Aloha
You are cordially invited to attend the 2008 Annual Best Practices Conference Family Psychoeducation: Fortifying Families of Birth and Choice. This conference will be held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i from April 23-25, 2008. Attendees will include providers of mental health services, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, consumers of mental health services, and family members of consumers. The goal of this annual conference is to provide a forum for stakeholders from Hawai‘i and the Pacific to exchange ideas and to learn from each another.
Overview
Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are services which have demonstrated positive outcomes in multiple research studies for people with severe and persistent mental illness. The Adult Mental Health Division strives to integrate these EBPs and other best practices into its array of services. The annual Best Practices Conference highlights one or more EBPs each year to draw particular focus to these essential services and clinically proven approaches. This conference further allows the AMHD to incorporate leading clinical interventions and to promote individual recovery while remaining culturally informed, sensitive, and responsive.
The Native Hawaiian concept of `ohana is deeply embedded in our island culture; it shapes our personal relationships and presents important issues for professional consideration. `Ohana is frequently defined simply as “family,” however, in traditional Hawaiian culture `ohana encompasses far more than the Western concept of the nuclear family comprised of parents or even extended family including grandparents, uncles, and cousins. In fact, the Native Hawaiian definition of `ohana includes ke akua (gods), `aumakua (ancestors), kupuna (grandparents or grandparent generation), makua (parents or parent generation), `opio (youth), kamali`i (children), and na pua i ka wa hope (future descendents). Indeed, traditional Hawaiian culture embraces the individual’s entire physical and spiritual support network, which is not limited by blood ties. Perhaps a better definition of `ohana is offered by Mary Kawena Puku`i in Nana i Ke Kumu, “It is a sense of unity, shared involvement and shared responsibility. It is mutual inter-dependence and mutual help. It is emotional support, given and received. It is solidarity and cohesiveness.“
This year’s conference will focus on the evidence-based practice (or EBP) of Family Psychoeducation. Family Psychoeducation has been shown to reduce relapse rates and facilitate recovery of persons who have mental illness. These programs provide education, emotional support, and problem-solving skills for families to better equip them in their efforts to support their loved one with a mental illness. The invaluable role of family—however defined—in supporting individuals with mental illness and the importance of supporting families in this role will be emphasized in this conference. The AMHD recognizes the significance of the family in the recovery process and continues to encourage the nurturing and strengthening of this relationship throughout the system of care.
Location
The conference will be held at the Hawai'i Convention Center located at 1801 Kalakaua Avenue. To find out more about the Hawai'i Convention Center, please visit their website at www.hawaiiconvention.com.
Parking
The Center has 700 parking stalls on the second level of the building (subject to availability) with entry via a helix on Kalakaua Avenue. Garage height is 9'11". Overnight parking is not allowed in the Center. Event parking is $5 per exit.
ADA
The Americans with Disability Act of 1990 requires that all individuals, regardless of their disabilities, have equal access. The Department of Health and the University of Hawai'i are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institutions. Disability requests must be forwarded to our offices in writing by March 31, 2008.
Hotel
The Ala Moana Hotel is offering special single/double occupancy rates in its Waikiki Tower for conference attendees. The rate is $145 plus tax and rooms must be reserved by March 20, 2008. Call the Ala Moana Hotel at (808) 955-4811 with the group code DBESTPG.
