MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30130, 14 May 1963, Page 15

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

Scope 01 Work Discussed

The Canterbury Association for Mental Health should adopt patients and look after them. Mrs E. Myers suggested at the association’s annual meeting last evening.

"If we want more members, we should find something for them to do.” Mrs Myers said. “What do we do? People often ask me this, but I never can tell them. We could perhaps extend our programme, too. Instead of having meetings only every other month, we could hold film evenings in the alternate months. Films on mental health draw capacity audiences in Dunedin.” Dr J. R. E. Dobson suggested a special sub-com-mittee might be set up to study proposals for broadening the scope of the association’s work. Mr C. Steele thought organisations in related fields of interest should try to co-ordinate their programmes. The secretary (Miss H. M. Melville) said that when a questionnaire was sent to members on their wishes in regard to the associations programme, the response was overwhelmingly in favour of the status quo. After-church meetings held last year were a new venture additional to the bi-monthly meetings, and a series was to be held in church halls again this year. The president 'Mr C. T. Ford) promised that all suggestions would be considered by the incoming committee An address on social psychological factors in mental illness was given by Mr H Bernhardt, senior clinical psychologist at the Sunnyside Hospital and honorary lecturer in psychology and sociology at the University of Canterbury Election of Officers

Officers elected were; president. Mr C T. Ford: vicepresidents. Mr H. Bernhardt and Dr. J. R. E. Dobson: immediate past-president. Professor H. R. Gray: secretary. Miss H. M. Melville; treasurer. Mrs E Mvers: committee. Drs. J. BalUn. P. Cook, and T. M. O’Brien. Messrs H Cohen and D. C. McKechnie. Professor H. E Field. Mesdames H. Wales. M. Upton, and E. Cocks, and Miss J. Burrell.