Insights celebrates world mental health day with Professor Barry Carpenter (OBE, PhD, CBE)

"How do we stop this rapid erosion in the mental health of our children and young people?“

This is the question that UK Professor, Barry Carpenter, will pose as he leads a conference to mark World Mental Health Day in Dubai.

Professor Carpenter holds the first UK Professorship in Mental Health in Education, specifically focused on supporting schools and teachers in the promotion of emotional well being.

“The answer to that question has to be in how we build emotional resilience in our children; how we  make them emotionally strong in the face of this rapidly changing Society. Too many young people become deeply anxious and resort to self harming. This is one step away for suicide, and that will have a disastrous effect on the future economy and structure of our Society .”

In his speech to the Conference Professor Carpenter will emphasise the key role schools have to play in this area , and urge them to give discreet time in the curriculum for these issues to be addressed.

Organised by Insights Psychology, and hosted at JESS, the conference is open to teachers, allied professionals and parents. Professor Carpenter will lead a second course, tomorrow Friday 11th of October titled 'Girls on the Spectrum', following the release of his latest book 'Girls and Autism'.

Autism, often thought of as a predominantly ‘male’ disorder, has long gone unidentified, unnoticed and unsupported in girls – sometimes with devastating consequences for their social and mental well-being. As current research reveals a much more balanced male-to-female ratio in autism, Professor Carpenter's research provides crucial insight into autistic girls’ experiences, helping professionals to recognize, understand, support and teach them effectively.

We're looking forward to two inspiring days at JESS. For more information on these courses at more, please visit the courses section of the Insights website.