The 1st Annual Veterans First Point Scotland Conference:
Celebrating the Launch of V1PS services across Scotland
Wednesday, 23rd March 2016
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
The Exchange, 150 Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EE
Confirmed Speakers include:
Keith Brown, MSP, Veterans Secretary
Simon Weston, CBE, Falklands War Veteran, Author, Public Speaker & Charity Supporter
Professor Neil Greenberg, Professor of Defence Mental Health, King's College London
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The 1st Annual Veterans First Point Scotland Conference:
Celebrating the Launch of V1PS services across Scotland
Wednesday, 23rd March 2016
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
The Exchange, 150 Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EE
As you may be aware Veterans First Point is a service designed by Veterans to meet the
needs of Veterans. It is based on the expressed need to have more co-ordinated, credible and
accessible services for ex-service personnel. In December 2013 NHS Lothian was awarded
funding from the Armed Forces Community Covenant to roll out the Veterans First Point
(Lothian) model to other NHS board areas in Scotland. Due to overwhelming support across all
sectors the model has now been successfully developed in eight health boards across
Scotland. This is the first co-ordinated, national, multi-centre mental health and well-being
service of this nature in the United Kingdom. On the 23rd March we will be delighted to host this
Scottish Military and Veteran Conference to celebrate the launch of this network of V1P
services for Veterans and their families in Scotland.
The following provides a brief overview for the day. Full details can be found on the
subsequent pages:
0900 – 0945
Registration and refreshments
0945 - 1000
Colonel (Retired) Martin Gibson - Chair
1000 - 1030
Keith Brown MSP
1030 – 1100
V1P Scotland Update and Welcome
1100 – 1200
Professor Neil Greenberg
1200 – 1300
Lunch
1300 – 1400
Simon Weston CBE
1400 – 1500
Session One: Pre-Select from five options
1500 – 1530
Coffee and Tea Break
1530 – 1630
Session Two: Pre-Select from five options
1630 – 1700
Plenary and close
Please apply by application available on page 8. We advise that you apply early to ensure you
are able to attend your preferred option.
Your personalised event schedules will be provided in delegate pack on the day.
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The following events will take place for all delegates in the Sidlaw
Auditorium:
0945 – 1000 Welcome from Chair
Colonel (Retired) Martin Gibson OBE DL, Executive Chairman of Veterans Scotland
Colonel Martin Gibson has personal experience of the military as both Adjutant and Commanding Officer of 1st
Battalion, The Royal Scots, commanding in the armoured infantry role in Germany and on operations in Northern
Ireland. During his service he was lucky enough to soldier in Libya, Turkey, France, Germany, Denmark, Norway
and the Falklands as well as in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He is a former Chief of Staff of the Army in
Scotland.
Colonel Gibson won the Institute of Directors Scotland 2006 Voluntary Director of the Year Award. He joined
Veterans Scotland following a transformational tenure as the CEO of Erskine and brought a wealth of experience
and knowledge about the Third Sector in Scotland to the role of Executive Chairman of Veterans Scotland,
particularly with respect to veterans’ affairs. He is a member of the Confederation of British Service and exService Organisations Executive Committee.
He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, Chairman of the Trustees of The Royal Scots and a member
of The Merchants House of Glasgow. Colonel Gibson has been a key support of the V1P ethos and model
throughout its development and we are delighted he is chairing this event.
1000 – 1030 Keith Brown MSP, Veterans Secretary
Keith Brown has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament since 2007 and is currently the constituency MSP for
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane. Before his election he served for eleven years as a councillor in
Clackmannanshire, and held the post of Council Leader from 1999 to 2003. He was appointed Minister for Skills
and Lifelong Learning in February 2009 and has since held a number of ministerial roles including Minister for
Transport and Veterans in September 2012. In November 2014 he was appointed to the role of Cabinet
Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities.
Mr Brown continues to have a significant role in supporting the veteran community and we welcome his time and
contribution to the day.
