HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Service hosts public conference on Open Dialogue

HSE Louth Meath Mental Health Service recently hosted a public conference on Open Dialogue, highlighting the voices and experiences of service users and their families in mental health services.

This co-produced event brought together service users, families, and mental health professionals to share experiences of the mental health system and explore new ways forward.

A service user commented, "Mental health care is evolving, and part of that change to Open Dialogue, I immediately saw its potential to transform how service users and their families are treated – bringing empathy, collaboration and real dialogue into the heart of care."

The conference featured a number of speakers, each offering unique perspectives from their involvement with mental health services. Open Dialogue, now practiced by several community teams across Meath and Louth, is a person-centred model of care that includes families and community networks in the treatment process, fostering teamwork and stronger support.

Marie Mahon, Open Dialogue Nurse Practitioner, added: "In Open Dialogue approach myself and a colleague  become part of a person’s existing network of family and friends working together to understand in depth what is happening and what or who is needed to move towards recovery.

"The person in distress and their network work together participating in open honest conversation that explore what is of concern and what would be a support. My experience with this approach is that people’s real and unique needs are talked about transparently and this ensures the person-centred approach we strive for within services."

The Open Dialogue conference which was led by project leads Dr Emer Rutledge and Michelle Darcy brought together many voices, with individual speakers and lively panel discussions designed to stimulate thought.

An art exhibition and a play coproduced between NOVA (Network of Voices in Action) and members of Navan Theatre Group showcased the powerful works created by service users in response to their experiences of mental health and recovery.

The open dialogue service say they are very pleased to be shortlisted for the 2025 upcoming HSE Excellence awards in two categories: Improving service user/patient experience and Innovation in Innovation in Integrated Care – Sláintecare.