THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28: A special forum to explore future mental health services is to be held next week.

Hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI) at BUEI, the goal is about engaging the community in the development of mental health services.

Short presentations outlining the goals and philosophy of the Mental Health Plan will be followed by a workshop style feedback session, in which attendees will break into small groups to discuss mental health issues and services. The feedback from these groups will be fed back into the Mental Health Plan and help shape local services.

Patrice Dill, Chief Operating Officer, MWI said: "Engaging meaningfully with all our stakeholders is part of the Recovery Model. This model is the underpinning philosophy of our Mental Health Plan. It is about collaboration and the bringing of services to the people who need them, when they need them.

“We welcome people who have had experience of our services directly, or through a family member to come along and speak up about how they think services should be developed.

“In fact, even if you are fortunate enough never to have needed a mental health service, you are still part of the wider community and so, as we move more services more to the community setting, your openness to embracing this style of service could be key to the recovery of someone you don't even realise is a mental health service user.”

The event is being held on Thursday, November 4, from 5.30 pm at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.