WAPR 2025 | 27 septembre – 30, 2025

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Adopter l'Espoir: Une Perspective Globale sur le Rétablissement et la Réhabilitation Psychosociale

Get to Know the WAPR 2025 Speakers

Discover the diverse lineup of esteemed speakers and experts who will be sharing their insights, research findings, and experiences at the XV World Congress of World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR) and the Canadian PSR Recovery Conference.

Abraham (Rami) Rudnick

Dalhousie University

Plenary Session

Dr. Abraham (Rami) Rudnick is a certified psychiatrist and a PhD-trained philosopher. He is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Bioethics and in the School of Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Clinical Director of the Nova Scotia Operational Stress Injury Clinic at the Nova Scotia Health Authority. He is a Certified Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Practitioner and a Canadian Certified Physician Executive. He is the Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Co-Chair of the Policy and Health Issues Committee of Doctors Nova Scotia. He is a recipient of the pioneer award granted by Psychosocial Rehabilitation/Réadaptation Psychosociale Canada and of the Michael Smith award granted by the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, as well as a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Fellow and Gold Medalist of the European Society for Person Centered Healthcare. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership and he was the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Mental Health. His clinical academic and administrative expertise includes person-centered health services, psychiatric/psychosocial rehabilitation, operational stress injury, severe and complex mental illness, social determinants of health, digital health technology, health care administration, bioethics and philosophy of health. His research involves mixed (quantitative, qualitative, conceptual and normative) methods.

Charles-Albert Morin

Iusmd

Plenary Session

In the past 5 years, I’ve worked as a patient partner, research assistant and peer worker. With a background in political science, I try to always bring an advocate perspective to my work.

Cheryl Forchuk

Western University, Lawson Research Institute

Plenary Session

Dr. Cheryl Forchuk a Distinguished University Professor at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing (Western University) with a cross appointment to the Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry (Western University). She is also a Scientist with Lawson Research Institute, the research arm of St. Joseph’s Health Care – London.

Dr. Forchuk has published on many topics including transitional discharge, therapeutic relationships, technology in mental health care, poverty, housing and homelessness. She has published Numerous books including on Hildegard Peplau’s interpersonal theory of nursing, and Therapeutic Relationships to the Transitional Discharge Model. She has also published a book on mental health, housing and homelessness, and a book on poverty, mental health and social inclusion through Canadian Scholar’s Press. With Dr. A. Rudnick, she has published a 6 book series on social science methods in health through Sage.

Dr. Forchuk has been honoured with numerous awards including the Order of Ontario, an honorary life memberships in the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Canadian Association of Advanced Practice Nursing, a Research Pioneer Award from Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada, a mental health champion award from London area Canadian Mental Health Association, and a Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Nursing and the Royal Society of Canada.

Gabriele Rocca

President of WAPR

Opening Session

Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, he actively participated in the Italian Psychiatric Reform which achieved the closure of all psychiatric hospitals and the implementation of a network of community mental health services. As Director of “Corberi” Institute he carried out social inclusion projects for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

His Areas of interest are: Psychosocial Rehabilitation from a human rights perspective; Psychotherapy of severe mental disorders and History of psychiatric institutions.

He is  Professor at the Postgraduate School of Psychotherapy in Milan (AT Centre).

Gina Dimitropoulos

Professor, Faculty of Social Work- University of Calgary

Opening Session

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos is a Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, with cross-appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. She holds the Research Excellence Chair in Transdisciplinary Research in Youth Mental Health and Continuity of Care. Dr. Dimitropoulos is an award-winning clinician, researcher, and mentor who has dedicated her career to bridging knowledge and practice in youth mental health. She has made significant contributions to developing and evaluating innovative approaches which improve the accessibility, coordination, and effectiveness of care for young people. Her areas of specialization include peer support, care transitions, treatment development, and system-level innovation.  Dr. Dimitropoulos is the Lead Research Scientist for Kickstand, advancing the implementation of a rapid Learning Health System (LHS) to support continuous quality improvement by assessing outcomes at the youth, family, and system levels. 

