Explore the potential of Open Dialogue:

1-Day Online Introduction to Open Dialogue

Explore the potential of Open Dialogue: 1-Day online discovery day

Join us for an informative and inspiring day with participants who work in mental health from around Australia to deepen your understanding of the Open Dialogue Approach.

The Open Dialogue Centre has brought together experts from different mental health regions and fields, who will draw from their knowledge of Open Dialogue and its relationship to positive outcomes in mental health. Through their unique experiences, they will reflect on how Open Dialogue can have a practical application in different health contexts – in Australia and globally.

Some feedback from our past participants

‘It reinforced my opinion that Open Dialogue needs to be more widely considered and adopted in our mental health system.’

‘First and foremost, the way Mark held the space, responding to all participants, actually practicing the Open Dialogue approach in the room. This gave me an experience, not just a heap of theory. I also appreciated the exercises in listening and being heard. Hearing from folks implementing OD in practice contexts was also great.’

‘Workshop was well led - could see the correlation between how the workshop was run and hope Open Dialogue works at a practitioner level.’

‘Engaging, interactive, informative, warm.’

‘Face to face is always better but the presenters were knowledgeable and passionate and so it was easy to stay engaged.’

‘The real world examples - and opportunities to ask questions to those people - was so super helpful and there was enough time for this. Ordinarily these things are cut short and questions aren't always answered.’

‘…I feel as though the format of the workshop was conducive to a comprehensive introduction to Open Dialogue, it was interesting and engaging, it covered multiple areas where Open Dialogue can be used, there was opportunity to speak with people using the approach, to clarify any concerns, to work together and meet like-minded individuals... I thoroughly enjoyed it and gained a lot from it.’

About the Approach

Open Dialogue is a way of listening, of being present with a person and their network, and of ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard. It places relationships as foundational to prevention and recovery pathways through social network meetings.

It is recognised by the World Health Organisation as an approach that elevates the voice and agency of the individual and their rights – enabling responsive and compassionate care that involves family and community.

It is also a way to deliver on many of the priorities and recommendations that have been articulated in a number of Commissions, research papers and reviews into mental health

You will learn about:

The history and origins of Open Dialogue and how it is growing in Australia;
The core principles of Open Dialogue and how they can be adapted to different clinical and non-clinical settings;
Unique and powerful ways to strengthen listening and responding;
The potential for more collaborative and coordinated ways of working;
The value of involving social networks and how they enable agency and voice to be elevated; and
Ways you can integrate Open Dialogue principles into your current practice.

This workshop is ideal for mental health clinical practitioners, lived experience professionals and peer workers, school health and wellbeing coordinators, community leaders, and anyone interested in developing a new evidence-base to create better outcomes in mental health.

We will also touch on how the Centre is supporting the Open Dialogue network in Australia to unlock ongoing learning opportunities and you will be invited to be part of future opportunities that stem from our events and partnerships.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear more from our highly experienced facilitators:

Mark Hopfenbeck: Head of Training and Open Dialogue Trainer, Open Dialogue Centre

Tilly Read: Clinical Practice Lead, Devon Partnership Trust, Torquay UK, who will share more about implementing and evaluating Peer Supported Open Dialogue in the National Health Service (NHS) in London.

Register now for this rewarding experience – places are limited, via the registration form below

Facilitators: Mark Hopfenbeck and Tilly Read
Date:
20th October 2025
Time:
10.00am to 3.00pm (AEST)
Cost:
$247.50 ($225 + GST)
Location:
Online (login details will be sent prior to the day)

If you are a Lived and Living Experience Worker(LLEW), reside in Victoria and would like to apply for a course Scholarship, please click on the button below to check your eligibility and apply. Scholarships are limited.

Mark Hopfenbeck, Head of Training at the Open Dialogue Centre, who is a highly regarded trainer in Open Dialogue having spent the past 20 years training mental health teams in Norway, England, Portugal, Israel, Czechia.

Learn more about Mark

Mark is currently lead trainer for the Post-graduate Certificate in Peer-supported Open Dialogue offered by North East London Foundation Trust and City St George’s, University of London. Mark spends most of his time collaborating with Open Dialogue researchers and practitioners around the world – supporting the development and dissemination of the Open Dialogue Approach. His core research interests have focused on integrating Open Dialogue with current models of recovery, collaborative care and peer support in order to facilitate the implementation of Open Dialogue within statutory mental health services as well as the development of organizational and clinical fidelity measures.

He is currently co-investigator involved in Open Dialogue: Development and Evaluation of a Social Network Intervention for Severe Mental Illness (ODDESSI) (2017-2025), and is the coordinator of the Advisory Board for HOPEnDialogue: An International collaborative multicentre research network to support the Open Dialogue learning community and evaluate the effectiveness of Open Dialogue in various mental health care contexts around the world (2019-2024).

He is also Individual Project Partner at the Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice in Health and Social Care, St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford.

Mark is co-editor of The Practical Handbook of Hearing Voices (2021), The Practical Handbook of Eating Difficulties (2022) and The Practical Handbook of Living with Dementia (2022).

Tilly Read, Community Practice Lead, Devon Partnership Trust, Torquay UK. Tilly is a dedicated Clinical Practice Lead and experienced Open Dialogue Trainer with a proven track record in advancing mental health practices.

Learn more about Tilly

Tilly has been instrumental in designing training to support how teams plan, collaborate and foster culture change. She is a clinical practice lead who brings nearly a decade of experience as a registered mental health nurse. She develops ways to strengthen the understanding of how Open Dialogue can be transformative for organisations and the workforce, with deep knowledge around Peer Supported Open Dialogue, organisational clinical processes, better outcomes for people and families and guidance around developing truly person-centred approaches.

Tilly led the implementation of the ODDESSI trial in Devon. ODDESSI is a large randomised control trial in the UK, researching the effectiveness of Open Dialogue in crisis and continuing metal health care within the National Health Service in the UK.

Please complete the form below to register for this workshop

Registration Form

Payment Options

For direct transfer Bank Details are:
BSB: 082-356
Account: 24 100 7959
Please include your NAME as the reference

If you require an invoice for payment please advise via email
training@opendialoguecentre.org.au
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Your place is confirmed upon receipt of payment and your registration form.