Wide variety of mental health topics discussed at Spring Conference

This year’s College of Psychiatrists of Ireland Spring Conference featured a diverse and engaging array of presentations.

Among the topics on the first day was a presentation by Mr John McKeon, CEO and Founder of Kyrie Farm. The inaugural ‘therapeutic farm’ is set to open in Co Kildare in 2026. It is led by mental health specialists and aims to emulate the success of similar initiatives internationally. For example, Hopewell Therapeutic Community and Gould Farm in the US have demonstrated the therapeutic value of farm-based communities in supporting mental health recovery.

Mr McKeon gave the attendees an overview of the history of the project, including a partnership with Maynooth University and consultations with other stakeholders.

In the same session, retired Consultant Adult Psychiatrist Dr Justin Brophy delivered a fascinating presentation titled ‘A motif for navigating the journey of being a psychiatrist’. Using motifs from Carl Jung’s writings and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dr Brophy shed light on the possibilities and challenges inherent in a demanding psychiatry career.

Later in the session, chaired by Dr Aoibhinn Lynch, Prof Tom Hutchinson, Director of the McGill Programmes in Whole-Person Care and the Department of Medicine and Department of Oncology at McGill University, Canada, delivered a talk titled ‘Whole-person care: The key to medical practice’.

Prof Hutchinson told the attendees that whole-person care recognises two very different but essential components of patient care – curing and healing.

He said “we have lost touch with our ability to promote healing in our patients”.

In his presentation, Prof Hutchinson used examples from practice to elucidate the difference between ‘curing’ and ‘healing’, and how they can be effectively combined to improve outcomes.