealth.co.uk  where the inaugural issue can be downloaded free of charge. It contains articles on advancing school mental health promotion globally; school-based interventions for students with depression or at risk for it; classroom management; and school mental health issues in Australia.

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The Carter Center Mental Health Program

November Symposium on Mental Health Policy

The 23rd Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy took place on 7-8 November 2007 at The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The theme was “Creating a Public Policy Action Agenda on Preventing Mental Illness,” with a focus on evidence-based prevention programs that are ready for broader implementation. The importance of the topic was highlighted by Terry Cline, Ph.D., Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in an evening address.

The program opened with an introduction by Mrs. Carter and an overview by Vincent Felitti, M.D., of extensive evidence on the effect of adverse childhood experiences on health in later life. Three panel presentations followed on prevention programs for children; for adolescents; and for adults and older adults. The panelists, who had provided written material in advance, gave a very brief outline of their topics and then opened the session to the audience. This format permitted an unusual measure of interaction between panelists and the audience members, who provided insights from their own experience and asked pointed questions. Conference participants also took part in workshops to define ways that they could carry forward the message about evidence-based prevention of mental disorders in their own work.

The panelists on prevention programs for children were William Beardslee, M.D., Harvard Medical School; Mary Dozier, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Delaware; and Carolyn Webster-Stratton, Center for Human Development and Disability, University of Washington. Prevention programs for adolescents were addressed by Carl C. Bell, M.D., Community Mental Health Council and the University of Illinois at Chicago; David Osher, Ph.D., American Institutes for Research; and Paulette Running Wolf, Ph.D., First Nations Behavioral Health Association. The speakers on prevention programs for adults and older adults were Martha Bruce, Ph.D., Weill Medical College, Cornell University; Eric Goplerud, Ph.D., George Washington University Medical Center, and Richard Price, Ph.D., Michigan Prevention Research Center, University of Michigan.

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International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE)

HP-Source.net Research Conference

One of the IUHPE’s interests is a project to collect information on health promotion policies, infrastructure and practice. Maurice Mittelmark, Immediate Past President, provided the following update:

The first HP-Source.net research conference was held in Bergen, Norway, October 111-12 2007, with over 30 participants from Kenya, Australia, Ghana, Spain, Germany, England and Norway. The relevance of this event to mental health promotion is high, since two of the capacity mapping projects being conducted by HP-Source.net are focused on mental health. HP-Source.net is a voluntary, international collaboration of researchers, practitioners and policy makers, having the common goal to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of health promotion policy, infrastructures and practices by:

• Developing a uniform system for collecting information on health promotion policies, infrastructures and practices;
   
• Creating databases and an access strategy so that information can be accessed at inter-country, country and intra-country levels, by policy makers, international public health organizations and researchers;
  
• Analyzing the databases to support the generation of models for optimum effectiveness and efficiency of health promotion policy, infrastructure and practice;
   
• Actively imparting this information and knowledge, and actively advocating the adoption of models of proven effectiveness and efficiency, by means of publications, seminars, conferences and briefings, among other means.

In Europe, Dr. Eva Jané Llopis directs the HP-Source.net module on mental health promotion, which is undertaken as one activity of IMHPA -- Implementing Mental Health Action -- a pan-European project sponsored by the European Commission. Via HP-Source.net, IMHPA is mapping national level capacity to engage in effective mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention. Details are available at http://www.hp-source.net/dataoutput.html?module=imhpa.

In the Southern part of the Western Pacific, Dr. Louise Rowling directs the HP-Source.net module on child mental health, supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Union for Health Promotion and Education. Capacity mapping has been completed or is underway in Australia nationally and New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Laos, the Solomon Islands, and Thailand. Details are available at http://www.hp-source.net/dataoutput.html?module=cmh

Through these innovative capacity mapping efforts, all who are concerned with developing capacity for effective health promotion have detailed information that can be used in research, planning and advocacy, on the present state of capacity in the participating nations, states and territories. Details about the entire HP-Source.net initiative are available at http://www.hp-source.net.

