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The International Organization of Physical Therapy in Mental Health (IOPTMH) is a WCPT subgroup, including 25 member countries, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom. The IOPTMH was accepted as a WCPT subgroup at the 17th WCPT General Meeting, in Amsterdam, 2011 and reconfirmed in 2015 and 2019. |
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The subgroup was developed from an international network of physical therapists working in the field of psychiatry and mental health with the origin at Leuven University (Belgium) in 2006.
The IOPTMH wants to bring the contribution of physical therapists in mental health into the spotlight. It is important for society, for the client, for the physiotherapy profession as well as the relationship with other professionals to create and strengthen a culture of physiotherapy in mental health.
The IOPTMH organises each two year a conference. The purpose of these conferences is to stimulate a dialogue between colleagues, to promote the exchange of experiences and new ideas, to start a global network around a scientific and evidence-based practice in this field and to make an inventory of the possibilities for physiotherapy in mental health.
Beside the official biannual IOPTMH conference, the IOPTMH aims to stimulate and support worldwide activities related with the promotion of physiotherapy in mental health.
Place |
In cooperation with | Year |
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Leuven, Belgium |
KU Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences |
2006 |
Bergen, Norway |
Bergen University College |
2008 |
Lund, Sweden |
Lund University |
2010 |
Edinburgh, UK |
NHS Lothian |
2012 |
Utrecht, The Netherlands |
Hogeschool Utrecht, specialisatie psychosomatische fysiotherapie |
2014 |
Madrid, Spain |
Carlos III University | 2016 |
Reykjavik, Iceland |
The Icelandic Physiotherapy Association | 2018 |
Helsinki, Finland |
8th ICPPMH conference | online |
Athens, Greece |
9th IOPTMH conference (Save the Date!) | 2022 |
The conference appeals to physiotherapists and professionals who work in psychosomatic medicine, psychiatry and mental health. Therapists who would like to learn more about or/and present the latest developments of physiotherapy in the field, are welcome. Applicants with interest in the field of psychiatry, meeting persons suffering from psychosomatic disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, dissociate disorders, eating disorders, lifestyle-problems, traumatic stress disorders, complex long-lasting chronic pain etc., are welcome to the Conferences.