CPMH Writing Workshop a great success

The Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health (CPMH) hosted a writing workshop in collaboration with the UCT research office last week.

On Monday, 16 November, 18 academics affiliated with the Centre arrived at the picturesque Mont Fleur conference venue in Stellenbosch for three full days of brain storming, peer review and, of course, writing.

The writing workshop was focused on individual writing and participants arrived with a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve over the course of the workshop. Professor Leslie Swartz kicked off the first day with a two-part talk on how to “have fun while publishing without really trying”. This set the scene for a productive three days.

Participants could relax and focus on the writing task at hand with Mont Fleur’s beautiful scenery as the perfect backdrop. The next two days of writing went by quickly with papers being written on topics ranging from maternal depression in India, adaption of depression rating scales for use by non-clinicians in Xhosa, feasibility of substance use interventions and the economic impact of mental disorders.

A feedback session ended the workshop on an extremely positive note with all the participants agreeing that the structure of the workshop as well as Mont Fleur’s hospitality aided them greatly in rounding off their writing projects.

Erica Breuer, PRIME Project Manager and organiser of the workshop, also thanked Lyn Holness from the research office at the University of Cape Town for making the workshop possible before participants headed home with their papers significantly longer and minds greatly rejuvenated.