In May 2017, many of the world’s leading mental health practitioners and researchers convened in Jerusalem to attend our international conference to focus on issues around trauma and mental health.

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The conference at Hadassah Hospital, itself an internationally-recognised leader in the treatment of mental health, was ground-breaking in many respects, not the least being the location – historically, an epicentre of wars and terrorism and, more recently, a city conflicted by inter-communal  issues like family dysfunction, violence and sexual abuse.

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By any measure the conference was an outstanding success.  A final recommendation from the floor was to convene a follow-up conference, so that people who work at the coalface of mental health are again given access to highly-credentialed speakers talking on topics of concern and interest to individuals, communities and governments around the world.

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So it is with the greatest pleasure that we invite you to register for the 2nd International Conference on Trauma & Mental Health "The Impacts of Trauma and Adversity: Challenges and Innovations" to be held at the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center from 18-20 September 2022.

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The focus in 2017 was on veterans, military personnel and first responders.  In 2022, the focus will shift to community trauma.

The main conference theme is "The Impacts of Trauma and Adversity: Challenges & Innovations".

The conference will address:
   1. The mental health impact of trauma and adversity in ongoing conflict zones, on refugees and displaced persons;
   2. The mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults, young people and children; and 
   3. Innovations in PTSD intervention across trauma-affected populations

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The committees have developed a truly international event with high profile keynote speakers from Australia, UK, USA, and Europe. It is anticipated that speakers will participate from across the region and internationally in the conference. 

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Among the confirmed keynote speakers is Professor Richard Bryant, Scientia Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales.  Prof Bryant will speak on World Health Organisation mental health programs for refugees and displaced persons.

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Professor Sir Simon Wessely is professor of psychological medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and head of its department of psychological medicine, vice dean for academic psychiatry, teaching and training at the Institute of Psychiatry, as well as Director of the King's Centre for Military Health Research.  Prof Wessely will speak on adversity and mental health in the UK mental health service.

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Professor Barbara Rothbaum is a clinical psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a professor in the Psychiatry department and a pioneer in the treatment of anxiety-related disorders with a speciality in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Prof Rothbaum will speak on her work in the innovation space across psychological, pharmacological and virtual reality options in the treatment of PTSD.

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Professor Tine Jensen is Professor of Psychology at the University of Oslo and a Research Professor at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies. Prof Jensen will speak on the treatment of trauma affected children and adolescents.

The full list of speakers, their topics and biographies will be available on this website shortly.

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The international conference is designed to cover topics of interest and concern to health professional including clinicians (GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, nurses and social workers) and researchers.

 

The quality of the speakers will again be outstanding and there will be opportunities for paper presentations from clinicians and academics.

We highly recommend a visit to Jerusalem, a city that speaks to the major monotheistic faiths but is also a modern metropolis.  Outside of conference activities there are many and varied attractions, both old and new, within Jerusalem and beyond for delegates and partners to explore.

 

Trauma and mental health are broad categories that deal with situations affecting every community, irrespective of their geography, political frameworks or social advantage.  The 2nd International Conference on Trauma & Mental Health will have something for everyone!

 

Co-Chairs

 

Professor Omer Bonne 

Head, Department of Psychiatry, Hadassah Medical Organisation

Jerusalem, Israel

 

Professor Richard Bryant AC

Scientia Professor of Psychology, University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia

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Professor David Forbes

Director, Phoenix Australia, Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health; Department of Psychiatry,

The University of Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia

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Professor Yair Bar-Haim

Director of the Center for Development and Psychopathology, and the Laboratory for Research on Anxiety and Trauma, Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv, Israel