Mental Health Seminar: “New Perspectives in Mental Health, Stronger Together”
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the 1st Health Region of Attica and the Hellenic Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (E.D.Y.PS.Y.) organized an all-day Scientific Seminar on November 15, 2025, at the Chorémio Auditorium of the Children’s Hospital of Athens “AGIA SOFIA,” titled “New Perspectives in Mental Health, Stronger Together.”
The seminar aimed to create a fertile ground for dialogue on today’s critical mental health challenges, promoting collaboration among professionals in physical and mental health, educators, and specialists from various fields. Participants had the opportunity to learn about modern scientific approaches, evidence-based practices, and clinical experiences spanning the entire human lifespan, from childhood to older age.
The event was honored by the presence of Deputy Minister of Health Dimitris Vartzopoulos, Deputy Director Giannoula Davoni, Director of Mental Health Services Domna Tsaklakidou, and Director of Coordination of Mental Health Services Fotios Kapsalis. The seminar was organized by Dr. Vasiliki Dre, Director of Nursing for Mental Health, and Giannoula Davoni, Deputy Director of Mental Health Services (1st Y.Pe.).
The seminar’s topics were developed through successive sessions highlighting the importance of mental health across all stages of life.
In the Childhood session, the focus was on developmental difficulties, collaboration with the school environment, early intervention, and behavioral problems. Kalliopi Triantafyllou, Clinical Psychologist at the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI), presented on behavioral issues, preventive programs, and early detection, offering valuable insights from her clinical experience, interventions, and CAMHI’s training activities for health and mental health professionals. Her presentation included results from preventive psychotherapeutic interventions for parents of children with behavioral problems, in which mental health professionals (child psychiatrists and psychologists) are trained, as well as the early detection program targeting health professionals (pediatricians, general practitioners, and primary care physicians) to enable timely recognition of neurodevelopmental disorders as well as behavioral and emotional difficulties.
The Adolescence and Young Adulthood session discussed eating disorders, cannabis use, self-harming behavior, and the critical transition to adulthood for adolescents on the autism spectrum.
The session on Adults and Health Professionals covered treatment adherence, professional burnout, aggression in care settings, and artificial intelligence in mental health, and included a practical workshop on the nurse’s role as a care companion.
The Older Adults and Arts session presented severe psychiatric symptomatology, experiences of involuntary hospitalization, and the implementation of Arts on Prescription programs.
The seminar also showcased innovative community collaborations and the experience of the “Xenios Flyefs” shelter. The event concluded with an open discussion, presentation of key takeaways, and official closing, reinforcing the central message of the seminar: “Stronger Together – when we collaborate, we create new prospects for everyone’s mental health.”
CAMHI’s participation in the seminar represented a meaningful opportunity to highlight its role in the national mental health landscape and to strengthen dialogue with professionals across the public health spectrum. Through its contribution to the Childhood session, CAMHI shared evidence-based practices and clinical experience that support the promotion of early detection and prevention, advancing the mental health of children and adolescents in the public system. Additionally, our presence in such a diverse and high-level scientific environment enhanced synergies with institutions, professionals, and services of the 1st Y.Pe., underlining the value of a unified, collaborative approach to promoting child and adolescent mental health. The fruitful exchange of knowledge and experiences reaffirmed CAMHI’s commitment to actively contributing to service improvement and to creating an ecosystem that meaningfully supports families and young people.
The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative program is developed and implemented by a nationwide network of public-sector mental health professionals and organizations, in collaboration with the Child Mind Institute (New York) and with the support of the Ministry of Health. CAMHI is exclusively supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) under the SNF Global Health Initiative.