Open event in Volos on the mental health of children and adolescents in Thessaly
To foster dialogue on the everyday mental health challenges facing children and adolescents in Thessaly, the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) is organising an open event in Volos on Saturday 17 October 2026 at 17:00, at the "Ioannis Kordatos" Amphitheatre of the University of Thessaly (Delmouzos Building, Argonafton & Filellinon, Volos seafront). The event invites teachers, doctors and mental health professionals in the region, as well as any interested citizen, to bring the needs of the local community to the fore and to learn about CAMHI's training programmes, which strengthen and empower the region's educational and medical communities.
Knowledge and tools for the educational and medical communities of Thessaly
At the event, members of the CAMHI team will present the Initiative's training programmes to professionals in Thessaly. All programmes are offered free of charge: the Basic Training Programme "Mental Health Literacy for Children & Adolescents", for teachers and members of the Special Educational Staff (EEP) and Special Auxiliary Staff (EVP); the Programme "Screening for Mental Health Problems in Children & Adolescents", for paediatricians, general/family doctors, personal doctors and rural doctors in compulsory service; and 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. They are an important step towards empowering these professionals to support children and adolescents effectively within their own field of practice.
Event Agenda
After participant registration, the event will begin at 17:30 with greetings from representatives of the University of Thessaly, the Region of Thessaly, the Regional Directorate of Education of Thessaly and the Medical Association of Magnesia.
A presentation of CAMHI and its training programmes will follow, delivered by Evangelini (Lilian) Athanasopoulou, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Coordinating Director at the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Department of the "Papanikolaou" General Hospital of Thessaloniki (National Health System) and member of CAMHI's Scientific Coordinating Committee; Nikos Zilikis, Professor Emeritus of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and member of CAMHI's Scientific Coordinating Committee; and Despina Kioteoglou, CAMHI Psychologist. Giorgos Moschos, Director of the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) programme, will then present the Dialogue Activities in Schools and the Active Schools Network.
A discussion will follow on the theme "Everyday Mental Health Challenges of Children & Adolescents in Thessaly: The Perspective of Local Professionals Working with Children." The participants will be Christina I. Roussi-Vergou, Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the Department of Special Education of the University of Thessaly; Paraskevi Tsipropoulou, Educational Counsellor for Psychologists in Thessaly and the Regional Units of Evrytania and Fthiotida; Dimitra Chatzi, Acting Head of the Magnesia Centre for Interdisciplinary Assessment, Counselling and Support (KEDASY) and Special Education Teacher; Maria Chatzieleftheriou, Child Psychiatrist, former Director of the Child Psychiatry Department of the Volos Hospital and former head of the child psychiatry team of the Volos Mental Health Centre; and Anna Psirropoulou, Paediatrician and Director at the "Achillopoulio" General Hospital of Volos (National Health System).
The event will conclude with a Q&A session with the audience followed by a networking reception. It is held with the support of the Department of Special Education of the University of Thessaly and of the Postgraduate Programmes "Educational Sciences: Special Education" and "Counselling Psychology and Counselling in Special Education, Education and Health."
See the full event programme here {in GR}.
The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative is implemented in partnership with the Child Mind Institute (New York) supported exclusively by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as part of the SNF Global Health Initiative (GHI).