Guadalupe Morales

Fundación Mundo Bipolar

Plenary Session

Guadalupe Morales Cano
Director. Fundación Mundo Bipolar
Vice Chair OF ENUSP (European Network of (Ex-) users and survivors of psychiatry)
gm@mundobipolar.org
Madrid. Spain

Guadalupe Morales Cano Has a degree in journalism. Have worked in various Spanish media channels (TVE, Antena-3). Fundamentally in News; and also, as a documentalist, scriptwriter and editor of programs. After many years of being diagnosed and running her profession effectively, she lost her job when her company learned she had a psychiatric diagnosis.
Because of this, Mrs. Morales promoted the creation of the Fundación Mundo Bipolar (2004); which is a non-profit state entity of people with first-hand experience. Fight against stigma and discrimination, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Mrs. Morales had held teaching positions at universities in Spain, Universidad Europea de Madrid, and the United States, University of California, Davis. She is currently a professor of the Master’s Degree Universitat Jaume I in Valencia, Spain teaching: “”Media and Stigma””, (since 2012) and at the Universidade NOVA, Lisbon, in the Master’s Degree of the International Mental Health Program. Topics: “Human Rights, Discrimination and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Since 2017). She is part of The International WHO Diploma in Mental Health, Human Rights, and Law, in Pune, India. Where she teaches,” Discrimination in Mental Health”.
She is coordinator and trainer of peer2peer trainings and courses to health professionals. Fundación Mundo Bipolar is also a pioneer in peer training. The Course: Education: a tool for Recovery and the fight against stigma (started in 2009) was chosen Good Practice by the European Commission (2017). She is the coordinator and teacher of courses since 2015 for nearly 2,000 Emergency Services health professional at SUMMA 112, as well as courses on Stigma and Discrimination for Nursing personnel. This year we are developing courses for all professionals working at the Public Health Sector of Comunidad de Madrid.
Mrs. Morales is a promoter of the training of WHO QualityRights in Spain. Coordinator of trainings in Madrid.
Participated in the first EU Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-Being. Representing Persons with Lived Experience, through ENUSP. European Network of (Ex-) users and survivors of psychiatry) (2014-2016).
In the last Joint Action ImpleMENTAL. Was member of the Stakeholder Forum and Advisor on the WP5. (2020-2024).
She was one of 16 partners from 11 countries in a European Commission research project, Horizon2020, Recover-E. Ms. Morales has trained professionals and peer workers to be part of Community Mental Health Mobile Teams, in five Eastern European countries. (2028-2023)
During the three past years, Guadalupe Has delivered a course on Alternatives to Coercion at the World Psychiatry Congress (WPA). In 2023, she received the “WPA Presidential Commondation for her extraordinary contribution”. Morales is Honorific member, as well
Mrs. Morales is vice-president of ENUSP (European Network of (former) users and survivors of psychiatry), the only grassroots organization of self-experienced people-only organizations, working across Europe to unite local and national organizations of (former) users and psychiatry survivors. The organization directly represents the views of people who are or have been in mental health services.
Member of the Board of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR), of its Human Rights Committee, of the Women’s Committee of the European Disability Forum (EDF). In Mental Health Europe; former Board Member and Chair of the Human Rights Committee, At the World Psychiatry Association (WPA), former member of its User and Caregiver Advisory Group; as well as the Working Group: Alternatives to Coercion. And from the Stigma and Mental Health section. Currently is member of its Ethics Committee, and the WG on Educational materials.
Member of the Global Ant stigma Alliance (GASA).
WHO consultant in various areas of mental health.
Representative of users of the Spanish Mental Health Strategy (since 2013)
Commissioner of The Lancet Commission on Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health
Her main interests are: Raising the voice of people with mental health problems at a political level to have a significant involvement in all aspects related to this group to promote their rights, developing peer and professional training projects and research.
She has written several articles on the involvement of people with mental health problems or psychosocial disabilities in public policies, and the claim of their rights, through activism and training. Among others:
Guadalupe Morales. Some articles
-Exploring perspectives of stigma and discrimination among people with lived experience of mental health conditions: a co-produced qualitative study. eClinicalMedicine. The Lancet. Published 28 February 2024. Volume 70, April 2024 www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00088-9/fulltext2509
-Bringing together the World Health Organization’s QualityRights initiative and the World Psychiatric Association’s programme on implementing alternatives to coercion in mental healthcare: a common goal for action. Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 Ja 2023
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/bringing-together-the-world-health-organizations-qualityrights-initiative-and-the-world-psychiatric-associations-programme-on-implementing-alternatives-to-coercion-in-mental-healthcare-a-common-goal-for-action/FCF38718F1061A20CCED229C2C170588
-WHO QualityRights Trainings in Madrid. Changing the Paradigm in Mental Health Care. Guadalupe Morales Cano. WAPR BULLETIN Nº 50. P.44
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/www.wapr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/WAPR_newsletter_June2023_v2.pdf
-User involvement in WAPR – my experience. WAPR Bulletin nº 50. June 2023. P.53
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/www.wapr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/WAPR_newsletter_June2023_v2-56-57.pdf
– Report of The Lancet Commission on ending stigma and discrimination in mental health. 10 October 2022
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673622014702?dgcid=coauthor
-Morales Cano, G (2016). De enfermo a ciudadano. From sick to citizen. Revista Asociación Española de Neuropsiquiatría 36(129):209-219 www.revistaaen.es/index.php/aen/article/view/16951
-Morales Cano, G, Wooley, S. (2016). Perspectives for public policies in mental health. Sick or well – a citizen first: The (Ex-)User/Survivor Voice in Democracy. L’Information psychiatrique, 92(9): 723-30. www.cairn.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=INPSY_9209_0723
-La Humanización en los Planes de Salud Mental en España (2022)
Humanization in mental health plans in Spain. (2022). www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1888989121000987?via%3Dihub
-Morales Cano, G, Wooley, S. (2016). Perspectives for public policies in mental health. Sick or well – a citizen first: The (Ex-)User/Survivor Voice in Democracy, L’information psychiatrique 2016/9 (Volume 92), pages 723 à 730 www.cairn.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=INPSY_9209_0723
– Morales Cano, G. (2013). Fundación Mundo Bipolar: Aprendizaje entre pares al servicio de la recuperación. Vértice (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 24(112), 434. www.polemos.com.ar/docs/vertex/vertex112.pdf
Coauthor.: Vivir con trastorno bipolar. Living with bipolar disorder (2012)
chrome-xtension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/consaludmental.org/publicaciones/Aprendiendovivircontrastornobipolar.pdf
Videos/ Documentaries:
From ill person to citizen. Stigma and discrimination in mental health (English)
youtu.be/caGF_ectLQs
Stereotypes and prejudices create a barriers for these people live a dignified life. This video reflects the reality of people’s with psychosocial disabilities or mental health problems. Together with doctors, psychologists, specialists in humans rights, as well as in stigma and media, all of them give testimony to show a different reality, which will give us a positive and hopeful vision. Translation: Stephanie Wooley.
This video belongs to the Bipolar World Foundation. It is freely distributed and prohibited from sale.
Producer of: Training for Community Care Teams. Peer Workers. Project Horizon2020 Recover-E (2022)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4A2Sw2eU3s

