Registration for in-person attendance:  Email Harry Gijbels at h.gijbels@ucc.ie indicating which day you wish to attend: both days, or either Thursday 12 November or Friday 13 November. You’ll receive a return email confirmation. Booking will be confirmed by return email.

Registration for online attendance (Keynotes only) here. At this link you can also find more information on keynote titles, abstracts and bios.

CONFERENCE THEME

In the context of ongoing concerns about how mental health systems engage with people in distress, the 18^th annual CVNI conference aims to explore diverse approaches grounded in meaning, values, connection and relationships.  Following on from last year’s conference on safe spaces, we aim to explore and discuss:

• the significance of challenging the coercive nature of current practices
• the contribution of practices focused on meaning and dialogue
• the importance of connection and peer support

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Lisa Archibald, Director, Intentional Peer Support, Scotland; Jennifer Hough, Human rights law researcher and Mad in Ireland editor, Ireland; Liam Mac Gabhann, Community Activist & Mental Health Practitioner.  Dublin North, North East Recovery College & Dublin City University, Ireland; Maura O’Donovan and Aidan O’Mahony, Home Focus, West Cork: Community-based mental health recovery and support team, Ireland; Kellie Stastny, proud voice hearer, critical social worker, and Chair of the Intervoice Board, Australia; Iseult Twamley, human, parent, psychologist, open dialogue trainer & Director of the International Institute of Dialogic and CoCreative Practice (INDICO), Ireland.

Conference details regularly updated on https://cvni.ie/2026-2/

The Conference organisers are Lydia Sapouna, School of Applied Social Studies and Harry Gijbels (retired), School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland.