Open Dialogue

VEEP Crunch-time Seminar Series on Community Work and Mental Health Action

Our third webinar in the series explains the concept  of Open Dialogue  (Bakhtin, 1981) , a method that encourages open conversations about mental health and inequality in underserved and marginalised communities.  This way of working aims to empower people and communities to become proactive in communicating about mental health through a powerful open dialogue and participatory process called ‘Trialogue’. (Mac Gabhann & Dunne, 2021) 

 The session will explore international and local community practice examples on how this participatory method has shifted the power so that people experiencing mental health issues, their families and communities are included and supported to make decisions about their health and recovery 

 By the end of the session participants will:

• have gained practical knowledge of the use of Open Dialogue as a methodology for community development, with a particular focus on mental health and disenfranchised communities
• have learned about local community best practice examples to challenge mental health stigma and prejudice together

• understand Open Dialogue within a broader participatory approach to citizen engagement and collective action.

This seminar is part of the Voice Equality Experience and Power (VEEP) Cross Border Mental Health & Poverty Network initiative facilitated by Community Development & Health Network (CDHN) and Community Development And Mental Health Network hosted by Community Work Ireland. This initiative is kindly supported by Stephen's Green Trust