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INTERCAMHS (International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools

International Collaboration by Intercamhs with the International Confederation of Principals (ICP)

In March 2007 Intercamhs President Professor Louise Rowling (Australia) and Advisory Board Secretary Pauline Dickinson (New Zealand) met with the executive of the International Confederation of Principals (ICP) www.icponline.org/index.php in Auckland, New Zealand. The outcome was an agreement to develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations to support the work of school principals globally in implementing school mental health. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 8 October 2007 at the ICP’s conference in Reston, Virginia, USA. Professor Rowling, Cheryl Vince Whitman, Vice President of Intercamhs, and Advisory Board member Annette Johnson from the New York Health Department conducted a workshop about the project and heard from the principals about their current priority issues for school mental health.

The strategic alliance between Intercamhs and the International Confederation of Principals will be focussed around national and regional level activities supported by resources and the technical expertise that exists within the Intercamhs membership. The websites of both organisations will be linked and specific information about the alliance placed on both websites.

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Other Intercamhs Activities in 2007
At the IUHPE conference in Vancouver, Canada, in June Intercamhs conducted a symposium on Issues and outcomes in building capacity for school mental health promotion: International perspectives. Mark Weist, director of the Centre for Mental Health, University of Maryland (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) spoke about Capacity Building in School Mental Health, highlighting progress and challenges in work across the spectrum of promotion, prevention and early intervention in the United States. Gloria Wells, Director, Collaborative Services and Partnerships, Rocky View School Division, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, provided perspectives on long-distance services in her presentation entitled Building Capacity in School Mental Health: Engaging the Education Sector. A key point was made about “active engagement”, exemplified through an integrated approach. The third presenter, Peter Paulus, Director of the Centre for Mental Health Competence, Leuphana University of Lueneburg (Germany), argued that there is no education without mental health, using the implementation of the German version on MindMatters to support his theme. This stimulated a dialogue with the audience about the approaches being adopted in different countries, and the possibility of diverse approaches to similar needs in order to match each country’s context.

In September 2007 an Intercamhs workshop on networking, advocacy and action for school mental health was conducted at the European Conference on Mental Health (Barcelona, 13-15 September) by Professors Rowling, Katherine Weare (UK) and Dora Gudmundsdottir (Iceland).

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Other News:

New Publication
The Center for Mental Health Services in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released a publication on “Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health: Strengthening Parenting and Enhancing Child Resilience.” The report describes twelve evidence-based promotion and prevention programs that strengthen the skills of parents and other caregivers, and encourage child resilience. It also includes a section on the costs and benefits of prevention programs, with estimates of the cost per youth and the estimated value of benefits for selected interventions. The 66-page publication can be downloaded from the SAMHSA web site at: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/svp-0186/ and printed copies can be ordered in the United States by calling toll free to 1 877 726 4727.

SAMHSA maintains a database of prevention programs to assist agencies and organizations to find programs suitable for their communities. The National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is a searchable database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders, and can be found online at www.nrepp.samhsa.gov 

Forthcoming in 2008
The Institute of Medicine in the United States will release a report in 2008 on “Prevention of Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Among Children, Youth, and Young Adults: Research Advances and Promising Interventions.” The report will update an earlier publication, the 1994 IOM report on “Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders.” A committee has been reviewing advances in genetics, neurobiology and psychosocial research that contribute to the prevention of disorders, and will recommend areas of emphasis for future federal policies. For project information, go to www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/printpreview.aspx  

Mental Health America (formerly the U.S. National Mental Health Association)
The 2008 annual conference of MHA will take place on 4-7 June in Washington, D.C. The program for the second half of the meeting, 6-7 June, consists of the Inaugural National Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Summit. Go to www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/conference/  for information about registration and submissions, or contact Danielle Fritze at DFritze@mentalhealthamerica.net  (tel. 703 797 2591).

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E-NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 2007

GCAPP Leadership Change

L. Patt Franciosi has succeeded Professor Clemens Hosman as Chair of GCAPP. Dr. Franciosi is a former President of the World Federation for Mental Health, of the U.S. National Mental Health Association, and of the U.S. National Prevention Coalition. She chaired the Program Committee of the Fifth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders in 2006 in Oslo, and has also chaired the World Mental Health Day campaign of WFMH.

The new Vice Chair of GCAPP is Dr. Thomas Bornemann, Director of the Mental Health Program at The Carter Center. Before taking up this post he was Senior Adviser for Mental Health in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization. Previously he was Deputy Director of the Federal Center for Mental Health Services in the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Department of Health and Human Services).

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5th World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders

With the theme “From Margins 2 Mainstream,” the Fifth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders will be held on 10-12 September 2008 at the Melbourne Convention Centre in Australia. Please register at http://www.margins2mainstream.com  to receive regular updates.

Previous conferences in this biennial conference series have been held in Atlanta (2000), London (2002), Auckland (2004) and Oslo (2006).

The organization of the Melbourne Conference is being undertaken by a partnership consisting of VicHealth: The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, The World Federation for Mental Health, The Carter Center Mental Health Program, and The Clifford Beers Foundation in the U.K.

From Margins 2 Maintsream 2008 will build and strengthen coalitions across diverse sectors and highlight the impact of socio-economic determinants on mental health and mental illness worldwide. In particular, the conference will focus on the powerful influence that social inclusion/exclusion, violence, discrimination and poverty have on individual and community mental health and wellbeing. International frameworks, developments in research and effective interventions to address these influences will be profiled. Addressing the needs of those who are most at the margins of society will be a priority in the program.

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World Federation for Mental Health

This year’s theme for the Federation’s global education campaign, World Mental Health Day, is “Mental Health in a Changing World: The Impact of Culture and Diversity.” World Mental Health Day was established by WFMH as a vehicle for bringing international attention to issues in mental health. It is observed on 10 October, and the day is used in many countries to mark the start of longer public education programs. The campaign material is now available on the WFMH web site ( www.wfmh.org ) and is also provided on CD for the first time. The material is presented in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. To obtain a copy of the CD, please contact the project manager, Deborah Maguire (dmaguire@wfmh.com) and provide a full postal address.

WFMH is holding two conferences this year that reflect the World Mental Health Day topic. The Federation’s biennial World Mental Health Congress takes place on 19-13 August 2007 in Hong Kong, on the theme “The Impact of Culture on Mental Health.” The conference has a track on promotion/prevention. On 29-31 October the Federation will hold a conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on “Transcultural Mental Health in a Changing World: Building a Global Response.” For information, visit the WFMH web site at www.wfmh.org..

The Federation has received a planning grant from the Ford Foundation for an initiative to address the mental health consequences of HIV/AIDS for the carers of people living with the illness. As part of the initial phase of the project a two-day expert meeting will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in the last quarter of 2007.

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The Carter Center Mental Health Program

The Mental Health Program, the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, and the South Africa Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism are arranging events in South Africa centered on World Mental Health Day (10 October) to promote mental health awareness and stigma reduction. The participants will also work to generate support for the South African component of the Carter Center Journalism Fellowships program. The award of fellowships to five U.S. journalists and two from South Africa has been announced. Two journalists from Romania will also be added to the program this year. The fellowships aim to improve reporting on mental health in the media, to contribute to public education and to reduce discrimination.

Thomas Bornemann, Director of the Mental Health Program, was recently invited to consult in the Netherlands and in South Australia on major reforms under way in their respective mental health systems. At the invitation of the Mental Health Association of the Netherlands he visited mental health facilities at various locations in the country between May 29 and June 3, and will deliver a report on his findings during a return visit for the Association’s tenth anniversary activities in December, 2007. The Association functions under the Health Management Organization for Behavioral Health.

In South Australia Dr. Bornemann consulted on the work of the new Social Inclusion Board in relation to important mental health reforms taking place in the state. He reviewed the full system of the reform efforts and at the conclusion provided a detailed briefing of his findings to the Office of the Premier. The importance attached to the reforms is indicated by the fact that the Social Inclusion Board reports directly to the Premier.

During his Australian visit he also gave major addresses at the universities of Melbourne and Sydney. In Melbourne he met with senior faculty and staff from the Mental Health Policy Research Center and the School of Population Health at the university, and gave a presentation on international policy in mental health. He then traveled to Sydney at the request of Professor Glenn Maberly, Interim Director of the new Global Health Institute at the University of Sydney. Mental health is one of the Institute’s priority subject areas. It is currently assisting with mental health system development for the island of Vanuatu. Dr. Bornemann gave an address to medical school and mental health service personnel on current issues and trends in U.S. mental health policy.

