Supporting People in Distress: Critical Perspectives on Safe Places and Spaces

14 And 15 November 2025.

School Of Applied Social Studies

Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century and

Critical Voices Network Ireland

Registration for in-person attendance:  Email Harry Gijbels at h.gijbels@ucc.ie indicating which day you wish to attend: both days, or either Friday 14 November or Saturday 15 November. You’ll receive a return email confirmation. Booking will be confirmed by return email.

Registration for online attendance (Keynotes only):  here

CONFERENCE THEME

Over the last 16 years this conference has covered many concerns around mental health systems, practices and provisions. One of these concerns centre around the lack of availability of safe spaces and places for people experiencing intense distress. We have heard and learned from different ways/approaches, outside of the traditional hospital and community-based systems, of supporting people in distress, such as crisis houses and therapeutic farms. Sadly, locating safe spaces and places for people experiencing severe distress and crisis remains difficult.  Following on from last year’s conference on iatrogenic harm we are acutely aware that we need to turn ‘first do good’ into practice. Therefore, this year’s conference aims to explore and discuss:              

• What constitutes a safe place/space in mental health practices? 
• Why is it so difficult to develop and sustain safe places/spaces?
• Are there examples of good practices from various jurisdictions providing safe places and spaces?

We hope that this conference will bring together people with experience and interest in developing safe spaces projects in Ireland. 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Jess Angland, CEO, Slí Eile Support Services, Community based Care Farm, Bakery and Supported living in North Cork; Eamonn Flynn, Dad, music mental health activist. Looking for humane ways to help people in crisis and their families, London; ‘New Script for Mental Health’ campaign Activists, Belfast; Ciara Glynn, Manager at Solace Café, former peer support worker, passionate activist, Dublin; Sinead Pierce, Peer Support Worker, HSE & Lived Experience Informed Educator, University College Cork, Cork; Speak Out! Theatre for Transformation, Creativity and Change project, Munster Technological University, Cork.

Conference details regularly updated on https://cvni.ie/2025-2/

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