Ian Graham

University Of Ottawa

Keynote Session

Ian D Graham is Distinguished University Professor in the Schools of Epidemiology and Public & Nursing at the University of Ottawa, and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Implementation Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He is a health sociologist by training with extensive experience as a health services researcher and implementation scientist. Dr. Graham is a pioneer in the fields of knowledge translation and implementation science being the originator of such frameworks and models as the Knowledge to Action Framework, Ottawa Model of Research Use, and most recently, Implementation Roadmap. From 2006-2012 he was seconded to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as Vice President of Knowledge Translation. He has been inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, New York Academy of Medicine and Royal Society of Canada and twice awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal (2002, 2012) for contributions to research.

Isaac Mohan

University of Western Australia (UWA) Medical School

Plenary Session

Mohan Isaac is currently Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Medical School, Perth, Australia, and Consultant Psychiatrist, at Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, Australia. He was formerly Professor of Psychiatry at the UWA (2005-2017) and prior to that he was Professor and Head of the oldest and largest academic Department of Psychiatry in India at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore. During more than 30 years of his academic and clinical work in India, Mohan was actively involved in the development and implementation of India’s National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).
Mohan has worked as consultant for various international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) in various places including Geneva and Kabul, Afghanistan, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Amman, Jordan, the United Mission to Nepal in Nepal and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Sri Lanka. He works also with various health and mental health related non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in India such as the Medico Pastoral Association (MPA) (www.medicopastoralassociation.com) and Society for Health Awareness Research and Action (SOCHARA) (www.sochara.org) of both of which he is a past President.

