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Psych Congress Partners With AFSP to Enhance Mental Health Education and Community Support
HMP Global, a health care events and education company, has unveiled an expanded partnership between the annual Psych Congress national meeting and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). This collaboration aims to bolster the event's educational program with mental health sessions and foster community backing for AFSP's mission.
This year’s Psych Congress, occurring September 6th through the 10th at Nashville's Music City Center, is an independent conference focused on practical psychopharmacology. It serves as a platform for mental health professionals to connect with leading psychiatry experts, with the goal of improving patient outcomes through education.
AFSP, founded in 1987, is a voluntary health organization dedicated to empowering those affected by suicide through research, education, and advocacy.
This year, AFSP was chosen as Psych Congress's official charitable partner because the organizations “have a shared mission to develop and deliver critical educational resources for mental health clinicians and other medical professionals aimed at preventing suicides,” said Randy Robbin, chief learning officer at HMP Global, in a press release.
“Through our collaboration with Psych Congress, we are reaching healthcare providers on the front lines of America’s mental health crisis and effecting positive change,” said Dr Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president of research, AFSP, and Psych Congress steering committee member. “It takes all of us working together to prevent suicides and provide support for those struggling with mental illnesses, and Psych Congress is a vital platform for the mental health care community.”
Attendees can attend 6 conference sessions produced through this collaboration, including the Eric Arauz Memorial Keynote Address, titled "Healing Through Music: The Transformative Power of Songwriting in Mental Health." The keynote, presented by Dr Christine Yu Moutier, AFSP's chief medical officer, will explore music's role in processing trauma and addressing mental health issues, followed by a session led by Nashville-based Music Neighbors.
Additionally, the Out of the Darkness Community Walk for suicide prevention, will begin at 6:30 AM on Thursday, September 7, at Nashville's Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. The walk aims to raise awareness, provide remembrance, and extend support to those impacted by suicide and mental health conditions.
Psych Congress will feature over 50 sessions led by renowned faculty, catering to various members of the mental health team, including psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and psychologists.
For further information and registration, visit the Psych Congress website. To learn more about AFSP's mission, visit AFSP's website.
Continue visiting the Psych Congress newsroom for breaking updates from the meeting.
Video transcript:
AFSP was started in 1987 by some people who lost family members to suicide and a group of researchers. They were brought together because they thought, "we need to do something about this traumatic loss." That was the start of AFSP. In 1987, we funded $11,000 worth of research. In this coming year, we're going to fund $9 million worth of new research. We've stuck to that mission. In addition, we've started developing programs for increasing awareness and education about suicide prevention at every level for every group or population.
We also advocate for suicide and mental health legislation. So we have an office in Washington DC, and we have Advocacy Days in all 50 states. We are a grassroots organization at our heart. We have 74 chapters in all 50 states and it's easy to get involved with the chapter in so many different ways, if you want to educate people. One of the ways we bring the community together and what I think has really led to changing the conversation about suicide is our community walks.
We have, I don't know, between 450 and 500 walks this past year and they're short, they're about 1 to 3 miles. The walks can be 200 people or 7,000 people, depending on where you live. What that does is it puts a face on suicide prevention, and it takes some of the shame and stigma away. And I really believe that's increased the conversation. If there's a walk near you, you can check out our website, afsp.org.
One of the things I'm really excited about with this partnership with Psych Congress is that we're actually having a walk at Psych Congress in Nashville this year. And it's going to be members of the conference but also anybody is welcome to walk with us. So keep an eye out. If you're in the Nashville area, join us to walk, to put a face on suicide and to raise awareness. You don't even have to donate, even though 60% of our funds come from walks, we just want you to show up.
One of the things that's cool about our walks is we have beads. So, if you've been affected by suicide, you don't even have to say or show anything because somebody there is probably wearing a color bead that represents what you've experienced. We have different color beads for people who've lost a parent, people who've lost a child, veteran loss, and [those in the] LGBT [community]. Also, just supporting the cause or knowing someone who struggles with mental health and mental illness. So definitely check out a walk. They're quite uplifting.
There's a moment of sadness, but they're also very uplifting and a lot of fun. We have a wonderful community. The other thing I want to say is on our website, you can become an advocate. You sign up and you can see everything that we're advocating for, both at the Federal and Local level. And when something's coming up that's relevant to you and your neighborhood, we'll send you a letter. You can put in additional information, and off it goes to your legislators. So, have a voice to prevent suicide.
