The 2018 International Mental Health Conference is almost upon us again, this year the conference will be held over the 8th – 10th August at the RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

This annual conference is now in its 19th year and continues to be the pinnacle event in the mental health industry. The Conference provides an invaluable opportunity to build relationships and to share knowledge, research and latest policies.

Professor Hector Tsang, Head, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University joins us at the conference to discuss ‘Evidence-Based Approaches to Help Individuals with SMI Gain Competitive Employment’.

Prof. Hector Tsang

Abstract

Prof Tsang will give a brief historical account on the paradigm shift from “train and place” tradition to the “place and train” philosophy which forms the foundation of supported employment in its current form for use in psychiatric rehabilitation. The keynote presentation will continue with the analysis of the advantages and limitation of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model as applied to SMI. Then, Prof Tsang will introduce the concept of “Integrated Supported Employment” (ISE) which adopt various strategies with a view to magnifying the vocational and clinical outcomes of IPS. These strategies include “evidence-based targeted skills training” and “cognitive skills training”. The latest unpublished results coming from his Neuropsychiatric Rehabilitation Laboratory in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University will also be presented.

Biography

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Prof. Tsang has been researching on neuropsychiatric rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness (SMI) over the past two decades. His research on social skills in the workplace and its integration with supported employment attracted worldwide interest. He has altogether secured more than AUD 12 million research grants from Hong Kong, mainland China, Australia and USA. He spent his sabbatical at Yale University School of Medicine in 2007 working with researchers on social cognition and vocational rehabilitation for people with SMI.

He has more than 200 publications and is currently Associate Editor for Administration and Policy in Mental Health (APMH) and American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. In addition, he is now serving as Editorial Board member of Psychiatry Research and reviewer of more than 100 SCI journals including, Schizophrenia Bulletin, Schizophrenia Research, and Psychological Medicine. He is also Honorary Professor of the University of Hong Kong, and Visiting Professor of Peking University, Sichuan University, and Kunming Medical University. He currently leads a large-scale consultancy project on the review of rehabilitation programme plan (RPP) in Hong Kong for the Government of the HKSAR.

For further information on the 19th International Mental Health Conference and to secure your spot please visit anzmh.asn.au/conference