10:30-11.00 V1P Scotland Update : Linda Irvine, BA, MSc, Veterans First Point Strategic
Lead and Dr Lucy Abraham, DClin Psychol., MA, Veterans First Point Clinical Lead
Linda Irvine has a BA in Communication Studies and a MSc in Health Promotion. She has been employed in her
current role as Strategic Programme Manager for Mental Health and Wellbeing since December 2004. She is
charged with responsibility for developing and implementing Lothian’s Strategy for Mental Health and Wellbeing,
and in addition to this she leads a number of regional and national developments, including the strategic
leadership of V1P Scotland.
In 2007 Linda established an academic/practice partnership called the ‘Transformation Station’ to underpin
service redesign with robust evidence which has driven significant change programmes to improve outcomes for
people with mental health problems. In June 2013, Linda was appointed as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow
by the Senate of Queen Margaret University in recognition of her significant contribution to the development and
delivery of evidence-based practice in healthcare. She is currently studying for her Professional Doctorate in
Health and Social Sciences. Her research is focused on addressing inequalities.
Dr Lucy Abraham is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who works therapeutically with veterans that suffer a wide
range of complex mental health conditions. She is trained in the use of various treatment approaches including
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Compassionate Mind Training and Eye Movement
Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy. She was honoured to be awarded ‘Civilian of the Year’ for her contribution
to Veteran health care as part of the Military and Civilian Health Partnership awards.
Lucy commenced as service lead for Veterans First Point Lothian in 2011 and is passionate about the ethos and
model of the Veterans F1rst Point service. Based on the success of the Lothian model she contributed to an
application to the Armed forces Community Covenant to fund the roll out of the model to other areas of Scotland.
She is now Veterans First Point Scotland Clinical Lead and with her colleagues has had a key role in the
establishment, training and support to the Veteran First Point Network that we are launching today. This
presentation provides an introduction to the Veterans First Point model and the development of the network.
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1100 – 1200 Professor Neil Greenberg BM, BSc, MMedSc, FHEA, MFMLM, DOccMed,
MEWI, MInstLM, MFFLM, MD, FRCPsych
Professor of Defence Mental Health
Professor Neil Greenberg is an academic psychiatrist based at King’s College London UK and is a consultant
occupational and forensic psychiatrist. Neil served in the United Kingdom Armed Forces for more than 23 years
and has deployed, as a psychiatrist and researcher, to a number of hostile environments including Afghanistan
and Iraq.
Neil has published more than 180 scientific papers and book chapters many of which are on occupational and
traumatic stress management within organisations. He is also the President of the UK Psychological Trauma
Society and the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Presidential Lead for Military and Veterans Health.
1200 – 1300 Catered Lunch in Strathblane Hall
1300 – 1400 Simon Weston CBE
In 1982 the Sir Galahad was destroyed in Bluff Cove on the Falkland Islands. On board was Simon Weston,
Welsh Guardsman, a name and face that was going to become well known for his struggle to overcome his
injuries (46% burns) and redefine his role in life.
Simon endured years of re-constructive surgery, including 70 major operations or surgical procedures.
Following his injuries, Simon’s road to physical, spiritual and mental recovery saw him active in a number of highly
successful ventures. He remains a tireless worker for the charity and his charitable work earned him an OBE in
the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours and CBE in the 2016 New Year Honours. Author of 3 autobiographies and 4
children’s books, Simon has recently embarked on a theatre tour across the UK.
Simon’s message is one of single-minded determination, to not only accept what is, but to turn that to your
advantage. Simon’s own career clearly demonstrates how a positive mental attitude can achieve great business
goals.
The afternoon includes two sessions that involve talks and workshops
running concurrently. Please select your preferred session on the
application form provided:
1400 – 1500
1.
Session One (please select one of the following five options)
Veteran Experience Session
This session comprises two presentations from military veterans whom have kindly offered to share their very
personal experience of the military and their experience of the support available to veterans and their families.
