[Ely Announce] Forthcoming conference for clergy and medical professionals

Tue Sep 6 16:25:04 GMT 2011

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DOCTORS, CLERGY AND THE TROUBLED SOUL: TWO PROFESSIONS, ONE VOCATION? 

A CONFERENCE OPEN TO DOCTORS AND CLERGY 

HELD JOINTLY BY THE GUILD OF HEALTH and THE SPIRITUALITY AND PSYCHIATRY 

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS 

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE 

2nd November 2011 9.00 am - 5.00 pm 

St. Marylebone Parish Church, 17 Marylebone Rd London NW1 5LT 

Many doctors and clergy of all faiths are originally drawn to their work by a lively sense of vocation. But how do our high expectations stand the test of time? In this conference we will explore the meaning of vocation for both professions, and the impact of the realities of professional life, not least when we find ourselves trying to help those for whom cure is no longer a possibility. Through the inter-disciplinary nature of the day and the thoughtful exchange of experiences, the aim will be to help members of both professions see their own roles more clearly, as well as to facilitate collaborative working. 

Programme Organisers and Co-Chairs 

Revd Chris MacKenna, Clinical Director, The Guild of Health and Director, St. Marylebone Healing and Counselling Centre 

Dr Andrew Powell, Founding Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists' Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group 

9.00 am Registration and Coffee 

9.45 am Welcome and Introductions: Revd. Chris MacKenna and Dr Andrew Powell 

Session 1: How does the sense of vocation compare for doctors and clergy? 

10.00 am Dr Mariette Grant, General Practitioner 

10.20 am Revd. Richard Coles, Parish Priest and Broadcaster 

10.40 am Discussion 2 

11.10 am Coffee break 

Session 2: Sustaining hope in the face of adversity 

11.40 am Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, New North London Synagogue 

12.00 pm Dr Sarah Eagger, Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry, Imperial College London 

12.20 pm Discussion 

12.50 pm Lunch 

Session 3: What does healing mean when there is no cure? 

2.00 pm Dr Nick Read, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist 

2.20 pm Sister Frances Dominica, Order of All Saints Sisters of the Poor; Nurse and Palliative Care Specialist 

2.40 pm Discussion 

3.10 pm Tea break 

Session 4: Collaborative working 

3.40 pm Julia Head, Bishop John Robinson Fellow in Pastoral Theology and Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 

4.00 pm Revd. Dr Nigel Copsey, Health Service Chaplain, Spiritual Care Co-ordinator and Team Leader, East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust 

4.20 pm Discussion 

4.50 pm Closing remarks 

5.00 pm End of meeting 

About the Speakers: 

Dr Mariette Grant was born in South Africa. At school a guidance counsellor helped her to see that she was suited to be a facilitator in life - to connect with people and help them realise their potential. She studied Medicine at the University of Pretoria, moving to the UK in 2006. She works as a GP in a group practice in Henley-on-Thames. Originating from a country of contrasts and having worked in rural, urban, affluent and deprived areas throughout multiple medical specialities in South Africa and the UK, she continues to thrive on the diversity of general practice. 3 

Richard Coles is a priest of the Church of England and Vicar of Finedon in Northamptonshire, where two of his ancestors were Vicars in the seventeenth century (the latter sequestered for malignancy). He has a parallel career in broadcasting and currently presents Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4. A quarter of a century ago he was in the pop band The Communards, which makes him the only Vicar to have had a number one record. 

Jonathan Wittenberg was born in Glasgow to a German Jewish refugee family. After reading English at Cambridge and training to be a teacher, he studied for the rabbinate at Leo Baeck College, London, and in Israel, following family tradition. He was appointed Rabbi of the New North London Masorti Synagogue in 1987 and Senior Rabbi of the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues UK in 2008. His publications include The Eternal Journey: Meditations on the Jewish Year (2001) and The Silence of Dark Water: an Inner Journey (2008) 

Dr Sarah Eagger is honorary senior clinical lecturer at the Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College and consultant psychiatrist for Older Adults in North London. Past chair ('05-'09) of the Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, she currently chairs the Spirituality and Faith Committee in her Trust and is co-chair of the National Forum for Spirituality and Mental Health. She is co-ordinating editor of the facilitators' manual, Values in healthcare: a spiritual approach. Her interests include training mental health professionals in assessing patients' spiritual needs. 

Dr Nick Read is a physician and psychoanalytical psychotherapist and works with patients with otherwise unexplained physical illness. He is director and medical adviser to the IBS Network, the national charity for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is author of 'Sick and Tired; Healing the Illnesses Doctors Cannot Cure' (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2005). 

Sister Frances Dominica trained as a nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children Great Ormond Street and the Middlesex Hospital before joining the Society of All Saints, an Anglican Religious Community, where she was Mother Superior for twelve years. She founded Helen House the world's first children's hospice, and Douglas House, the first hospice for young people, in 1982 and 2003 respectively, and is a Trustee of the organisation. Sister Frances writes and lectures on the care of children and young people with life-shortening illnesses. She has received Honorary Degrees from three universities and was awarded an OBE in 2006. 

Julia Head is currently in post with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust as a Specialist Chaplain and Acting Team Leader of the Spiritual and Pastoral Care Service. Since 1994, she has held the Bishop John Robinson Fellowship in Pastoral Theology and Mental Health within the Trust, work that focuses on researching the interface of religion and spirituality and mental health, and on promoting religious and theological principles across the spectrum of mental health care. In addition, Julia is a Psychosynthesis therapist and visiting lecturer in Pastoral Studies at Heythrop College, University of London 

Dr Nigel Copsey is the Team Leader for Spiritual Care in the East London NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services for the diverse population of East London. He has worked in the NHS for over twenty years and has established three spiritual care departments in different districts within psychiatric services. His passion is the integration of the spiritual with the psychological. He is also a programme leader within the psychology department of the University of East London and teaches on the doctoral programme at the Metanoia Institute. He is an Anglican Priest and accredited Psychotherapist. 4 

Application Form 

DOCTORS, CLERGY AND THE TROUBLED SOUL: TWO PROFESSIONS, ONE VOCATION? 

2nd November 2011 9.30 am - 5.00 pm 

St. Marylebone Parish Church 

17 Marylebone Rd 

London NW1 5LT 

Block Capitals Please 

Title (Dr/Prof/Rev/Mr/Mrs/Ms): .................................................................................................................. 

Name: ................................................................................................................................................... 

Address: ............................................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................................ 

........................................................................................................................................................... 

Tel No: ................................................................................................................................................... 

Email: ................................................................................................................................................................. 

Registration Fee: 

£70 doctors 

£50 clergy (fee for clergy subsidised by the Guild of Health) 

£25 Medical Students and Theological Students (limited number of subsidised places) 

I enclose a cheque for the registration fee of £ ........................... made payable to The Royal College of Psychiatrists (the registration fee includes lunch and refreshments). 

Reply Slip to be returned to Sue Duncan, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 17 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG (0207 235 2351) no later than 5th October 2011 

PLEASE NOTE: places are limited and will be offered on a first come first served basis. Registration will be confirmed on receipt of your cheque. Entry to the meeting cannot be permitted unless registration has been confirmed. With regret, registration fees cannot be refunded in the 4 week period before the programme date.