Felton Institute Presents at International Consortium on Hallucination Research (ICHR) Conference in Chicago
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 29, 2016) — Felton Institute staff has just returned from the International Consortium on Hallucination Research (ICHR) satellite conference. From September 25-28, 2016, researchers from nine countries, including Australia, New Zealand, France, South Korea and the United Kingdom, gathered in Chicago for ICHR, an international conference on voices and psychosis co-sponsored by Felton Institute, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois.
Many of the world’s leading therapy for psychosis researchers presented, as well as neuroimaging experts, anthropologists, interdisciplinary medical humanities scholars and experts by experience. Dr. Nev Jones, Felton’s Director of Research and Evaluation, presented on early intervention in psychosis, and PREP (Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis) Division Director Adriana Furuzawa, and PREP Monterey Program Manager Anna Ballas shared information about a forthcoming set of early psychosis higher education toolkits. The first-day keynote featured a cutting-edge tablet app developed in France to assess and explore hallucinations in young children.
“As a program manager for PREP, a leading innovative early psychosis intervention program, I always look for opportunities to network and learn from various site and various programs which incorporate newest ways of working with distressing voices. This conference is an excellent opportunity for us to hear about approaches used all over the world,” Anna Ballas enthused.
Dr. Nev Jones noted, “A big piece of my research at Felton is really focused on our early intervention and psychosis programs. And virtually everything that we heard about or learned today relates in some way to the on-the-ground clinical work that we do at Felton. The most exciting thing about the conference is just the number of different people and different kinds of people that the conference has brought together. So in the audience there are caregivers, family members, clients, people who identify as voice hearers, clinicians, as well as renowned academics and researchers. So it’s just a tremendous combination of different ideas and points of view and perspectives.”
The conference served as the inaugural North American satellite meeting for the International Consortium on Hallucination Research, a transnational research network that convenes regular expert working groups on important topics in research and intervention. The next working group meetings will be held in Paris during the next summer of 2017, and Felton will be a sponsor at that conference.
The ICHR is a scientific consortium about hallucinations and related symptoms. In 2010, the ICHR was developed as an initiative to increase international collaborative work, stimulate research, reduce inefficiencies and prompt new clinical developments. Bi-annual ICHR Meetings (Working Groups only) ICHR meetings take place once every two years (2011 London UK, 2013 Durham UK, 2015 Melbourne Australia, 2017 France).
Felton Institute was founded in 1889 with the mandate that children and families in crisis must have access to social services and resources in order to help them build upon their inherent strengths and develop self-sufficiency. Its name honors executive director Dr. Katharine “Kitty” Felton whose innovation at the turn of the 20th century greatly expanded social services throughout San Francisco and garnered national acclaim. For more than 127 years, Felton Institute has been a leader in innovative mental health and social service programs for all. felton.org
For More Information, contact: communications@felton.org or (415) 474-7310 ext. 458.
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