Captain Neil J. Kitchiner, RMN, BA (Hons) Behavioural Psychotherapy, Cert ENB 650, MSc, PhD, Lead for the ‘All
Wales Veteran Service’
This session provides a very personal description of Captain Kitchiners’ deployment to Afghanistan, Camp
Bastion and beyond as an army reservist with 203 Field Hospital, Herrick 19 (Oct 2013 – Jan 2014). The
presentation uses a mixture of photographs and video taken during the deployment, describing the predeployment cycle, 4 month deployment and adjustment back to civilian life and returning to NHS day job.
Aidan Stephen
Aidan Stephen served with the RAC (Royal Armoured Corps) for seventeen years. Operational tours included
Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq 2003. He was diagnosed with depression in 2000 and after an attempt
on his own life, four months after returning from the Iraq War, he was hospitalised. A medical discharge left him
stranded and it was not until a subsequent diagnosis of PTSD at V1P that his treatment started to have a positive
effect. This presentation focuses on his recovery journey, his relationship with V1PLothian and his interpretations
of what was helpful and what could have improved his experience.
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2.
Scottish Veterans Research Symposium
This session comprises two presentations from two research papers produced in Scotland on Veterans issues
Understanding the Early Service Leaver
Col (Retd) Dr Beverly Bergman, Glasgow University
The Scottish Veterans Health Study examined the long-term health of 57, 000 military Veterans born between
1945 and 1985 to investigate whether the health of veterans differed from that of non-Veterans and, if differences
were found, to explore possible reasons. This paper examines the health of Early Service Leavers in comparison
with both longer-serving veterans and with non-veterans.
Positive Transitions: An Acceptability, Feasibility and Impact Evaluation of a Veterans Mentoring Service
in Scotland
Professor Elizabeth Gilchrist, Director of Forensic Psychology Programmes, Glasgow Caledonian University.
Dr Liz Frondigoun, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of the West of Scotland.
Dr Sarah Landale, Research Associate, Department of Psychology, Social Work, Allied Health Sciences. Glasgow
Caledonian University
Research shows that identity construction (during service) and reconstruction (post-service) is critical in
understanding the process of transition. UWS and Glasgow Caledonian University are in the early stages of an
empirical research project aimed at exploring these issues. The focus is a Scotland-based service, working with
Veterans in the Criminal Justice System, and was specifically selected because it uses evidence-based, peersupport case management systems to address the gap in services highlighted by service users, specifically
encouraging and developing inclusion within local communities.
3.
Symposium: Development at Veterans First Point, Lothian
This session comprises two presentations from Veterans First Point (Lothian) which was established in 2009 as
the first one stop shop of its kind for veterans. This unique combination of Veterans and clinical staff employed by
the NHS: Peer Support Workers and clinicians, co-ordinating with partner agencies has allowed us to develop a
way of working to address the needs of this particular client group beyond the traditional “medical” model.
Veterans First Point Lothian: Credible, Coordinated and Accessible
Veterans First Point, Lothian Team
This clinical roundtable will consist of Psychological therapy, Psychiatry, and Peer Support Work. It will consider a
variety of anonymised cases, summarised briefly for the audience. The panel of peer support worker(s),
psychologist(s) and psychiatrist(s) will explore the team relationships in managing the many issues raised by each
case to ensure a smooth journey for veterans towards their recovery.
Delivering a Psycho-Educational and Skills-Based Group for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress
Charlie Allanson-Oddy, Consultant Psychological Therapist and Service Lead, V1P Lothian
The Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress has worked with both Veteran, emergency service and the general
population since 1997 and has developed a five-module programme called ‘The Light Bulb Course’: a psychoeducational, skills-based group for PTSD. They kindly allowed full use of this course to clinicians at V1P Lothian.
Five groups have been run to date; the session will report on the experience(s) of clinicians and clients.
4.
Motivational Interviewing Workshop
John Wills, V1P Scotland Consultant Psychological Therapist
Jeff Allison, Director of an International Training Consultancy
Since its initial development in the 1980s, Motivational Interviewing (MI) has become increasingly widely
employed as a therapeutic approach to help people bring about behaviour change. It is often practised in drug
and alcohol treatment settings although there is a wealth of published research worldwide, where MI is shown to
be beneficial in a very diverse range of areas.
