Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

There are many differences between how mental health is handled in different countries, but there are also many things in common. Therefore, it is in our best interest to find a model that could be useful in many places of the world. This symposium draws on models of care from several countries, including Mexico, Germany, Norway and Australia. A country’s citizens have a right to the certainty of receiving good mental health services without discrimination or stigma. What are the characteristics of the similarities and differences and what do these countries have in common? We review the experiences of how people gain access to mental health services (or not) and what they can expect from these services. Mental health services in many countries are fragmented and, in some places, not accessible to those in need. We review some of this fragmentation and lack of access in several countries, and propose some key factors that could improve services. We will especially make examples from Australia with interdisciplinary teams, workforce team training, supervision, knowledge exchange and communities-of-practice systems and individual and group pastoral mentoring systems.