News & Events

CPN's Consumer Academic, Cath Roper's article Ethical Peril, Violence and “Dirty Hands”: Ethical Consequences of Mental Health Laws has been published in a special issue of the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health.Cath discusses the ethical situations of people governed by mental health laws, clinicians working under mental health laws and analyses the 'harder to see' forms of violence experienced by people exposed to these mental health laws.

Wednesday 10 July was the inaugural International Safewards Day! Safewards is an internationally recognised mental health model that aims to make mental health facilities safer for everyone. The model highlights for staff how they reduce conflicts and the need for restrictive interventions by recognising triggers which can put patients and staff at risk.

The countdown is officially on! Tickets still available.

CPN Director, Associate Professor Bridget Hamilton was the Inaugural winner of the 2018 VMIAC Consumer Awards ‘Ally’ category back in October. VMIAC CEO Maggie Toko explained the new award was launched to honour work of allies who “don’t do it for us, they do it with us and they make sure we’re out in front, they stand by us”.

The program for the 20th Annual Victorian Collaborative Mental Health Nursing Conference is now available!

CPN Clinical supervision: looking backward, looking forward

On Monday 11 February 2019, the CPN were thrilled to host Rai Waddingham as she presented her thought-provoking session ‘Rethinking empowerment and recovery (overcoming disempowerment and oppression) to the Mental Health nursing, academic and research community.Rai who has spent a good portion of her life in and out of psychiatric hospitals, now sees herself as a survivor. She is a freelance trainer, writer and an active member of a variety of UK based committees.The session explored the critical perspectives on the concepts of recovery and empowerment in mental health, ways in which these concepts play out in modern mental health services and oppression and disempowerment within mental health services.Taking inspiration from other civil rights movements, she discussed ways we can work together to recognise and overcome these issues.Feedback: “Rai was an awesome presenter, mediating the session brilliantly, drawing out the points people were making and underlining useful concepts”“Excellent training about oppression found within treatment and recovery. Rai offered her personal view and also enabled an honest discussion.”“Rachel was an inspiring speaker and has given me much to think about and pass on in every aspect of my work.”

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This new, open-access resource aims to inform and support the implementation of co-production initiatives specifically within the Victorian mental health context.

A series of short videos about who we are & why we're passionate about working in mental health.

Contingent of Victorian Safewards trainers & researchers attend EVIPRG Congress; A/Prof Bridget Hamilton to Chair international Safewards Community of Practice

Phase One of the CPN’s rollout of Psychotherapy Essentials to community MH nurses is on track for the first half of 2018.

This year's 'Graduate Survey' of Victorian public mental health services is a 'preliminary step' to further CPN research into graduate MH nurse program offerings across the state.

2017's Symposium in NZ attended by contingent of CPN-affiliated consumer academics; 2018's to be hosted by the CPN in Melbourne

Dr Peckham's keynote "The Talking Cure is Biological" was very well-received at the 2017 Collab Conference. View the video here in full.

Cath Roper and Prof. Bernadette McSherry discuss the legal framework and lived experience of involuntary treatment in Australia

CPN Nursing Lecturer Dr Finbar Hopkins awarded PhD for thesis exploring maternal representations from pre-pregnancy to early motherhood.

Resources to help MH services & practitioners assess the degree to which their practice promotes autonomy & self-determination for service users