Open Event in Patras on Child and Adolescent Mental Health

To open a dialogue on the everyday mental health challenges facing children and adolescents in Achaia, CAMHI is organising an open event in Patras on Saturday, 28 November 2026, at 5:00 pm, at the Philharmonic Society Conservatory of Patras (7 Rigas Feraios Street). Held with the support of the Regional Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education of Western Greece, the event invites teachers, doctors, and mental health professionals in the area, as well as any interested member of the public, to bring the needs of the local community to the fore and to present CAMHI's training programmes, which strengthen the education and medical communities. Admission is free.

Knowledge and Tools for Achaia’s Education and Medical Communities

At the event, CAMHI members will present CAMHI’s training programmes to professionals of Achaia. All programmes are offered free of charge. They include the Basic Training Programme “Mental Health Literacy for Children and Adolescents” for teachers and members of the Special Educational Staff (EEP) and Special Auxiliary Staff (EBP), together with the corresponding Train-the-Trainers Programme. Also presented will be the “Screening for Mental Health Problems in Children and Adolescents” programme for paediatricians, general / family doctors, and rural doctors (doctors completing their compulsory rural service), as well as the Advanced Training Programme for mental health professionals. CAMHI’s training programmes are implemented with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports. These trainings are an important step towards strengthening the professionals they are designed for, so that they can support children and adolescents effectively within their own field of practice. Finally, the event will introduce the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) and its activities.

The Agenda of the Event

The event will open at 5:00 pm with registration, followed by welcome addresses from Mr. Nikolaos Delegkos, Acting Regional Director of Primary and Secondary Education of Western Greece, and Mr. Panagiotis Alexopoulos, Professor of Psychiatry–Psychogeriatrics and Brain Health at the University of Patras Medical School and Director of the University Psychiatric Clinic for Adults of Patras.

Konstantinos Kotsis, associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Ioannina Medical School, and CAMHI psychologists Andromachi Mitropoulou and Panagiota Balikou will then present CAMHI and its training programmes. Katerina Pronoiti, political and social scientist and administrative monitoring and support lead for CAMHI’s Youth Engagement Scheme (YES), will speak about YES, the Dialogue Actions in Schools, and the Network of Active Schools for the Mental Well-being and Wellness of Adolescents.

A discussion will follow on the theme “Everyday Mental Health Challenges for Children and Adolescents in Achaia: The Perspective of Local Professionals Working with Children.” The participants will be Sofia F. Asimakopoulou, advisor for special and inclusive education at the Primary Education Directorate of Achaia; Katerina Karaivazoglou, assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Patras; Evanthia Katsikareli, paediatrician and coordinator of the 9th Local Health Unit (TOMY) of Rio, Patras; and Efthymia Lolou, child and adolescent psychiatrist and head of the child psychiatry department / Child and Adolescent Community Mental Health Centre (KoKePsYPE) of the 6th Health Region.

The event will close with a Q&A with the audience and networking in the foyer.

See the full programme of the event here.

CAMHI’s programmes are developed and implemented in cooperation with the Child Mind Institute (New York) and are supported exclusively by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as part of the SNF Global Health Initiative (GHI).