National Mental Illness Summit

'Families, Meeting the Challenges of Mental Illness'

SFNZ held a very successful National Mental Illness Summit in Wellington 5-7 September 2008.

The theme of our Summit was ‘Families - Meeting the Challenges of Mental Illness’, because SFNZ knows that families can, and do play a major role in the recovery journey of people living with mental illness. 

The majority of 240 Summit delegates ─ over 75% ─ were family members of people experiencing mental illness. Feedback from families was excellent ─ people loved learning and networking ─ the keynote speakers and workshops, as well as meeting other family/whanau, mental health sector workers, consumers, policy makers and clinicians.

The atmosphere was electric ─ hundreds of family members from across New Zealand under one roof, sharing, learning and being inspired by the SFNZ Summit.

Policy makers and politicians shared in the experiences of families at the Summit.  It is SFNZ's hope that all delegates will take our message of family inclusion back to their communities, clinical practices, organisations and Government departments. Together we will promote and develop the family role in the recovery journey of people with mental illness.

SFNZ National Office will host the next Family Summit in 2010

Summit Presentations Available for Download

'Families as Partners in Mental Health Care', Dr. Margaret Leggatt

'Mental Illness: Solving Problems and Achieving Goals', Dr. Margaret Leggatt

'Addictions and Mental Health, Exploring the Family Toolkit', Trish Gledhill (Kina Trust)

'Family Participation in Research into Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders' Dr. Robert Miller

'R We CNCTNG? - How the Family and Consumer Voice Can Make a Difference'  Val Dockerty and Fran Wilhelm (Mental Health Network, Southland DHB)

'Talking Therapies'   Megan Owens and Haidee Westwater (Early Interventions Service, Capital and Coast DHB)

Suicide Prevention (SPINZ)