"A Disorder for Everyone!" - Challenging the culture of psychiatric diagnosis and exploring trauma informed alternatives in association with The Women's Centre Cornwall

AD4E is coming to Cornwall!

This will be our 21st event and we are delighted to be supported by The Women's Centre Cornwall

Contributors include Dr Lucy Johnstone, Matt Ball, Dr Akima Thomas, Michelle Springer-Benjamin, Pat McArdle, Kate Atkinson, Maggie Parks, Viv Gordon, Nollaig McSweeeny and Jo Watson.

PCCS Books will be selling books on the day.

About the day

The event features not just professionals but people from a diverse range of backgrounds who have an essential contribution to make to the debate.

Lucy Johnstone presents the current debates and controversies about psychiatric diagnosis. It is increasingly acknowledged, even within the mental health establishment, that categories like 'schizophrenia', 'bipolar disorder' and 'personality disorder' lack validity. The assumption that distress is best understood as disease can have very serious consequences for the individual, their identity, and their path to recovery. In the morning Lucy will present alternatives to diagnosis which can help people to make sense of experiences of distress, however extreme, and which are based on working together to explore personal meaning.

Other Listed speakers will make up the rest of the day as well as an afternoon workshop.

Workshop 1

Title: An Introduction to the Power Threat Meaning
Framework

Facilitator: Dr Lucy Johnstone

Summary: Lucy will outline the key principles of the framework and show how it can be used in practice to understand and make sense of emotional and psychological distress.

Check out the trailer for the Power Threat Meaning Framework Launch

Workshop 2

Title: The Trauma informed approach and Beyond.

Facilitators: Dr Akima Thomas & Michelle Springer-Benjamin

Summary: This workshop will provide a space and an opportunity to reflect on promising practice and the integration of trauma informed principles. Akima and Michelle will facilite an open discussion where participants will be encouraged to think critically and creatively about trauma informed approaches to working with emotional distress.