Caring in Crisis: Holding the Line Through Compassion and Collaboration

Acute mental health services are operating in increasingly complex and high-pressure environments.

Caring in Crisis brings together clinicians, leaders and lived experience voices to explore how we continue to deliver safe, compassionate and effective care in these settings.

Hosted by Eastern Health's Mental Health and Wellbing Program, this conference focuses on practical learning, collaboration and innovation in acute mental health care.

Why Attend

• Learn from leading national and international experts

• Build practical clinical skills through masterclasses

• Explore real-world challenges and system reform priorities

• Connect with peers across acute, ED, inpatient and community settings

• Hear from lived and living experience voices

Keynote Speakers

• Professor Anthony Bateman

• A/Prof Judy Hope

• Dr Jacqueline Huber

• Dr Conor Daly (Conference Chair)

Conference Program

8:30 - 9.00am - Registration

9:00 - 9:05am - Professor Helen Cooper Chief Executive Officer Eastern Health - Welcome, Acknowledgement of Country and Opening of Conference

9.05-9.15am - Toni Gutschlag Executive Director Mental Health, Clinical Support and Transformation - Introduction and framing of acute psychiatry within current system reform

9.15 - 10:15am - Session 1: Keynote Address - Professor Anthony Bateman - The Psychotherapy of Acute Psychiatry.

10:15 – 11am - Session 2: Associate Professor Judy Hope Clinical Academic Eastern Health - Pharmacotherapy in acute psychiatry

11 – 11:15am - Morning Break

11:15 – 12.15pm - Session 3: Keynote Address - Dr Jacqueline Huber - The Admission Fallacy: Why admitting for risk containment is just passing the buck.

12.15 – 1pm - Lunch Break

1 – 1:45pm - Session 4: Dr Conor Daly, Clinical Director, Adult Access, Eastern Health - The Alternative Assessment Clinical Team - An EmergencyDepartment Diversion model.

1:45 – 2:30pm - Session 5: Chair - Kristen Stanner Program Director Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Eastern Health - First Responders and Acute Mental Health. Shared Challenges and System Pressures at the Front Line.

2:30 – 2:45pm - Afternoon Break

2:45 – 3:15pm - Session 6: Dr Chris Cunningham Lead Consultant Psychiatrist Upton House Eastern Health and Brittany Williams Nurse Unit Manager Inpatient Unit 2 Eastern Health - Sexual safety in Mental Health Inpatient units.

3:15– 4pm - Session 7: Rapid Research and Innovation Showcase - Short 3–5 minute presentations from Registrars, Researchers andQuality Improvement projects.

4 – 4:45pm - Panel Session 8: Nav Singh Team Leader Lived Experience Access and Inpatient Eastern Health - Consumer, Carer and Clinician Perspectives - Crisis Care in Practice.

4:45pm - Close: Adjunct Clinical Professor Sathya Rao, Clinical Program Director, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Spectrum

Who Should Attend

• Psychiatrists and registrars

• Mental health nurses

• Allied health professionals

• Lived experience workforce

• Clinical and operational leaders

• Community and NGO providers

• Students and trainees

Location

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Registration

Tiered ticketing available:

• Consultant (Early Bird $650, Standard $750)

• Psychiatry Registrar/Allied Health/Nursing (Early bird $200, Standard $250)

• Online access (Early bird $220, Standard $300)

Register early — places are limited

Be part of a sector-wide conversation shaping the future of acute mental health care.

Secure your place today.

Acute Psychiatry Masterclasses - 19 November 2026

8:30 – 09:00 | Registration & Coffee

09:00 – 12:00 | Masterclass A - Psychopharmacotherapy of acute psychiatry A/Prof Hope, Dr Chris Cunningham & Cathy Ngo

13:00 – 16:00 | Masterclass B – Single-Session Family Therapy for Crisis Teams (SSFT) Melissa Lowe & Wayne Conron

Register your tickets today for the Masterclasses!