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New Academic Journal from The Clifford Beers Foundation

A new journal, “Advances in School Mental Health Promotion,” will be launched at the 12th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health which takes place on October 25-27, 2007 in Orlando, Florida (for conference details go to csmh.umaryland.edu or email csmh@psych.umaryland.edu). The journal’s academic editor is Professor Mark Weist, Director of the Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. The managing editor is Michael Murray, Chief Executive of The Clifford Beers Foundation.

The multi-disciplinary journal aims to promote dialogue on the advancement of training, practice, research and policy in school mental health promotion. The emphasis is on studies that reflect a shared agenda for collaboration to improve school environments; school-wide social and emotional learning, mental health promotion, and youth development; prevention of mental disorders; and interventions for youth in both general and special education.

Forthcoming articles cover subjects such as advancing school mental health promotion globally; school-based interventions for students with depression or at risk for it; teachers’ thinking about classroom management; and the politics of school mental health.
The Journal’s website is www.schoolmentalhealth.co.uk,  which has information about individual and corporate subscriptions. For information about submitting articles for publication, contact the academic editor, Mark Weist: (mark.weist@psych.umaryland.edu).

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IUHPE Conference in Vancouver

The International Union for Health Promotion and Health Education held its 2007 conference at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre on 10-15 June, with an attendance of about 3,000 people. During the conference Maurice Mittelmark ended his second three-year term as President, and the office passed to David McQueen of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The next IUHPE conference will take place in Hong Kong in 2010.

The overall theme of the conference was celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion (the outcome document of the WHO conference in Ottawa in 1986). The second theme was the social determinants of health. The WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, which is due to report in 2008, held one of its periodic meetings in Vancouver just before the conference. Its chair, Sir Michael Marmot, was one of the opening keynote speakers. The other was Stephen Lewis, the former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and head of the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

There was a special focus on indigenous health throughout the program, mainly with reference to Canadian First Nations and Inuit people. However the plenary speaker for this topic was Esau Kekeubata, chairman of the council of chiefs in a remote rainforest village in the Solomon Islands. With the help of an Australian health worker/translator, he described very effectively the beliefs of his Kwaio tribe and the way in which those beliefs collide with modern concepts of health care.

Mental health issues were included in the program in major addresses and many workshop sessions, although not as a specialized track. Senator Michael Kirby introduced the initial plans for Canada’s new Mental Health Commission, incorporated in March 2007. The establishment of the Commission is a response to the need to develop a national mental health strategy (Canada is the only G-8 country without one).

A dialogue session on mental health promotion chaired by Prof. Louise Rowling (President of Intercamhs) from the University of Sydney, Australia, was very well attended. The panelists were Eva Jané-Llopis, Medical Officer, Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention in WHO’s European Regional Office; Prof. John Raeburn, past Chair of the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand; and Margaret Barry, Director of the Health Promotion Research Centre at the University of Ireland, Galway.

On 9 June there was a one-day pre-conference symposium on mental health, presented by the British Columbia Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Alberta Mental Health Board in conjunction with other Canadian partners. It drew on international speakers already in Vancouver for the conference to provide an excellent program. The keynote address was given by Eva Jané-Llopis.

International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools (Intercamhs)

Members of the Advisory Board of Intercamhs attending the IUHPE conference held a meeting in Vancouver. Louise Rowling, President of Intercamhs, and Cheryl Vince Whitman, Director for Health and Human Development Programs, Education Development Center. Inc., USA, which provides the Intercamhs secretariat, led the session.

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Other News

IMHPA Conference: A European conference on mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention will be held in Barcelona, Spain, on 13-15 September. For information, go to the web site at www.imhpa.net/conference. The four main themes are:

• From evidence to practice for policies and programmes
• Implementation: developing dissemination, implementation and management plans
• Financing and engaging settings and stakeholders in mental health
• Building capacity and training

The conference is organized by the Government of Catalonia Health Department and IMHPA (the European Network for Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention). It is co-financed by the European Commission Directorate of Health and Consumer Protection, and co-sponsored by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.

