Social Workers in Adult Mental Health (SWAMH) SIG will host a webinar on Friday 3rd December in recognition of the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The webinar aims to focus on the experience of domestic violence and the impacts on women’s mental health. The webinar will present up to date research in the area and experiences of mental health social workers in Ireland. Speakers to include Dr Kylee Trevillion, Lynne Cahill, Aidan Cooney and Elaine Donnelly.  

Event Programme

10.00 - 10.10am                 Introduction and opening             

10.10 – 11.00am                Domestic/Sexual Abuse and its Association with Mental Health Problems (Dr Kylee Trevillion)                          

11 - 11.10am  Q&A

11.15 - 11.45am     On the Margins: A Qualitative Study of Professional Experiences of Identifying Domestic Violence in Irish Mental Health Services  (Elaine Donnelly)                               

11.45am - 12.15pm Domestic Abuse in Same-Sex Female Relationships

(Lynne Cahill)                                     

12.15 - 12.45pm     Lives of Quiet Desperation - Meeting the Health and Social Care Needs of Mental Health Patients, Experiencing Domestic Violence, in their Care Plans (Aidan Cooney)                                 

12.45 - 1.00pm Final Q+A and Closing Remarks  

Speaker Biographies

Dr Kylee Trevillion

Dr Kylee Trevillion is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London.  She is a mixed-methods researcher who specialises in women’s mental health, conducting research on practice and policy responses to violence and abuse in the context of mental illness, and perinatal mental health. Kylee's academic work has included conducting systematic reviews that investigate the relationship between domestic abuse and mental disorders, qualitative and quantitative research investigating mental health service responses to domestic and sexual abuse, piloting interventions of domestic abuse advocacy in mental health settings and evaluating complex interventions on domestic abuse. Kylee has a PhD in psychiatry and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Lynne Cahill

Lynne is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work & Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin. She holds a Masters in Applied Social Research from Trinity College Dublin and a Bachelor of Arts from the National University of Maynooth. Lynne was awarded a Government of Ireland Scholarship to undertake her PhD research exploring the female same sex experience of domestic violence and abuse. She is coordinator of the undergraduate module ‘Accessing & Reviewing Literature’, and she also teaches ‘Literature Reviews & Searches’ on the MSc in Applied Social Research. Lynne is the lead researcher for the homelessness strand of the Service Reform Fund (SRF). The Service Reform Fund (SRF) has been created by the Department of Health; the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage; the Health Service Executive Ireland (HSE); Local Authorities; and the Atlantic Philanthropies, in collaboration with Genio, to implement service reform in Ireland in addiction, homelessness, disability, and mental health.

Aidan Cooney

Aidan is a senior medical social worker with Louth Mental Health services - Dundalk East. Aidan graduated from UCC in 1997 from the BSW program in UCC . Aidan continued his studies in the area of mental health with an M.Sc. King's College IOPPN Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Services. Aidan has worked in the field of mental health in the UK, a CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Team (SLaM), Mental Health and Intellectual Disability Team (Oxleas NHS PCT). In Ireland, Aidan has developed in-patient social work services in an Approved Centre in Community Services and with patients with Neurodevelopment & Intellectual Disability patient in the National Forensic Mental Health Services. Over the past few years Aidan has been exploring the role of SPJ tools and case management work as a mental health social worker. One area of interest has been the impact of domestic violence has had on patients or family carer givers and how mental health services meet their health and social care. In more recent times Aidan has been evidencing Social Determinants of Health and measuring Individual Care Planning outcomes through the ICD 10 Z Codes. In turn, Aidan has used such health and social care data in evaluating the impact meeting these health and social care needs through patient and family outcomes. These SPJ tools have led to more person-centred services where health and social care when it comes the patient and carers who use mental health services and experience domestic violence, receive an integrated care pathway. 

Elaine Donnelly

Elaine is a Social Work Team Leader currently based in acute mental health services. Elaine has over 10 years of experience practicing in mental health services and migrant support services. Elaine has completed a Master’s in Applied Social Research in 2018 with the TCD School of Social Work and Social Policy, for which she undertook research on the topic of the multidisciplinary team’s understanding of domestic violence in a mental health setting. Elaine has a keen interest in women’s mental health issues, domestic violence and family focused mental health care.