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Conflict Management & Resolution

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About

In August 1990, the WPA Executive Committee approved establishment of the Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution (CMCR) Section. The first organisational meeting was held in October 1990 at the XII World Congress of Social Psychiatry, Washington, DC. The section was ratified by the WPA Assembly, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in October, 1993.

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Our mission is to encourage international and trans-sectional collaborations among psychiatrists on the topic of mental health issues related to conflicts happening in the world.

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Our vision is to empower psychiatrists to create and share ideas and information on better mental health management in conflicted areas.

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Our strategy includes:

  • Continuing the good work and vision from founders and previous leaders of the Section

  • Dynamising the section to face current challenges such as - empowerment of low-middle income countries, globalised war, gender equality and climate change

  • Shaping the future for better management of mental health disorders in conflicted areas

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We warmly invite you to join our Section to work together on programs, initiatives, and membership development on the topic of Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution. Do not hesitate to contact us!

Section Officers

Chair:

Ruta Karaliuniene

Ruta Karaliuniene

Adult Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist

Rhein Mosel Clinic, Landeskrankenhaus Andernach

Academic Hospital at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Germany


Email: ruta.karaliuniene@gmail.com

Co-Chair:

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Enrico Suardi 

Director of Psychiatry

Saint Elizabeths Hospital

1100 Alabama Ave SE

Washington DC 20032
 
Email: enrico.suardi@dc.gov

Secretary:

Fabian Kraxner

Fabian Kraxner

Adult Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist
Center of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Hospital of Affoltern am Albis
Switzerland
 
Email: fabel@gmx.ch

Elected leadership council members 2024-2026

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Djibril Ibrahim Moussa Handuleh

Department of psychiatry 

Amoud University 

Borama, Somaliland, northern Somalia 

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Michael Stark

Leader, Institute for Behavioral Therapy & Stress and Fatigue Research
Beim Schlump 29,

20144 Hamburg

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Margaret Ojeahere

Department of Psychiatry,

Jos University Teaching Hospital,

Jos, Nigeria

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 Darpan Kaur Mohinder Singh  MBBS, DNB (Psychiatry)

Department of Psychiatry,

Mahatma Gandhi Missions Medical College and Hospital,

Navi Mumbai,

Maharashtra, India

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Chonnakarn Jatchavala M.D.,MSc.

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine

Prince of Songkla University

Thailand

>> Please click here to see the Updated Section Members list.

Former Section Board Members

Section on Conflict Management & Conflic

Fernando Lolas Stepke (Chairperson)

April 2018

At the WPA Congress in Berlin 2017 the activities of the Section were reviewed and several suggestions made. For instance, the possibility that members provide information about their expertise in different fields in order to help institutions, persons, or states to cope with stressful or conflictual situations, a greater involvement with social science matters and research and a more intense interaction among members of CMCR Section. The newly elected officers will disseminate activities relevant to the field and continue organizing symposia and workshops around the world. To meet this goal, all Section members and sympathizers are requested to send their views and ideas for inclusion in the next series of activities.

The section had an in-depth discussion on its activities and future plans at the WPA World Congress in Madrid (2014). The section noted interest expressed by new members to pursue different elements of conflict management and conflict resolution. Following appointment of the current chairperson and co-chair (Prof Michael Starke) and the new Secretary (Elsa Gewehr) we tabulated the following themes as worthy of pursuit in future WPA Regional, International and World Congress Forums:

  • Rethinking conflict management and conflict resolution by having specific workshops with other associated sections such as the sections on Spirituality and Mental Health; Education; Culture and Psychiatry; Psychiatry in Developing countries and others

  • Task members to identify and summarize for further discussion, pockets of conflict in various countries. This will help in delineating the sources of conflict and assessing the capacity of WPA to either assist or comment on how best to support colleagues in these countries. Furthermore, the bigger question was whether WPA can influence the direction such conflicts take by generating discourse with various government leaders

  • In collaboration with other sections, add to all the sections that intervene in Disaster management by way developing training manuals and providing hands on support to affected communities and colleagues where possible.

  • Prof M Starke, the chairperson with other section members has pursued the theme of “Workplace Stress” with various presentations analyzing the nature of the stress; gender distribution and intervention strategies.

  • With guidance from Prof Eliot Sorel, the section has considered a bulletin that will record the various activities and also invited contributions from colleagues who may not necessarily be section members.

  • Symposiums on Migration and access to care and Public Mental Health generally were pursued at the WPA 2015 Congress in Budapest. This also included a discourse on Gender-based violence and empowerment of women.

The section will strive to work in collaboration with other sections to enhance the Educational efforts of WPA and explore territories that may offer suggestions to reduction of morbidity due to mental illness in various communities of the world. The section will also make inputs at “Global Mental Health Forums “of other associations that are affiliated or linked to the WPA such as the APA and others in Asia and Africa.fo

Recommended Reading

  • Professor Eliot SOREL MD, Founder, WPA Conflict Management & Resolution Section, talks to The Nordic Psychiatrist Journal about the Section and the role of psychiatrists in managing conflicts and in war situations. Read the article here.

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Section Activities

Upcoming Section Events

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Empowering Women in Psychiatry: Leadership in Mental Health

Where: World Congress of Psychiatry 2024, WPA Congress Venue, Tajin Room on the Mezzanine Floor

When: 16th November, 2024

Time:  16:00 local time

Register for the event: https://forms.gle/YFNa32rjdkoTmZpU8

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Official Section Meeting

Where: World Congress of Psychiatry 2024, WPA Congress Venue, Yaqui Room

When: November 15th 11:00AM (local Mexico time)

Coordinator: Margaret Ojeahere

Please Ruta Karaliuniene, the Section Chair know if you are able to attend.

Webinars

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Webinar Title: WPA CMCR Section Leadership Council Webinar: Technology, Psychiatry and Mental Health

Webinar Date & Time: TBD

Speaker: Prof Dr Darpan Kaur Mohinder Singh, MBBS, DNB, Department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Missions Medical College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

More information: You can read more about the webinar and what it will cover in this abstract.

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How to attend the webinar: Click on the Webinar-Zoom-Link (and use the Meeting ID: 813 5583 1829, if needed)

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Webinar Title: Children grow even in conflict situations: Prioritising the mental health of youths in Africa

Webinar Date & Time: TBD

Speaker: Margaret Ojeahere, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria. 

More information: You can read more about the webinar and what it will cover in this abstract.

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How to attend the webinar: Click on the Webinar-Zoom-Link (and use the Meeting-ID: 865 1971 5169, if needed)​​

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Past Section Events

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Diplomacy and Psychiatry:

"The Human Factor is the Basis of Crises and the Individual is the Source of Solutions” Webinar

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When: Tuesday 4th June 2024, at 9:00am (EST)

Where: Online

What: We will be hosting a series of webinars over the year. This is our first one on the topic of “The Human Factor is the Basis of Crises and the Individual is the Source of Solutions” 

Presenter: Enrico Suardi (Section Co-chair)

Who: This webinar is open for all CMCR members and guests upon request - please contact the Section Officers

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More information about this webinar and the meeting link can be found here.

You can listen to the presentation here.​​​

Meet and greet

When: Sunday 5th of May 2024 at 11:00am (EST)

Where: Annual conference of the American Psychiatric Association

What: There will be a virtual meet and greet of WPA CMCR members with a small group of the Washington Psychiatric Society’s members attending the annual conference of the American Psychiatric Association (only CMCR Leadership Committee members invited).

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​WPS/CLM podcast on Professional Career Reflections with Eliot SOREL, MD, DLFAP (June 2024)

You can listen to the podcast here.

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