This workshop will:
 explain the essence of this conversational style
 conduct a brief exercise, offering a ‘taste’ of MI; drawing conclusions about the nature of helpful
conversation
 consider the value of this style when working with veterans
This should provide an introduction to MI and its potential to those with no prior knowledge or experience, as well
as allowing more experienced practitioners to consider how it might be applied when working with veterans. We
hope this will be interesting and informative to a wide-ranging audience, working in military and civilian settings,
whether in a medical or welfare role to peer support workers, therapists or managers.
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5.
Veterans First point: Developing Service User Involvement
Dave Carson, V1P Scotland Senior Health Promotion Officer for Veterans Mental Health & Well-being
This workshop will look at approaches to meaningful service user involvement and discuss how the V1P Scotland
network begins to: Establish Veterans reference groups aligned to each V1P geographic area
 Identify resources to do this – support, facilitation and training, both for staff and service users
 Embrace Veterans as valuable assets and contributors to the development of services
 Address health inequalities by developing a collective voice of V1P service users/clients
 Use the power of listening, actively listen and act on the listening to shape and develop service provided
for Veteran’s mental health and well-being.
This will be a facilitated discussion in which workshop participants can contribute and offer ideas, solutions and
critical analysis in developing this process
1500 – 1530
Coffee and Tea Break in Strathblane Hall
1530 – 1630
Session Two (please select one of the following five options)
1.
Symposium: Veterans Peer Support Worker Experience Session
This symposium comprises two presentations on the experience as a Peer Support Worker within the Veteran
Community. There are presentations from the Veterans First Point Lothian Team and the Expeerience Counts
team at Scottish Mental Health Association (SAMH).
What ‘Peer Support’ Means at V1P Lothian: The Development of Our Role
Sara Hennah (Convener), David Holloway, Scott Johnstone, Jude McClurg and Jason Wallace
Since establishment of the V1P Lothian service in 2009 the role of Peer Support Worker team has developed
through practice to incorporate a range of goals that require many skills and qualities. This session will provide
case examples of a range of client presentations. The team will then discuss the opportunities and challenges
faced; in respect to themselves in their role as Peer Support Workers in delivering the service and the clients
themselves. Reflection will be focused on what has been learned about the function of the role, how it is done,
what learning can be replicated and how the role could be improved.
Expeerience Counts, Scottish Mental Health Association, North Lanarkshire
Deborah Burns, Veteran Peer Support Worker for SAMH, Expeerience Counts
Deborah Burns currently works with Veterans in North Lanarkshire. The presentation covers Deborah’s years of
experience working with Veterans who have mental health and well-being issues, tackling stigma and
discrimination and showing the positive outcomes that can be achieved in a short period of time with peer support
work. The presentation will include Information about the service, her pathway into this role and evidence of
positive outcomes achieved.
2.
Veteran Research Symposium
This research symposium includes three presentations on research relevant to work with the Veteran population
The coping strategies of UK Veterans
Dr Heather Ferguson, Newham Talking Therapies, London
Dr Alan Barrett, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Clinical Lead, Military Veterans' Service
There is a growing awareness of the mental health difficulties experienced by military Veterans, but research has
involved mostly quantitative methodologies, been completed in the United States and focused on Post-traumatic
stress disorder. This study aimed to begin filling in the gap of how male, British Veterans, experience and cope
with psychological difficulties from their own subjective viewpoint. It is hoped that this study will help to raise
awareness of the complexities related to veterans coping with psychological difficulties and the need for more
research in this area to help inform services to tailor the support they offer.
