How to make the most of your Congress experience!

Sunday 16 June

• Welcome drinks reception - We will be kicking off the Congress with a welcome drinks reception. We hope this will be a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues and friends ahead of the Congress. We are aware that Eid al-Adha is due to fall during the Congress, and as this is a time of celebration for many of you, we would like to invite you to join us for the reception in your traditional dress.
• Mindmasters - Mindmasters will be returning for its third year! Members from across the UK will be competing to be the 2024 Mindmasters champions – come along and cheer on your team!

Monday 17 June

• Climate Café – join us during the lunch break for a confidential and welcoming group space to connect with others and share thoughts, feelings and reactions related to the Climate and Ecological Crisis.
• Unleash the power of media mastery – join members of our strategic communications department to gain the necessary skills and strategies to become and expert media contributor with confidence. With years of industry experience, they will share how the news cycle for broadcast, print and online media works. You will also learn tips on how to project your message effectively and the best way to portray yourself as a seasoned expert. (There is a second session taking place on Wednesday 19 June)
• Creative arts: an antidote to existential despair – In this session you will explore how creative arts (specifically literature, poetry and music) may improve our personal and vicarious experiences of existential despair. Over the course of the session Professor Christopher Dowrick will show how creative arts can broaden our approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention

• Stand up for Mental Health! – Join us for a night of laughter and intellect at our first Congress comedy event. Inspired by the spirit of Bright Club, academics will take to the stage to share their wit and wisdom in a fusion of comedy and learning!

Tuesday 18 June

• Doing do-able jobs: a masterclass in how coaching and mentoring can help you in professional development – join this session to learn about the effectiveness of coaching and mentoring, whether that be one to one or in groups, such as peer support, training and professional development. This session is aimed at all trainees plus SAS doctors and consultants in their first five years
  
• SIG fair and lunch - Join us during the lunch break to meet members of our 15 College Special Interest Groups to learn about each group and meet with like minded individuals. This is an informal drop-in session with executive committee members available to chat to, and answer questions about their SIGs. Lunch will be served in the room
• Examiner’s lunch - Join fellow examiners to network and say hello in this dedicated lunch session hosted by, the outgoing Chief Examiner, Dr Ian Hall and your new Chief Examiner, soon to be announced. Lunch will be served in the room

Wednesday 19 June

• Doing do-able jobs: a masterclass in how coaching and mentoring can help you in professional development - join this session to learn about the effectiveness of coaching and mentoring, whether that be one to one or in groups, such as peer support, training and professional development. This session is aimed at later-career' psychiatrists - SAS doctors and consultants beyond 5yrs in the job
  
• SAS Doctors Lounge – for the first time this year we will be hosting a dedicated SAS Doctors Lounge. Come along during the lunch break to meet with other like minded individuals and join us for this special session to meet the College Officers
• Music, medicine, mental health and me – join former Dean, Dr Kate Lovett and internationally acclaimed jazz musician Jeremy Sassoon as they explore his journey as not only a musician but his career as a psychiatrist and  his own mental health through music and storytelling, ultimately concluding that music and psychiatry are not so very far apart!
• Theatre of the Oppressed: using participatory art methodologies to support communities on severe mental illnesses in India and Pakistan – in this session you will explore how art-based methods can serve as powerful tools to showcase emotions, experiences and needs. You will gain insight into how Theatre of the Oppressed has been used in India and Pakistan to empower people with lived experience of mental illness and to engage the local community, including patients, caregivers, their families, and neighbouring community members, to participate in a dialogue and discussion on mental health
• Kilts and flings - Learn to Highland Dance - whilst in Scotland why not learn a little of the national dance. Set to bagpipe music Highland dancing is a style of competitive dancing developed in the Scottish Highlands in the 19th and 20th centuries. This session will showcase a number of different highland dances and then give you the opportunity to learn the basic positions and the first step of the highland fling.

Throughout the Congress

• Wellbeing activities – start your morning with a number of different wellbeing activities taking place on each day of the Congress, from a 5k run to sessions on mindfulness and art therapy
  
• Poster presentations – during the breaks and lunch period don’t forget to visit our ePoster hub situated at the heart of the Exhibition Hall, where you will be able to browse through hundreds of posters exploring diverse topics. Each lunchtime there will also be a number of rapid fire presentations showcasing groundbreaking research and innovations
• Student and trainee lounge – if you are a student or trainee make sure you visit the student and trainee lounge, open throughout the Congress, to meet and make meaningful connections with your peers. There will be special sessions taking place each lunchtime, such as meet the College Officers and Meet the Chief Examiner

We look forward to seeing you in Edinburgh this summer - don't forget to book your ticket now for our award winning event. We have sold out in previous years, so book now to avoid disappointment