9th Annual Family Conference wraps to rave reviews
“Family panel was wonderful! Thank you to Catherine for sharing your story of parenting! Erin was amazing and so was Lee. I appreciated hearing their stories of recovery.”
“Erin was inspirational. The key note speakers were super. The resilience session was useful, too.”
“I appreciated the science and research mixed with personal experiences.”
These are just a few of the reviews that have rolled in from the 9th Annual Family Conference that took place at VGH’s Paetzold Auditorium on April 26th.
This year, over 170 family members, clients and service providers came together to learn about new clinical research, hear practical advice and be inspired by stories of recovery.
This year’s conference included two keynotes. Dr. Bill Honer, Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry delivered Psychosis: Brain and/or Mind?, while Dr. Evan Wood, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Inner City Medicine, VCHA and PHC, spoke about Mobilizing Families and Communities to Improve Care for People with Addiction.
Rounding out the conference were workshops presented on topics including suicide prevention, recovery and peer support, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and developing resiliency in the face of adversity.
“Recognizing that studies have shown how family and community involvement are key factors in preventing and treating serious mental illness and addiction, the Family Advisory Committee organized this conference to provide a critical forum for discussing issues faced by family members and their loved ones, “ says Rebecca Sharma, family member and co-chair of the Vancouver Family Advisory Committee. “The conference provided an exciting opportunity for Vancouverites to have a voice within their own health care system, and for our community to hear personal stories of hope and recovery”.
“As far as we know, this is the only conference of its kind in Canada,” said Gloria Baker, Manager, Family Support and Involvement. “We want families to come away from our annual conference with increased knowledge about mental health and addiction, information about resources for themselves and their family member, and a greater sense of hope and inspiration for the future. An overall rating of 3.5 stars (out of a possible 4) for keynotes and sessions and the overwhelmingly positive comments and suggestions on evaluation forms tells us that the information we present here is useful and appreciated.”
The Family Advisory Committee gratefully acknowledges the support of Vancouver Coastal Health, Mood Disorders Association of BC, British Columbia Schizophrenia Society and From Grief to Action for making this year’s conference a success.
For more information about the conference, contact Gloria Baker (gloria.baker@vch.ca).