Perspectives
Welcome to a special 2023 Highlights edition of Perspectives! As we come to the end of another year, we look back on some our key achievements, popular blogs and articles, and upcoming events for 2024.
We are also excited to announce that Perspectives will now be accepting reader submissions for the main article. Be sure to get your submissions in before the end of January for your chance to be featured in the next issue.
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– Open Dialogue Centre
A Word From Our CEO
This year marks significant growth for the Open Dialogue Centre. We have expanded our operating team to include five staff and six regular consultants, and have continued to grow our network of Open Dialogue Trainers.
The expansion of this trainer network is a pivotal step in advancing our training initiatives. We’ve successfully developed early-stage training modules, laying the foundation for team training in Open Dialogue. These modules, focusing on one and four-day programs, were implemented throughout the year, totalling thirteen training days with two facilitators each. With these modules established, we anticipate a substantial increase in training days in the upcoming years.
Looking ahead, we have a range of exciting events scheduled over the next year, including our one-year Foundation Training Course in Melbourne and our First National Conference (27th-28th May 2024) in Sydney. We are also focused on extending the significant implementation progress with Youth Insearch to other Implementation Partners who are committed to training and adopting Open Dialogue into their organisation, teams, school or service.
– Keith Bryant
2023 Highlights Sydney One-Day Workshop
On November 20th,we held our first one-day Open Dialogue Workshop in Sydney. Run by the amazing Anna Sidis and Lisa Dawson at the ACAP Sydney Office, the workshop went over the origins and key principles of Open Dialogue, using interactive activities and allowing participants to engage in deep listening and reflection.
Melbourne One-Day Workshop
We also ran our one-day Melbourne Workshop on the 1st of December in the Melbourne ACAP Office. Thank you to everyone who participated – we are looking forward to holding more of these workshops next year!
Mark Hopfenbeck Joins the Team
We are so excited to welcome Mark Hopfenbeck to the team here at the Open Dialogue Centre! Mark is a Social Anthropologist and an Open Dialogue and Mindfulness trainer with more than 15 years of experience in Open Dialogue research and training. He is a key figure in the Peer-supported Open Dialogue training led by the North East London NHS Foundation Trust, and has worked as a co-investigator in the ODDESSI trial.
TheMHS Conference
In August, our incredible Head of Partnerships and Programs, Shubhangi Kaushik, presented at TheMHS Conference 2023 in Adelaide. Along with Rachel Barbara-May, Shubhangi shared key insights gained from the Open Dialogue Centre International Study Tour.
Manly Workshop
A key part of developing and implementing our training offerings is the creation of a Community of Practice, so we were excited to bring together various champions of Open Dialogue at our Manly Workshop in May.
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference 2023
In March, our Head of Partnerships and Programs, Shubhangi Kaushik, presented at the 2023 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference by the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association. She highlighted Open Dialogue’s role in prevention and early intervention for supporting youth in mental distress.
Open Dialogue Training in Portugal
n February, our Board Member Pia Clinton-Tarestad, participated in interactive training in Estremoz, Portugal. Led by UK trainers, including Mark Hopfenbeck, the program aims to train Portuguese clinicians and peers in Open Dialogue through alternating week-long online and face-to-face sessions.
HOPEnDialogue
In February, Shubhangi also joined the HOPEnDialogue Advisory Board, contributing to the international effort to evaluate Open Dialogue practices globally.
FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE
On the 27th and 28th of May 2024, we will be holding our inaugural conference at Macquarie Park in beautiful Sydney. We are so excited to welcome a wide variety of impressive partners and speakers to present at this event.
This conference is an opportunity to adapt and change how we think about mental health, aligning to the ODC’s collaborative mission with partners and supporters.
2023 Blogs and Articles
Perspective on Relationships
As humans are social creatures, relationships are fundamental to our mental and emotional health and wellbeing. In this article, we speak to CEO of Relationships Australia NSW Elisabeth Shaw about the key role of connection.
Perspective on Peer Workers and Lived Experience
In this article, Flick Grey writes about her experiences travelling to nine countries and interviewing 81 people working at the intersection between peers/lived experience and Open Dialogue.
Open Dialogue in Schools
In this article, we explore the benefits of integrating Open Dialogue into school environments, fostering meaningful connections between students and their social networks – in relation to Sarah Farrell-Whelan’s TEDx talk.
Open Dialogue Services Across the Globe
Based on findings in a recent research article by Pocobello et al., this piece
explores the nuances of implementing Open Dialogue in different global contexts.