Joanna Moncrieff

Plenary Session

Joanna Moncrieff is a Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and works as a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS in London. She researchers and writes about the over-use and misrepresentation of psychiatric drugs and about the history, politics and philosophy of psychiatry more generally. She led UK government-funded research to explore the effects of helping people to reduce antipsychotics (the RADAR study). She is a co-founder and chair-person of the Critical Psychiatry Network. She is author of numerous scientific papers and several books about psychiatric drugs including her most recent, Chemically Imbalanced: the making and unmaking of the serotonin myth (Flint Books, 2025).
Her website is https://joannamoncrieff.com/, Twitter handle @joannamoncrieff

Kim Mueser

Boston University

Plenary Session

Kim T. Mueser, Ph.D. is Professor of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences and Senior Researcher at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University. His research interests are on the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions for serious mental illnesses, including the treatment of first episode psychosis, illness management and recovery, co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorders, family psychoeducation, social skills training, cognitive remediation. He has published over 400 articles, 20 books, and 100 book chapters. His most recent books are: Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia: A Step-by-Step Guide (Third ed.). Guilford Press, 2024 and

Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Serious Mental Illness: The Cognitive Restructuring Program. American Psychological Association, 2025.

Marianne Farkas

Founder, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. WAPR president elected

Plenary Session

Among the founding members of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation under the direction of Dr. William A. Anthony, Dr. Farkas has authored/ co-authored over 170 publications, & multimedia training packages contributing to the recovery & psychiatric rehabilitation’s knowledge base & competencies. She has developed innovative training, consultation, organizational change strategies and initiatives to support individuals with lived experience, families, programs and systems in adopting psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery innovations, both in the U.S. and around the world.

Myra Piat

McGill University, Department of Psychiatry

Plenary Session

Myra Piat, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at McGill University, Department of Psychiatry and School of Social Work in Montreal, Canada, and a Researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. A social worker by training, Myra has been involved in numerous initiatives around housing for people with mental health challenges, homelessness, knowledge translation, implementation science and coproduction. Her priority is to engage and give a voice to diverse stakeholders, specifically service users and families/caregivers.
A leader in the field of mental health recovery and implementation science, Myra has worked tirelessly for over two decades to create system transformation in mental health services. She has been the lead on many Canadian Institutes of Health Research and McGill University-funded projects. Her most recent contribution is the Walk the Talk Toolkit, a free online bilingual toolkit designed to help organizations overcome the challenges of implementing recovery-oriented services into their work.
In 2022, Myra was awarded the Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health Champions Award for her work in research and innovation.
A strong advocate of system transformation through collaboration and co-production, Myra has a focused on conducting real-world applied research that ultimately makes a difference in the lives of those with mental health challenges.

Myreille Bédard

Lived Experience Expert

Plenary Session

After experiencing first-hand the sore trial of major depression in 2001, artist and speaker Myreille Bédard has been involved in different organizations relating to mental health since 2008. Among them, she has been a member of Quality Improvement Committee at St Mary’s Hospital Center, where she had been hospitalized for almost a year, as patient representative for 6 years. Since 2011, she gives conferences on depression and recovery for various audiences including hospital centers in the province of Quebec, Mental Illness Foundation, Community organizations and Sainte-Anne’s Hospital Center, in Paris. She is also a patient partner and co trainer with Montreal University’s Faculty of medicine – Direction collaboration et partenariat patient.
 
Since June 2015, she takes part in a new project promoting best recovery oriented pratices for mental health in the community, headed by the Centre for Studies on Rehabilitation Recovery and Social Inclusion (CERRIS) and the National Centre of Excellence in Mental Health (NCEMH). The same year, she released a book about depression and recovery, “Vaincre la dépression – l’estime de soi au cœur du rétablissement », inspired by her personal experience, published by Mediaspaul in Canada and France and translated in Italian. Using her professional artistic background, she offers self-expression through theatre classes for groups in mental health recovery.
 
