HSE Mental Health Engagement and Recovery and their partners presents this important opportunity to value and celebrate the forums work. Through the workshops, participants can join together to share and learn from their collective experiences, on dealing with some of the challenges that forums frequently come across particularly during the impact of COVID restrictions.

Meet the panelists:

Inez Bailey has over 25 years experience of working in public policy as an advocate, an innovator and a researcher. This work has involved extensive engagement and collaboration with government bodies, community and voluntary organisations and academia, aimed at improving people’s lives.

Jim Ryan has worked in a variety of both Community and Statutory Organisations during his career.Jim was the Local Health Manager for Dun Laoghaire before taking up his current role of National Head of Operations for the Mental Health Services in 2014.

Fiona Coyle joined Mental Health Reform in 2020 as Chief Executive Officer. In this role she provides strategic leadership and management of a national coalition, driving change in the mental health sector Before this, Fiona spent 2 years as Director of END FGM Europe. Fiona has extensive experience working in national and international civil society organisations, specialising in strategic and political planning and implementing multi stakeholder advocacy.

Michael Ryan is National Head of Mental Health Engagement and Recovery with the HSE. Michael brings his own lived experience of mental health challenges and now enjoys a full life in recovery. Michael has a strong track record in recovery practice and innovation having worked as an Advocate, as a Peer Support Worker, before being appointed as Director of Advancing Recovery in Ireland. His most recent role prior to taking up this appointment was as a Service Improvement Lead with the HSE.

Veronica O’Keane is a long-standing psychiatrist in the public health services – at present working in Tallaght Hospital and Community HSE Mental Health Services, Dublin South Central. She is a professor of Psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin where she leads a research programme in depression, based in the College of Neurosciences. A lot of Veronicas experience in this area of work will be reflected in her forthcoming book - The Rag and Bone Shop – How we make Memories and Memories make Us' to be published by Penguin in February 2021.

If you have any questions you will like to ask the panel please send to mhengage@hse.ie

***PLEASE NOTE- Your name and video will be visible to other attendees, you will be asked to mute yourself and keep your camera turned off.

The Plenary speakers will be recorded, the workshop will not be recorded.

Please contact debbie.murphy5@hse.ie if you have a query.