Ming T. Tsuang, Willian S. Stone and Michael J. Lyons, editors (2007). Recognition and Prevention of Major Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders. Washington, D.C. and London, England: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Pp.411. This volume brings together a large amount of material on the prevention of mental and behavioral disorders, and surveys recent advances in research.

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E-NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2007

Planning for the fifth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders, Melbourne, Australia September 10-12, 2008

Early Planning

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WORLD FEDERATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Meeting on Multicultural Mental Health at Dulles, Virginia, USA

WFMH Biennial Mental Health Congress: Hong Kong, SAR China,
19-23 August 2007

The deadline for abstracts for the Hong Kong Congress is 15 April; late abstracts will be reviewed until slots in all of the tracks are filled. For full information about the program, speakers, registration, hotels and post-conference tours in China, please go to the conference website at www.wmhc2007.com.

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WFMH Conference on Transcultural Mental Health
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 29-31 October 2007

To be placed on a mailing list for conference information contact Ellen Mercer at emercer@wfmh.com.  The deadline for abstracts and posters is 29 June 2007. Program updates will be placed on the WFMH web site at www.wfmh.org.

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New CD with Information for Young People About Schizophrenia, to
Encourage Early Diagnosis and Treatment

Early diagnosis can be important for interventions to manage the illness. The aim of the material is to highlight how young adults of university/college age view schizophrenia, the incidence of the disorder in this age group, and the factors that serve as barriers to recognition, effective treatment and rehabilitation. The CD will be available from the WFMH Secretariat in May 2007. Single copies are available free as long as supplies last. To order one please contact Deborah Maguire, WFMH Director of Programs: dmaguire@wfmh.com. 
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THE CLIFFORD BEERS FOUNDATION

“Kindling the Flame”: Conference in Perth, Western Australia, 21-23 February, 2007

Western Australia is the country’s largest state by area, occupying about a third of the mainland, and Perth is a long distance from Sydney (Jakarta, Indonesia, is nearer). The three-day programme attracted delegates and speakers from as far away as Europe, USA and Canada and closer to home from Singapore, the eastern states of Australia and New Zealand.

The conference had ten keynote speakers, three plenary addresses and one hundred and two parallel breakout sessions covering the Conference themes:

• Construct of mental health - what does it mean to be mentally healthy?
•  Influences on mental health (social determinants and protective factors)
• Who is responsible for mental health promotion?
• How do you do mental health promotion?
• Mental Health Promotion 2007 and beyond.

Northern Ireland Conference

The Clifford Beers Foundation is planning a UK/Ireland conference on mental health promotion late this year or early in 2008. It will be the third in a series, after meetings in Dublin (2005) and London (2006).

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THE VICTORIAN HEALTH PROMOTION FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA (VICHEALTH) CURRENT ACTIVITY IN THE PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH

Background

VicHealth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program

• Research, monitoring and evaluation;
• Direct Participation programs;
• Organizational development, including workforce development;
• Community Strengthening;
• Communications and Marketing;
• Advocacy;
• Legislative and Policy Reform.

Vic Health focuses these mutually reinforcing activities on three key determinants of mental health: 1) social inclusion, 2) freedom from discrimination and violence and 3) access to economic resources.

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1. Social Inclusion

• Redevelopment of the VicHealth Arts Program to focus on the mental benefits of participation in the arts.
• Implementation of Sport & Recreation Programs designed to increase access to participation for the whole population and in particular, sub-populations experiencing social isolation and disadvantage in order to enhance their mental health and wellbeing.
• Development of Youth Technology Programs designed to facilitate access to supportive relationships for marginalized young people.
• Development of Walking School Bus Programs designed to increase physical activity and access to supportive relationships for young people and their families.

2. Discrimination

• Implementation of the Building Bridges Program designed to decrease race-based discrimination through facilitating positive contact and cooperation between people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Conduct of a Community Attitudes Survey on race-based discrimination with findings documented and disseminated in order to inform future strategies to reduce discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.
• Consolidation of an Indigenous Leadership Program designed to increase the self esteem, skills and resources of Indigenous young people and reduce race-based discrimination at the local and state levels.

