Conference highlights

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

10:00am - 4:00pm
Pre-Conference Workshops:
Christine Braehler: Compassion Focused Therapy for Recovery After Psychosis
Larry Davidson, PhD: Recovery & Psychosis
Jack Jener, MD and Bert Luteijn, MD: HIT (Hallucination Focused Integrative Therapy): Preferred for AVH?
Tony Morrison, PhD: CBT for Psychosis
Keris Myrick, MBA, MS: (Title TBA)
Mary Olson, PhD: Open Dialogue and Psychosis
Maurizio Peciccia, MD: Progressive Mirror Drawing, Aquatic Therapy & Psychosis
Bent Rosenbaum, MDSc: Psychodynamic Supportive Psychotherapy
 
5:00pm - 7:00pm 
Opening Reception in the Great Hall
Welcome and Greetings
Special event featuring Aaron Beck, MD
Musical Interlude: Classical guitar
Wine Bar with Hors d’oeuvres and Food Stations
 

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

We start the conference with a dialogue towards an integrative model, across the broad and complex domains of genes, brain, mind and culture. The symptomatology and phenomenology of psychosis will be discussed, using both “bottom-up” and “top- down” processing: the effects of genes and brain on mind and behavior, as well as the effects of mind and social experience on genes and brain.

8:00am
Continental Breakfast
 
9:00am
Opening Plenary: From Neurobiology to Person
Speakers:
Brian Koehler, PhD
Deborah Levy, PhD
John Strauss, MD
 
10:55am
Poster Presentations
 
12:45pm - 2:30pm
Lunch and Learn Breakout Sessions on a variety of topics
 
2:30pm - 6:15pm
Breakout Sessions from Psychosis in Children and Adolescents to Mind Stimulation Therapy, Psychosis and Dissociation in Early Intervention: Research and Clinical Reflections, Case Studies, Clinical Studies, What Do we Mean when we say “Mental Illness”?, Concurrent Treatment, Specific Psychotheraphy Tecniques for People Diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Peer-Supported Open Dialogue in London: Qualitative Research of Test Cases, Specialized Early Treatment, Dual Dissociation-A New Continuum Theory and a Poetry Therapy Workshop.
 

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 

A dialogue focusing on high risk and early intervention in psychosis with the goals of reducing psychological suffering and social exclusion, through improving access to evidence-based psychosocial therapies. Also addressed is the need for training of mental health professionals in evidence-based psychosocial therapies.
 
8:00am
Continental Breakfast
 
9:00am
Plenary Panel and Dialogue: From Social Exclusion to Social Inclusion
Speakers: Lisa Dixon, MD, MPH
Robert Heinssen, PhD
Jan Olav Johannessen, MD
 
10:55am
Poster Presentations
 
12:45pm - 2:30pm
Lunch Break and ISPS Formal General Meeting. Agenda includes the bi-annual report from the Executive Committee, the Financial Report and discussion of various ISPS projects currently taking place from collaborating with other organizations, working with nurses, developing research, Learning Tools and training.
 
2:30pm - 3:15pm
Special Event: The Benedetti Lecture
Gaetano Benedetti’s Integrated Treatment of Psychoses.
Speaker: Maurizio Peciccia, MD, Medical Director, Gaetano Benedetti Institute
 
3:30pm - 6:15pm
Breakout Sessions focused on Human Maturaton and Psychotherapists,  Of One Voice? CGJung and the Hearing Voices Movement, Social Class and Psychosis, Family, Work and Love, Entrepreneurship—The Path to Empowerment, Lost in Translation: Psychotic Presentations as Trauma Narratives, Training Peer Workers, Red Silk and Its Consequences and more.
 
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Meet the Authors. A chance to sit down with some of our many authors to hear about their latest work in a roundtable format. Most books will be available through our exhibitors.
 

SATURDAY, MARCH 21 

We move closer to “Neighborhood” with a panel addressing the phenomenology and lived experience of people experiencing a psychotic disorder - with an emphasis on the significant psychosocial factors facilitating recovery. How do we define recovery? What is recovery for an individual?
 
8:00am
Continental Breakfast
 
9:00am - 9:25am
US Launch of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology’s report ‘Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia’.
 
9:25am
Plenary Panel and Dialogue: Subjective Experience and Recovery
Speakers: Larry Davidson, PhD
Keris Myrick, MBA, MS
Silje Marie Strandberg
Lone Viste Fagerland
 
12:45pm - 2:30pm
Lunch Break and ISPS Regional Group Meetings. Join your colleagues from your regional group/country. For those whose country does not yet have an ISPS group, meet with Antonia Svensson, ISPS International Organiser, in room 201/201A, who will be able to assist those interested  in setting up a new ISPS group. Room assignments.
 
2:30pm - 4:00pm
Presidential Panel. From Bio-Psycho-Social to Socio-Psycho-Bio: An Organizational Dialogue on How to Change a Paradiigm.

The dominant paradigm in the understanding of psychosis- along with other mental disorders-for most of the past half-century has emphasized biological perspective on causation and treatment over psychological and social perspectives. ISPS is one of a number of organizations that feels the time has come to reverse this balance—to reconceptualize and reinvigorate existing views on psychosis by elevating social and psychological perspectives, while not ignoring biological ones. The panel wil include representatives of several organizations ISPS has identified as potential partners in this task, and will feature presentations and discussions, between panel members and the audience, about how we can best work together as organizations to change the paradigm for understanding psychosis.

Chair: Andrew Moskowitz, ISPS Executive Board
Discussant: Debra Lampshire, ISPS Executive Board
Panelists: Tim Graecon, ENTER
Andrew Moskowitz, ESTD
Brian McKinnon, INTAR
Jan Olav Johannessen, IEPA
Dick Corstens, INTERVOICE
Brian Martindale, ISPS
Alberto Fergusson, WAPR
 
2:30pm - 6:15pm
Breakout Sessions featuring Culture and Hallucinations, Social Anxiety in First-Episode Psychosis, Making Sense of Violent and Taboo Voices, Cognitive Impairment in Psychosis, Narrative Approaches to Psychosis, Open the Door-A Short Film by People with MI, Psychotherapeutic Listening, and The Icarus Project: A Counter Narrative for Psychic Diversity.
 
7:00pm - 10:00pm
 

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

Our last day is devoted to a panel of therapists and researchers in some of the most influential, as well as exciting new models of psychosocial therapies and psychotherapies - ranging from psychodynamic to cognitive and dialogical.
 
8:00am
Continental Breakfast
 
9:00am
Plenary Panel and Dialogue: Evidence-Based Psychosocial Therapies
Speakers: Ann-Louise Silver, MD
Tony Morrison, PhD
Mary Olson, PhD, LICSW
Bent Rosenbaum, MDSc
 
1:20pm - 2:00pm
Wrap Up Conference Closing.
Looking Ahead to ISPS Liverpool 2017
 

Conference Co-Chairs: Julie Kipp, PhD, LCSW and Brian Koehler, PhD

Conference Committee: Jessica Arenella, PhD, Nancy Burke, PhD, James Tyler Carpenter, PhD, Marilyn Charles, PhD, Yulia Landa, PhD, Casadi Marino, LCSW, Lois Oppenheim, PhD, Jodd Readick, Ann-Louise-Silver, MD