Reflecting on Bologna Conference: A Shared Vision for Mental Health

The JA MENTOR project recently brought together over 80 advocates, professionals, and pioneers in Bologna for a conference that felt less like a standard meeting and more like a movement.

Under the banner of Transforming Mental Health Through Lived Experience, our purpose was clear: to recognize, validate, and elevate the expertise of personal experience.

Key Takeaways from the Conference:

True Collaboration: Traditional experts and experts by experience collaborated on an equal footing, sparking vital conversations about rethinking psychiatric recovery pathways and promoting holistic, human rights-based, and recovery-oriented mental health care.

Policy & Action: We explored how to seamlessly integrate peer practitioners into mainstream mental health policies and advance survivor-led research.

A Human-First Approach: At the core of every discussion was a shared belief that humanity, dignity, and lived experience must guide the future of mental health services.

Insights from invited speakers

The event kicked off with vital institutional greetings from local leadership, including Federica Mazzoni (President of Navile District, Bologna) and Massimo Fabi (Emilia-Romagna Region, Department of Health Policies), alongside JA MENTOR leadership represented by Project Coordinator Dace Vintere and WP5 Coordinator dr Gemma Calamandrei.

We were incredibly fortunate to host high-level guidance from Ledia Lazeri (Regional Adviser for Mental Health at the WHO Regional Office for Europe), setting the stage for a series of groundbreaking presentations:

Transforming Services:

Michael Ryan (Head of Mental Health Engagement and Recovery, Ireland) detailed the practical application of the WHO Europe Roadmap for integrating lived experience practitioners into the heart of service delivery.

Implementation & Realities:

Keynote speaker  Emma Watson (Imroc) provided a brilliant lecture on making lived experience count, which transitioned into a vibrant cross-European panel featuring insights from Jorg Utschakowski, Janni Kniep, and Nina Eck, alongside a robust Italian delegation exploring the regional opportunities and obstacles of Peer Support Workers (PLE).

Survivor-Led Research:

Sarah Carr (Vice-Chair of the UK National Survivor User Network) delivered a powerful lecture on advancing involvement and transforming knowledge, which paved the way for an international mapping session. This included vital research updates from Imke Heuer (Germany), Diana González-Mañas & Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa (Spain), Dr. Ugnė Grigaitė (Lithuania/Portugal), Ann-Mari Lofthus (Norway), and Stefanía Guðrún Kristinsdóttir (Iceland).

The academic sessions closed with a compelling look at collaborative research frameworks presented by Ute Maria Krämer and Sebastian von Peter from Germany.

Thank you to the 80+ attendees on-site and online, as well as the 7 courageous researchers with lived experiences who shared their personal journeys. Together, we are building a more empathetic and dignified future for mental health and advocating for governments and institutions to integrate lived experience practitioners into decision-making and policy.