Spirituality and Psychiatry SIG Conference 2026 Resources 

Welcome to the Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group Conference 2026. This year's conference theme is 'Suffering and Spirituality: Implications for Mental Health'.

We look forward to welcoming you to London on Friday 20 March.

Suffering is a reality in our world. The 24/7 news cycle and the expansion of social media means that we have to attend to the suffering of others; and even in the happiest of human lives, people experience psychological pain and suffering of different kinds.  Such suffering is significant for us as psychiatrists because it takes its toll on mental health.

In this conference, we explore the role of spirituality and faith in helping people not just cope but survive, and even grow, amidst suffering. Speakers from different faith traditions, and none, will discuss their understanding of how spirituality helps to support mental health at times of suffering.

Thank you for attending the conference.

We'd really appreciate it if you could spend a few moments completing the feedback form and letting us know what went well and if there were any aspects that could be improved.

All comments received remain confidential and are viewed in an effort to improve future events.

Please note that the presentations are the intellectual property of the speaker and the College and any unauthorised broadcasting/copying of the material is strictly prohibited. Presentations are only available where speakers have kindly provided permission.

 

Dr Jonathan Buckley, Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist
Professor Chris Cook, Vice-Chair, Special Interest Group, Emeritus Professor in Spirituality, Theology & Health at the Institute for Medical Humanities, Durham University
Professor Christopher C.H. Cook is an Emeritus Professor in the Institute of Medical Humanities at Durham University. He is the current vice chair, and a past chair, of the Spirituality & Psychiatry Special Interest Group at RCPsych. He is editor, together with Andrew Powell, of the 2nd edition of Spirituality & Psychiatry (CUP, 2022) and author of Spirituality in Mind: Psychiatry in a Post Secular Age (to be published by CUP, 2026).
Dr Timothy Dixon, Chaplain
Dr Lucy Grimwade, Chair, Special Interest Group
Dr Rebecca Lawrence
I am a writer, psychiatrist, patient and amateur violinist. I work as a part-time consultant in Edinburgh, based in the specialist in-patient addictions service and the chronic pain service. I have bipolar disorder, and my memoir, 'An Improbable Psychiatrist' was published in 2024. I have also blogged, and published articles, book reviews and a little bit of poetry.
Dr Glenn Roberts
Glenn Roberts began his consultant life in the small but beautiful district of North Devon and subsequently became National lead on Recovery for the RCPsych (2006-11) and Academic Secretary to the Faculty of Rehabilitation. His work and publications include explorations of many aspects of recovery-oriented practice including applications of narrative medicine, drama in public health education, working with choice, burnout, risk and safety, and meaning in madness.
In older age he has gained much from contemplative studies and meditation practice. He greatly enjoys wandering in nature with his dog, Archie, and is glad to be realising a long-held ambition to paint.
Kartar Singh Bring is the first Sikh Head of Chaplaincy in the NHS and has served nationally within Chaplaincy as Vice-President of the College of Healthcare Chaplains, and Chair of the UK Sikh Healthcare Chaplaincy Group. He holds a range of leadership and public service roles across chaplaincy, justice, education, and heritage, and is a trusted voice on faith, wellbeing, and social cohesion. His work and contribution to public life have received civic and cultural recognition.
Professor John Swinton, Professor in Practical Theology, University of Aberdeen
John Swinton is Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care and Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. He previously worked for over a decade as a registered mental health nurse and later as a hospital and community mental health chaplain alongside people with severe mental health challenges. In 2004 he founded the University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. He has published widely on mental health, dementia, disability theology, spirituality and healthcare, end-of-life care, qualitative research, and pastoral care. His books include Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges (Awarded the Aldersgate Prize for interdisciplinary research) and Dementia: Living in the Memories of God (Awarded the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ramsey Prize for theological excellence). John is married with 5 children. he is also a musician. His album Beautiful Songs About Difficult Thinks came out in 2025

Dr Shah F. Tarfarosh is a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he specialises in the psychiatric assessment and management of patients suffering with complex physical health conditions. He is an executive committee member of the RCPsych Spirituality & Psychiatry SIG. A British Muslim by background, he has also undertaken Master’s-level training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at Cardiff and in clinical leadership at Cambridge. His work has been recognised through several regional and national awards, and he is particularly interested in the role of spirituality as a protective factor in mental illness and recovery, irrespective of an individual’s faith or belief system.

Nigel Wellings, Independent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
Nigel Wellings is semi-retired psychoanalytic psychotherapist who has been in practice a little over forty years. The author of a number of books on the relationship between psychotherapy and Buddhism. And finally convenes the Beginner's Mind Sangha - a broadly based Buddhist meditation group.








Beyond "Fixing:" Suffering, Spirituality, and the Slow Work of Mental Health Care - Professor John Swinton, Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care and Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen

Contemporary psychiatry rightly seeks to alleviate distress. Yet, in a world shaped by speed, acceleration and urgency, suffering is often reduced to symptom or technical problem to be solved quickly. This lecture argues that spirituality matters for mental health not because it offers additional coping strategies, but because it sustains slower, more attentive ways of being with suffering. It proposes three claims: suffering is a moral and relational reality, not exhausted by diagnosis; spirituality forms perception and hope rather than merely improving outcomes; and personhood is grounded in relationship rather than autonomy. Together, these insights reframe mental health care as accompaniment as well as intervention.

Improbably Speaking - Dr Rebecca Lawrence, NHS Lothian

I am going to talk about my experiences of being a patient and a psychiatrist - and a writer - and how these have influenced each other, and how they have shaped me as a person. I will talk about the effects of treatment on my memory and personality, and how this has changed me as a doctor and prescriber, and how I have lived with them.

Valuing our vulnerability - Dr Glenn Roberts

Fundamentally, our work is engaged with the relief of suffering. Our College motto bids us to, ‘Let wisdom guide’ … but from where? Rebecca’s account of being both patient, doctor and ‘improbable psychiatrist’ bridges the gap between ‘us and them’, and challenges the improbability of this reality. Glenn will offer a personal perspective on the ancient heritage and paradoxical wisdom associated with 'the wounded healer’ and consider how this informs re-visioning Psychiatry as a fundamentally relational practice drawing on the recently published, 'Personally Speaking: stories from psychiatrists ... on learning from Life's experiences.' – as a companionable resource of experiential wisdom.

The winner of the Annual Essay Prize 2025 is Dr Muhammad Talha Farooq.

The essay is entitled Footpaths: Spirituality, Psychiatry and the Work of Care and you can read the essay here.

You will automatically receive a certificate of attendance 1 week after the event has taken place.

This course is eligible for up to 6 CPD hours, subject to peer group approval.

Personally Speaking - Stories from Psychiatrists…on learning from Life experiences
 

Through intimate autobiographical stories, leading psychiatrists illustrate how the heart, the art and the soul of psychiatric medical practice are fundamentally relational … starting with themselves. 'Personally Speaking’ is a unique and richly illustrated collection of personal stories from past and present leaders in Psychiatry. It invites readers to join them in contemplating what may be learned from difficult experiences in our lives and consider how this relates to our growth and maturation as people, and practitioners.

It arose from concern that our medical culture has often failed to emphasise the value of integrating our personal and professional experience, resulting in us living as divided selves.  It acknowledges that learning to value and share personal experience needs care and skill but holds great potential to support more integrated and relational ways of training, learning and living.  The heart and soul of psychiatry are intimately concerned with the human endeavour to connect with and care for people in profound states of mental distress. At its best, psychiatry is based upon the offer of a respectful, compassionate and understanding relationship, in support of personal recovery.