Professor Dan Harris: Creative Mental Health Special Guest Presenter

The Creative Mental Health Forum and Self Care Retreat is honoured to welcome Professor Dan Harris as a Special Guest Presenter.

In December 2020, Dan posted this ground breaking news:

“So today I got promoted to full professor. I’m my first (and only) in family to go to university. I’m only the 3rd to graduate high school. I’m an artist, a migrant, a queer, non-binary, person with a mental illness (resilience) diagnosis, an adoptee, a suicide and childhood trauma survivor, who still enjoys white privilege and living in a developed country and having middle class access to healthcare and all that middle class money buys. May this promotion grant me more opportunities and responsibility to hold space for those less fortunate or further on the margins (while never EVER doubting the power of the margins).”

A month before announcing this promotion, Dan collaborated with Psychotherapist Trish Thompson to co-author the article A dialogue on hope: Long term therapy and borderline personality disorder.

Dan and Trish broke convention by writing about their therapeutic relationship together :

Dan similarly contributes to the Creative Mental Health Forum and Self Care Retreat from multiple perspectives – as an esteemed creative practitioner, thought leader in creative research, and as a person with lived experience.

Dan and Trish are collaborating again as presenters at the Creative Mental Health Forum and Self Care Retreat.

Dan Harris is Professor and Associate Dean, Research & Innovation, in the School of Education at RMIT University, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, and Director of the Creative Agency research lab: www.creativeresearchhub.com . 

Harris is editor of the book series Creativity, Education and the Arts (Palgrave), has authored over 100 articles/book chapters, 17 books, plays, films and spoken word performances, and has won over $4million dollars in competitive research funding since 2010. 

As a playwright, Harris’ work has been presented (in NY) at The Public Theatre, Primary Stages, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep, Dixon Place, New Dramatists, Perishable Theatre (RI), Cleveland Public Theatre (OH), and The Playwrights’ Centre (MN); and in Australia by Playworks (Sydney), Vitalstatistix and Adelaide Festival Centre (Adelaide), Red Dust Theatre (Alice Springs), JUTE Theatre (Cairns), Darwin Theatre Company and Browns Mart (Darwin), and at the Arts Centre, Melbourne. Dan is a native New Yorker who has also worked professionally as a dramaturg, teaching artist and journalist in the USA and Australia.  Currently co-editor of the ABER section of the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Harris is on the editorial board of several book series and journals, and is the creator and editor of the Palgrave Macmillan book series Creativity, Education and the Arts.

Trish Thompson is a clinical counsellor, psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice in North Fitzroy, Melbourne and teaches in the Bachelor of Counselling program at ACAP.  She was a secondary school teacher and then school counsellor for many years before completing her Master of Counselling.  She works with individuals, couples and other relationship structures and has also facilitated therapy groups for many years.  She has a strong interest in mentoring counsellors in early career, particularly through group supervision.  She has worked in a number of community based settings, particularly with the LGBTIQ+ community.

We are thrilled to welcome both Anne and Trish to this event.

We pay our deep respects to the First Peoples of Boon Wurrung Country where we will meet.

Friday 14th – Monday 17th May 2021

Inverloch RACV Resort, Bass Coast, Victoria

This training event is proudly endorsed by PACFA for 11 hours of continuing professional development.

$600 registration fee covers core program, Friday night Welcome Dinner, morning and afternoon teas, and is payable in 3 instalments.Registration does not include accomodation or meals other than the Welcome Dinner.

The core program includes Welcome Dinner, morning mindful activities, 6 x keynote presentations, 6 x 1.5 hour experiential workshops and a number of optional wellness activities for self-care including dance, art making, swimming and walking. Surfing, Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Snorkelling are available as optional add ons at affordable prices. 

 This forum supports the goals of the ACTivate Arts Therapy campaign – to have Arts Therapists recognised as mental health professionals.For this purpose, the forum is designed to be educational in an experiential sense – by providing opportunities to participate first hand in creative and holistic workshops and activities, as well as hear from dynamic keynote presenters and a panel of lived experience experts.

The 2021 Creative Mental Health Forum and Self-care Retreat is an opportunity to look after yourself and learn while enjoying good company and restorative time in the living world.

It is hosted only two hours drive from Melbourne in the beautiful surrounds of the Bass Coast Bunurong Marine Park and township of coastal Inverloch.

This Professional Development event is suitable for Therapists  interested in understanding more about creative approaches in mental health care.