3. Violence Against Women

• Dissemination of the findings of a study into the “Burden of Disease Associated with Intimate Partner Violence” which identifies such violence as the most significant risk factor for the health of women aged 15-45 in Australia.
• Conduct of a Community Attitudes Survey on Violence Against Women to inform development of a mass media Community Education Campaign to reduce violence perpetrated against women.

4. Economic Participation

• Conduct of research focusing on Workforce Stress in Victoria – Developing a Systems Approach to inform development of organizational practices to promote mental health and wellbeing.
• Development of supportive Education and Training Programs for young people from Indigenous and Refugee Communities and those exiting the Juvenile Justice System.

5. Systems Strengthening

• Organization for hosting the 5th World Conference in the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders, as part of the GCAPP.
• Conduct of evidence reviews indicating 1) the links between mental health and social inclusion, discrimination and violence and 2) models of good practice to increase social inclusion and reduce discrimination and violence.
• Ongoing provision of the VicHealth Mental Health Promotion Short Course to 500 cross-sector practitioners per annum, with 87% of participants reporting on-going integration of learnings into their professional practice.
• Development of publications and tools to support cross sector practice to promote mental health and wellbeing.
• Support for research identifying models of good practice in promoting mental health and wellbeing across sectors.
• Establishment of the McCaughey Centre, a new research and practice Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing.

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The McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental
Health and Community Wellbeing

Dr Kathleen Brasher was responsible for coordinating the data collection and completing the Melbourne project report, submitted to WHO in February 2007. Dr Brasher recently participated in a meeting of the worldwide project team in London, which brought together all of the leaders of "Age-Friendly Cities Projects" collaborating with WHO in this initiative to review the research results, and plan for the development and release of the WHO Global Age Friendly Cities Guide in October. Dr Brasher presented the Melbourne project findings to the London meeting, and the project focus has now turned to the local dissemination of results and next steps in collaboration with the international project team network.

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Further Information

Further Information regarding VicHealth activity in the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing can be accessed via the VicHealth webpage at: http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au 
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INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH AND SCHOOLS (INTERCAMHS)

February Meeting in Perth, Australia

Over 90 participants attended the one-day meeting, many from the education sector. They valued the opportunity to have a whole day that focused on school mental health. The pre-conference event was a collaboration of Intercamhs, the Australian Guidance and Counselling Association and the School Psychologists of Western Australia Association. Partnerships with local organizations are a feature of these international meetings.

A contingent of members is participating in the upcoming meeting of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education in Vancouver in mid-June. To learn more about Intercamhs or to join, please visit www.intercamhs.org

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News from the Center for School Mental Health Analysis and Action,
University of Maryland Baltimore, USA, a founding member of Intercamhs

The CSMHA houses the University of Maryland, Baltimore School Mental Health Program (SMHP), which offers direct mental health services to youth in Baltimore schools. Several of the staff members who work for the CSMHA also work in the SMHP as clinicians, trainers and supervisors, which informs them of the constantly changing climate of child and adolescent mental health. The SMHP clinicians are a diverse group of psychologists, social workers, and
counselors who have been delivering mental health services throughout Baltimore since 1989.

The Center has a sizeable advisory board from diverse backgrounds and with members from all areas of the United States. The CSMHA and its board members, along with the IDEA Partnership (see www.ideapartnership.org ),  support a National Community of Practice on Collaborative School Behavioral Health, which provides a forum for multi-scale learning and collaboration on many issues related to the promotion of student mental health (see www.sharedwork.org.) 

A highlight of the Center’s work is its annual national conference on Advancing School Mental Health, which usually draws 800 or more participants from most U.S. states and a number of other countries. If you would like to learn more about the center, and/or its next conference in Orlando, Florida, October 25-27, 2007, please visit http://csmha.umaryland.edu.
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INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION (IUHPE)

Conference in Vancouver, Canada, June 10-15, 2005

For information on the conference and the pre-conference session on mental health promotion, go to the IUHPE web site (www.iuhpe.org ) or the conference web site at www.iuhpeconference.org.

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OTHER NEWS

New book: Implementing Mental Health Promotion,
edited by Margaret Barry and Rachel Jenkins (376 pages)

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