Clinical Psychology practising what it preaches: ACP-UK leads the way
From left to right: Dave Harper, Aneisha Sandhu, Mark Darbon & Sally Morgan at this first European Clinical Psychology conference in Dresden, Germany
No Health without Mental Health – European Clinical Psychology Takes Responsibility
Thanks to Dave Harper, Sally Morgan, Mark Darbon and Aneisha Sandhu*, for representing UK Clinical Psychology at this first European Clinical Psychology conference, 31st October – 2nd November, Dresden, Germany.
Dave comments ‘One of the striking things about the conference was the varied context in which clinical psychology found itself in different countries’. As well as sharing different contexts the use of technology was discussed, including whether or not machine-learning can predict mental distress and the use of technology in therapy, such as the virtual reality technology we had a chance to experience at the inaugural ACP-UK Complex Mental Health Network conference in September. ACP-UK facilitated one of three symposia directly about social justice and addressing inequality. We think we were the only organisation there with a speaker who had used the clinical psychology service being presented. Dave urged mental health services to move towards a preventative model. He also argued that there was a need for new social movements of mental health professionals, service users, carers and the general public to change the priorities of research funding bodies so that they fund more research into prevention, and to change governmental policies to address what we currently know about social determinants of health.
*Dave Harper is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, Sally Morgan is ACP-UK Director of Media and Communications, Mark Darbon is a young person who self-referred to the Building My Future team and Aneisha Sandhu is a youth worker.