2017-2018 She has been in charge of implementing the Action plan for primacy of person in planification and orgnisation of mental health services, as a Planning, Programming and Research Officer for the CIUSSS de-l’Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montréal. Also, she co conducted workshops supporting self management for people suffering from depression at Douglas Mental Health University Institute (IUSMD).
 
2016 – Member of the steering committee, coordination support and certified trainer for the Quebec Recovery College model – CASR, founded in 2019.
 
Since 2021, Been peer researcher in various project, among them, research project leaded by Matthew Menear “Understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care experiences of people with mental-physical multimorbidity”. She also collaborate with Dr Marie-Claude Geoffroy “Current State of Suicide Risk Assessment and Management Training for Clinically Oriented Psychology Graduate Students in Quebec, Canada: A Mixed-Methods Study”.

Pedro Delgado

Psychiatrist, director of Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Plenary Session

Psychiatrist, director of Institute of Psychiatry of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Former director of Mental Health and Drug Abuse Coordination at Ministry of Health in Brasil. Regional VP of WAPR to Americas

Sandra Moll

McMaster University

Plenary Session

Sandra has over three decades of experience as a mental health clinician, educator and researcher, with a primary focus on approaches to supporting mental health, at the workplace, at school and in the community. She led co-design and national implementation research of two peer support apps; one for First Responders (PeerOnCall) and one for Healthcare workers (Beyond Silence).

Sean Kidd

Clinical Psychologist, Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Plenary Session

Sean Kidd is a Clinical Psychologist and is a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is an Associate Professor in the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry. He has worked extensively in the areas of youth homelessness, digital mental health, and the implications of the climate change for the health of people experiencing poverty.

Skye Barbic

The University Of British Columia

Plenary Session

Dr. Skye Barbic is the Canada Research Chair in Integrated Youth Services, Head Scientist at Foundry, and Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia.Her work focuses on improving mental health services, with an emphasis on community-based interventions, health equity, and the integration of innovative approaches to care. Dr. Barbic has been involved in various recovery projects aimed at enhancing mental health care delivery and addressing mental health disparities across diverse populations. She is also known for her commitment to translating research into real-world policy and practice.

Tracey Windsor

The Kaleidoscope Mental Health Support Society

Plenary Session

Grounded in personal experience, Tracy advocates for person-centered approaches that amplify the voices of individuals accessing mental health services. Tracy’s current work brings together health authorities, researchers, and individuals with lived experience to identify gaps and opportunities for meaningful transformation within EPI programs across Canada.

Vicky Huehn

PSR Canada

Plenary Session

Vicky is currently the CEO of Psychosocial Rehabilitation / Readptation Psychosociale Canada (PSR/RPS Canada), a national organization comprised of organizations and individuals dedicated to recovery based services using the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation. In June 2016, the Certified PSR Recovery Practitioner roster was launched by PSR/RPS Canada. She is also a board member of the World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Her personal values of respect, dignity, choice and inclusion are mirrored in the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery-oriented practices. She works as a surveyor and mentor with Accreditation Canada

From 1982 – 2015 she was the CEO/President of Frontenac Community Mental Health and Addiction Services (FCMHAS).

She developed the agency from a single service of supportive affordable housing as its sole volunteer to a complex, multifarious organization which included a variety of intensive services with over two hundred staff members serving 3,000 clients.

In 2005, FCMHAS was the second community mental health organization in Ontario to obtain accreditation and has been successful in continuing their status. The last survey under her leadership received the exemplary status.

Under her guidance, FCMHAS received the Service of Excellence in 2007 from the Ontario Non-profit Housing Association.

She holds an honours degree in psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University. She is involved in federal, provincial and local initiatives of service development and planning including the Mental Health Commission of Canada. She sat on the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care’s Advisory Committee for the development of the ten-year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. She was the co-lead of the national study on housing with supports – Turning the Key – a report of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). She spent five years on the Service Systems Advisory Committee of the MHCC.

She has been given the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal by the City of Kingston and the Rotary Cub Paul Harris Fellow award for her work. She is a Certified Health Executive and a Certified PSR Recovery Practitioner.

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