Refocus on Recovery 2023 international conference

Abstract submission

Abstract submission has now closed for oral and poster presentations, and abstracts are now being considered by our Scientific Advisory Board.

The best eleven submissions as judged by the Scientific Advisory Board will be invited to give a prestigious oral plenary presentation at the conference. All other accepted submissions will be given as poster presentations.

Please note: if your abstract is accepted then you must register and pay to attend the conference in person.

Cost to attend in person for both days including conference dinner (does not include accommodation):

Full price: £280.00

Concessionary: £140.00 (for local, voluntary and community interest groups, small charities, self-help groups, and people who use and/or provide unpaid care for people using mental health services)

All poster presenters must provide a PDF copy of their poster at least 1 week prior to the conference and also a printed version to present at the conference. The PDF version of the poster will only be available for online delegates, to view on the website.

Please note that all oral presentations will be live-streamed and recorded. Only attendees who have purchased an online ticket will be able to watch the presentations live and will receive immediate access to presentations after Refocus on Recovery 2023.

During submission you will be asked which theme your abstract is linked to.

Abstract submission now closed

Theme 1: Cross-cultural learning

What different perspectives, scientific research, explanatory models and working practices are emerging internationally? Where are the best examples of cultural adaptation? What are community-based approaches, and is the meaning of ‘community’ changing?

Example topics include: rights-based policy and practice in different countries; integration of Western and traditional / indigenous models of emotional distress; using lived experience in high-stigma settings, learning from Mad Studies and survivor research, non-biomedical meaning frameworks (e.g. Power-Threat-Meaning, spiritual emergence, post-traumatic growth).

Theme 2: Digital approaches

What are the opportunities and challenges of new online and digital interventions? Who benefits and who is excluded? What technological innovations are occurring within and beyond the mental health system?

Example topics include: the impact of technology on therapeutic relations (e.g. telepsychiatry, video consultations); digital health interventions to support recovery; online peer support; person-centred care approaches using artificial intelligence (e.g. machine learning, natural language processing, recommender systems); big data and mental health recovery; therapy chatbots; digital approaches to coproduction and community engagement.

Theme 3: Re-imagining services

What do rights-oriented, recovery-focussed, person-centred mental health and social care systems look like? What aspects of traditional mental health services need to be retained, be changed or be stopped? How do services need to evolve to deal with global challenges and uncertainties? What is the impact of the WHO guidance on community mental health services?

Example topics include: shared decision-making; community development; social movements; QualityRights; lived experience leadership; new service models such as patient-controlled admissions, peer-run crisis homes, Recovery Colleges in new service settings (e.g. forensic, young people).

Any queries can be sent to refocusonrecovery2023@nottingham.ac.uk