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Milton Abbey School – COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS

28 Mar 2018

A new era for the mental and emotional wellbeing of young people  –  Milton Abbey School, Dorset

We at iCAAD are proud to announce a ground-breaking new initiative – at a time when so many are calling for more prevention and interventions for mental health issues in general, and particularly for young people, our “Courageous Conversations” event recently brought our conference style and expert presenters on mental and emotional health to Milton Abbey School in Dorset. We took over the whole of Milton Abbey School for this cutting edge one-day event bringing students, parents and all of the Milton Abbey teaching staff together. The event was open to any other interested parents, professionals and establishments.

Milton Abbey Head Master, Magnus Bashaarat is sensitive to these issues and dedicated a full day out of the school calendar to talk about mental health well-being. He worked alongside iCAAD to develop this unique event.

He comments ‘Young people’s mental and emotional wellbeing is seldom out of the news. As parents and educators we are all too aware of the pressures and difficulties facing teenagers who are trying to cope with the relatively new phenomenon of 24/7 social media and the reality of their day to day lives being constantly ‘shared’ and commented upon.  Whilst long term research has yet to be done on the impact of this, the short term impact is there for all to see.’  He adds ‘The hope is that those parents who attend ‘Courageous Conversations’ will leave feeling better informed and prepared to engage with their children on these delicate subjects and better able to prevent problems before they arise.’

Running throughout the day was an ‘Adults’ and a ‘Students’ programme. Pupils, parents and teachers heard from leading expert healthcare professionals and engaged in panel discussions, presentations and workshops across a wide range of pertinent topics including: Self-Harm & Eating Disorders; Sex, Love & Relationships; Social media; and Mental health, Depression & Anxiety. More information on the sessions and speakers below:

Speakers

Dr Shruthi Guruswamy became a full-time Consultant Psychiatrist in the Independent Sector in 2014 and alongside her private practice she was appointed Consultant in the Priory Hospital. She is additionally trained as a Dialectical Behaviour Therapist (DBT) with an interest in self-harm behaviour which alongside eating disorders will be her focus point for the conference.

Satveer Nijjar is passionate independent trainer who has used her lived experience of self-harm and mental ill health, combined with academics, to create and deliver CPD Accredited Stef-harm Awareness training to professionals nationally. She started her career with the ‘Better Services for People who Self-harm Project’ (RCPsych) in 2006 and from this her passion to destigmatise self-harm and mental ill health ensued. Satveer’s primary passion is within schools and delivering PSHE sessions to students alongside  self-harm awareness sessions to parents and staff.

Noel McDermott has been a Psychotherapist, Executive Coach, Trainer and Speaker for over 20 years. He will be offering his expertise on Sex, Love and Relationships at the conference, benefitting both young people and adults’ understanding of the crucial part sex, love and relationships play in a young person’s life.

Evelyn Callahan is a Non Binary Transmasculine PhD Student, currently studying Trans Healthcare at Brunel University. Evelyn will be assisting Noel McDermott in speaking of Sex, Love and Relationships but will focus on issues related to gender.

Jonny Benjamin is an award-winning mental health campaigner, film producer, public speaker, writer and vlogger from London. He has been awarded an MBE for his services to mental health and suicide prevention in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. Jonny will speak at the conference about living with mental illness and aims to educate and break stigma, encouraging young people to speak out.

Andy Dunn is the author of Feeling Lost and Finding Your Way, a story that shares his journey through different stages of life, and the struggles he faced with his mental health and navigating big decisions. He has over ten years’ experience working with young people and encouraging their potential. His heartfelt mission is to help young people develop their self-awareness, confidence and personal resilience.

Mandy Saligari is the founder and Clinical Director of CHARTER Harley Street, founded ten years ago. Using her pioneering model of care to break the mould in addiction treatment, Charter has earned a solid reputation for clinical excellence and sustained recovery outcomes successfully treating addiction solely in an outpatient setting.

Dr Owen Bowden–Jones is a medical doctor, psychiatrist and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience of helping people with mental health and substance misuse problems on their journey to recovery. He works in both NHS and private practice, with expertise in substance misuse problems, depression, anxiety problems, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder and trauma.

Chris Martin is the CEO of The Mix, the UK’s leading support service for young people. Chris is passionate about digital for social good, and will be offering his expertise on the phenomenon that is Social Media, and the effects it can have on young people.

Jan Willem Poot is the Founder of Yes We Can Youth Clinics, a private residential clinic in Europe which specialises in treating young people (13-25 years old) with complex behavioural disorders, addictions and related behavioural problems. Jan Willem will host two interactive sessions (Adults and Students) with the aim to determine their understanding of the issues that young people face today, such as, cyber bullying, gaming, drugs and alcohol.

Rosie Johnston is a recovering alcoholic and addict, with copious experience in bad decision-making, terrible consequences and living to tell the tale. Rosie is a trained Addictions Counsellor, author and journalist. She currently works with Young Offenders in West Suffolk, and mentors teenagers across a spectrum of issues including anxiety and depression, peer-pressure, social media and addictions. She will cover all topics related to teenage peer pressure, drink and drugs.

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