Hertfordshire conference to demystify recovery from mental illness

The University’s Centre for Mental Health Recovery which is the first centre of its kind in a higher education institution, has joined forces with the Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to deliver a conference entitled From Here to Recovery – Transforming the Journey which will be held at the University’s Fielder Centre on 18 and 19 September.

The Trust is the first in Hertfordshire to achieve foundation status which means that local people will have more say in the future development of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the county.

Over the two days, the conference will explore the full meaning of recovery, hear experiences from mental health service users and carers and explore how further change can be introduced so that services which are fit for purpose in the 21st century can be created.

“We have begun to develop and promote recovery values and principles and deliver training and education programmes about these,” said Graham Munn, Head of the Centre.

“In addition to local collaboration, we have established national and global partnerships which confirm that this is the right time to translate the theory into a service which reflects the ethos and principles of a recovery-based approach,” added Manjit Rostom, Associate Head of the University’s School of Social, Community and Health Studies.