We have been able to secure three excellent speakers of national renown, in addition to running workshops which will showcase practical and practical school based strategies to address mental health issues.

The conference will be held at the Bradford Mercure Bankfield Hotel in Bingley.   Please look out for the conference flyer in the New Year, and be sure to book places early as the event is likely to be oversubscribed. 

Dr Gary O’ Reilly is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Doctoral Training Programme in Clinical Psychology at University College Dublin. He also has a part-time appointment as a Principal Clinical Psychologist at the Children's University Hospital, Temple St., Dublin.  He is both a practicing clinician and an academic researcher.  In recent years a significant focus of his work is the development and evaluation of child friendly Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) interventions for young people delivered through a computer game and App called "Pesky Gnats". Pesky Gnats is a produced on a sustainable not-for-profit basis.  Follow us on twitter @peskygnats.Andrew Curran is a paediatric neurologist at Alder Hey Hospital, and writes and lectures of the neurobiology of learning and emotional development .  He writes……

What is the message that I am delivering through many years of studying the neurobiology of the human brain that appeals to so many people?  It's really very simple.

If each child in front of you feels understood, then this is good for their self esteem.

If these two things are happening then the child will feel self-confident.

And if these three things are extant the child will be emotionally engaged with learning.

And if that happens, then the child's brain is neurobiologically optimised for learning.

Other people have said……….."Andrew Curran was brilliant both in terms of content and delivery - what an excellent role model for teachers!"

"Inspirational breath of fresh air - not the same old stuff!"

Gianna Daly is Head of Clinical Services at Winston’s Wish, the charity for bereaved children and is a counselling psychologist.  Gianna’s multi facetted role involves developing effective interventions for children who have been bereaved.  These interventions vary according to the each child’s particular needs and particular circumstances.   Gianna will be talking about the impact of a group intervention for parentally bereavement children aged 8-16 years  who are, or are at risk of social exclusion and / or offending behaviour and the impact that this has had upon children’s wellbeing and social and emotional development.   She will also be exploring the links between mental health matters and bereavement, and the ways in which schools can respond to the needs of bereaved children.