CREATING SAFE SPACES IN MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEMS: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES

12 Nov 2021

A Two-Day Conference organised by the School of Applied Social Studies and the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, in association with the Critical Voices Network Ireland

SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY AND SCHOOL OF APPLIED SOCIAL STUDIES, 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK, IRELAND, WITH CRITICAL VOICES NETWORK IRELAND

The experience of the Covid-19 pandemic is relevant to this year’s conference theme with issues of safety featuring in all our lives in different ways. Within this context, it is important to remain critical and not to lose sight of concerns that continue to be expressed about mental health systems not providing safe spaces for people in intense distress. Indeed, it is often the opposite, with people referring to experiences of de-humanisation, coercion and re-traumatisation. Acknowledging such concerns, this conference, now in its 13th year, focuses on the importance of developing and providing safe spaces for people experiencing distress. The conference offers opportunities to examine: 

• what we understand by safe spaces in mental health systems
• what makes it so difficult to offer safe spaces
• the increasing use of coercion and forced treatment to try and maintain people’s ‘safety’
• what safe spaces may look like and how these may be experienced by people in distress
• ways to support people in intense distress in spaces where they feel safe and respected

13th annual conference -  Conference Presentations