International expert addresses Salford conference on deaf mental health care
Friday 13 September 2019
International speaker Dr Neil Glickman is one of the experts addressing a Salford conference this week to discuss his work around deaf mental health care.
Neil, who is a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is the co-founder of a specialty deaf psychiatric inpatient unit in America, where he worked as unit psychologist and director for 14 years. He now provides training and consultation on cognitive behavioural therapy and deaf mental health, as well as running his own private psychotherapy practice.
Deaf people are twice as likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression, compared to hearing people. The conference agenda sees leading psychotherapy experts take to the stage to discuss the stigma and discrimination of mental health and deafness and the opportunities available to enhance communication and awareness.
The University of Salford, in partnership with Salford Professional Development (SPD) and Elysium Healthcare, is hosting the two-day conference, which takes place at The Lowry on 12 and 13 September.
Neil said: “It’s great to speak in Salford and share my 30 years of experience in deaf mental health. We want to raise awareness of cultural perspectives and identity, both for deaf people and hearing people who work in this field.
“I’ll also be talking about language deprivation – not all deaf people use sign language and this potential communication barrier and the impact it can have on mental health is so important for healthcare practitioners to be aware of.”
Professor Brendan Monteiro, Honorary Professor of Health and Society at the University of Salford and Consultant Psychiatrist at Elysium Healthcare is chairing the conference. He has worked in the field of mental health and deafness since 1987, and has extensive experience in assessment, treatment, setting up and developing services.
Brendan said: “Salford is truly leading the way in this area of study. We have attendees from across Europe attending this conference, including over 40 deaf attendees, as it is such a unique opportunity. I hope we can raise awareness and help educate people on deaf mental health – I would love to see more deaf students coming into this area of work and all students learning sign language as part of their healthcare training.”
Dr Karen Stansfield, Associate Dean Enterprise and Engagement at the University of Salford, said: “This conference aims to explore the specialist knowledge and skills necessary to enable a broader understanding of this specialised field. Delegates have the opportunity to question, discuss and debate the very latest developments, learn about emerging adapted programmes as well as understand how the sector will transform in the next five to ten years.
“It is fantastic that we can attract experts like Dr Glickman to Salford, and this is testament to the fact that the University of Salford is leading the way in deaf mental health care. Through our partnership with Elysium Healthcare we are able to extend this expertise even further, enabling our student nurses to access excellent facilities to learn more about deaf mental health.”
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Róisín Schofield
0161 295 2929
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