The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) is delighted to be sole sponsor of the King’s Centre for Military Health Research’s (KCMHR) annual ‘Veterans’ Mental Health Conference from 2017 to 2019 in an award worth £15,000…
KCMHR, part of King’s College London, has hosted two successful ‘Veterans’ Mental Health’ one-day conferences to date, bringing together academics, charities and policy makers with an interest in the field to network and to hear the latest research from speakers of world-class reputation from across leading UK and international institutions.
FiMT attended the inaugural conference in 2015 on ‘Veterans’ Mental Health – Fact, Fiction and Future’, which aimed to myth-bust erroneous perceptions, which are commonly reported across various forms of media and elsewhere. Following the highly positive reaction to this event, FiMT offered sole sponsorship of the 2016 conference, which looked to the future: ‘Veterans’ Mental Health – The Road Ahead’.
With the growing importance and relevance of these conferences, and the close fit with FiMT’s charitable aims and objectives, the Trust has awarded a longer sponsorship term which will also include concessionary rates to encourage selected organizations working within this sector to attend.
Arrangements for the 2017 conference, entitled ‘Veterans’ Mental Health – The Wider Perspective’, are now underway. Presentations and debates focus on issues ranging from the use of peers in improving treatment seeking and the mental health of and support to service families, to whether veterans’ mental health care should be part of mainstream services. Speakers from the United States and from Canada will also highlight their countries’ perspectives on veterans’ mental health.
A selection of speakers at the event includes:
- Professor Alice Aikin, Dalhousie University Faculty of Health Professions and Alyson Mahar, Queens University (Department of Public Health Sciences) and the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research
- Col (Rtd) Matthew Amidon, the George W Bush Institute, Dallas, USA
- Capt US Navy (Rtd) Robert Koffman, Semper Fi, Washington DC
- Professor (Col) Eric Vermetten, Leiden University, the Netherlands
- Professor Nicola Fear and Dr Sharon Stevelink, King’s Centre for Military Health Research, King’s College London
- Sue Freeth and Dr Dominic Murphy, Combat Stress
- Gp Capt (Rtd) Carol Smith, the Royal British Legion
- Kate Davies, NHS England, and Dr Charlie Allanson-Oddy, NHS Lothian
Ray Lock, Chief Executive of the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), said: “Since Forces in Mind Trust’s inauguration in 2012, the Trust has worked hard to develop an understanding of the mental health environment to identify where it can best deploy its finite resources to maximum effect, in direct response to one of the Trust’s founding priorities: ‘to promote better mental health and well-being’ among the ex-Service community.
"Conferences such as this help to shed light on what can be a frequently misunderstood topic in the national and international media, with often anecdotal evidence being given precedence over research, evidence or fact. Forces in Mind Trust is very proud to award this three-year sole sponsorship to King’s Centre for Military Health Research and hopes it will spark new ideas and collaborative relationships that ultimately will enable policy makers and service deliverers to further enable ex-Service personnel and their families to lead successful civilian lives.”
The event takes place on 16 March 2017 from 9.15am to 5.10pm (followed by a networking reception) at King’s College London. The standard fee to attend the event is £99 and includes all refreshments, lunch, drinks, canapé reception, free WiFi and a certificate of attendance.
Should you wish to apply for a concessionary rate, applicants must be members or associate members of The Confederation of Service Charities. There are fifty concessionary rate tickets available for the discounted price of £49 each, which will be offered on a first come first served basis, at a maximum of two concessions per organization.
To determine entitlement to this special rate, please email Forces in Mind Trust’s Executive Assistant, Vips Hirani, on ea@fim-trust.org, specifying whether you wish for one or two concessions. Should you be successful, FiMT will contact you with a rebate number and invite you to book a place(s) at the standard £99 fee through the e-booking link below. After the event, you will receive a rebate for £50, together with a receipt.