Exploring patterns in referrals to Combat Stress for UK veterans with mental health difficulties between
1994 and 2014
Dr Dominic Murphy, Combat Stress Research Lead and member of the King’s Centre for Military Health Research
(KCMHR) department at King’s College London
Little is known about the patterns of help-seeking in UK Veterans with mental health difficulties. The aim of this
study was to explore referral patterns to Combat Stress over a 20 year period. There has been a recent sharp
increase in Veterans seeking support for mental health difficulties. This may reflect a period effect with individuals
more willing to seek help sooner now than in the past. For example, veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are
seeking help more quickly than veterans from previous conflicts. The data presented within this paper suggests
that there will continue to be an increase in the numbers of Veterans seeking support for mental health difficulties
over the coming years.
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Posttraumatic growth in therapists working with trauma clients
Lucie Bartoskova, Trainee Counselling Psychologist, Glasgow Caledonian University, Veterans First Point
Lothian.
Recent studies on the impact of trauma work on therapists show that it is not exclusively negative, but therapists
working with trauma also report positive experience (Arnold et al., 2005; Joseph, 2011). These positive
perceptions are called posttraumatic growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1995, 1996). This qualitative analysis involved
ten semi structured interviews with trauma therapists and includes three that work exclusively within the Veteran
population. This presentation explores lessons learned about resilience when working with people with complex
histories and the potential to learn and grow through our work with service users.
3.
Symposium: Veteran First Point Network Developments
This session includes presentations on four distinct developments in the V1P network. Part one includes the
development of services in rural areas such as Highland and Borders. Part two includes recent pilot projects to
improve services for Veterans presenting at Veterans First point.
Cultural Approach to Partnership Working in Highland
Sarah Muir - Project Lead, V1P Highland
Nina Semple - Welfare Services Manager – North of Scotland, Poppyscotland
This Presentation will reflect on the partnership approach undertaken in the setting up of V1P Highland. It will
recap on the process of the engagement of key stakeholders and the identification of local needs by the Highland
Community Covenant Partnership Group. It will explore some of the questions we are now asking at the point of
co-location and integration of the project with Poppyscotland Inverness in terms of Partnership culture, influencing
the Health & Social Care agenda and the impact of geography on roles and communication styles.
Individual Placement and Support Model and Veterans First Point
Lisa Mulvaney, Individual Placement Support Officer at Veterans First Point Lothian
The goal of this pilot project is to support Veterans with severe and enduring mental health conditions return to
work or gain employment for the first time. To achieve this, V1P Lothian has been using a supported employment
model called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in conjunction with an Occupational Therapy model called
Model of Human Occupation. Research has indicated that veterans are more likely to gain competitive
employment when engaged with the IPS model in comparison to other vocational rehabilitation models. As a
result of this, Veterans First Point Lothian has the opportunity to pilot this vocational rehabilitation service using
the IPS model at V1P Lothian over the next year.
Edinburgh Summary Court Pilot
Linda Irvine, V1P Scotland Strategic Lead
Lt Col (Retd) Neil Morrison OBE JP, Health and Well-being Executive Officer
This presentation will describe a VIP Scotland Test of Concept to support the Armed Forces Covenant by
recognising Veterans whose offending can be identified as rooted as a disadvantage of service in the Armed
Forces and delivering appropriate joint actions to address the “root”, as part of a Community Payback Order
(Supervision Order), thus reducing the likelihood of re offending. This is a partnership between Edinburgh
Community Justice Social Work (CJSW) and V1P Lothian.
The Civilian Life in the Scottish Borders
Warwick Shaw, Head of Delivery Support, NHS Veterans Champion
The Veterans Handbook - “The Civilian Life in the Scottish Borders” is a guide which provides useful and practical
information on a range of topics for Veterans living in the Border area. It includes information on housing,
employment, healthcare, education, skills and training, welfare advice and support, local contacts and community
involvement and volunteering. This presentation will explore the procedures involved in its creation, the
importance of collaboration and partnership working, as well as some reflections and learning points about the
process.
4.
Understanding the Needs of Veterans with Complex Trauma
Dr Lucy Abraham, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Veterans First Point Clinical Lead and CAT practitioner
Dr Dee Affleck, Counselling Psychologist, CAT Therapist, Supervisor & Trainer
The Veterans First Point model is designed to be accessible and engaging for Veterans “whatever their needs
may be.” One approach that has been used successfully in the Veterans First Point is a Cognitive Analytic
Therapeutic (CAT) framework. CAT takes into account the impact of trauma and dissociation on the development
of the individual's subjective sense of self, how relationships and life experiences, across the life span, shape and
change aspects such as personality and capacity for emotional regulation. By participating in this workshop we
hope that attendees will gain a better understanding of the reasons Veterans may present to services in certain
ways and how to respond more effectively to challenging situations. This workshop is aimed at anyone working
with Veterans whom wish to gain a better understanding of the psychological factors influencing their clients so
that they can respond more effectively. No previous therapeutic training or experience is required.
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Panel Discussion : ‘Back to Civvy Street’
5.
Sharon Fegan, BSc, Dip Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Consultant Psychological Therapist in V1P Scotland
The aim of this session is to raise awareness of the factors involved for Veterans who struggle with the transition
from military to civilian life, particularly where their military experience has impacted on their mental health.
Delegates will have the opportunity to watch two training videos developed by the inspirational Veteran filmmaker, Pete Carruthers, which depict, for some Veterans, their experience of Transition and living with Trauma. A
panel will then answer questions and field comments from delegates facilitated by Sharon.
1630 – 1700
Plenary and close
Please note that the day will also include a range of table top and poster presentations
on Veteran issues and organisations that support this population. These will be
available to view at conference breaks. There is still time remaining if you would be
interested in having a space at the event. Please contact us to book a slot.
If you would like to join us for this event, please complete the following:
Name:
Job Title (if relevant):
Organisation (if relevant):
Address:
Post Code:
Tel:
Email:
First Choice
Second Choice
Reserve choice
Session 1
Session 2
Dietary and/or other requirements – Please outline any other requirements you may have on
the day (e.g. dietary requirements; access; faith related requirements):
Please specify which of the following you represent:
3rd Sector □ Local Authority □ Private/Commercial □
Carer or Family Member □
Military □
NHS □
Other Statutory body □
Veterans/Ex-Forces □
Other________________
Reimbursement for travel expenses for service users and carers is available - please tick
the box if you would like to discuss this further and we will contact you prior to the event □
Please return your completed form to:
By email: V1P.Scotland@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Or by post to: V1PS Committee Team, Veterans First Point Scotland, Floor K Argyle House,
3 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9DR
For any queries please contact a member of the V1P Scotland team on 0131 221 7090
Data Protection Statement: Your details will be collected for the purposes of administering this event only and will not be shared with any third
parties. Your name, designation and organisation (if applicable) may appear on the delegates list. If you wish to remove your details from the list or
have any other queries, please contact us.
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Helpful travel guidelines Travelling to Edinburgh by Train
Edinburgh has two railway stations - Waverley and Haymarket. Waverley is the main station and has direct routes
to many cities across the country, including over 25 daily departures from London. For more information on the
rail network within the UK visit www.eastcoast.co.uk or www.nationalrail.co.uk
Travelling to Edinburgh by Bus
Edinburgh's main bus terminal is located at St Andrews Square. Bus connections stretch right across the UK. For
details of these routes visit:www.nationalexpress.com or www.citylink.co.uk. For information on local bus services
throughout Edinburgh visit www.lothianbuses.com
Travelling to Edinburgh by Plane
The EICC is located right in the heart of the city and within 10km (6 miles) of Edinburgh International Airport.
Travelling to Edinburgh by Car
The EICC is right in the centre of Edinburgh. The main entrance is on Morrison Street, input EH3 8EE for the
destination postcode.
Parking near the EICC
There are many car parks in close walking distance to the EICC. Please access the following links for further
details:
National Car Parks (NCP) in central Edinburgh
Sheraton Hotel Car Park located 150 meters from the EICC, with limited accessible parking spaces
Semple Street Car Park located 300 meters from the EICC
Thank you for your time.
Please return your application promptly to avoid missing out on your
preferred sessions. All applications will close on Thursday, 3rd March 2016.
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