2026 International Mental Health Conference (IMHC26)

2026 International Mental Health Conference (IMHC26) is organized by Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMH) and will be held from Jun 23 - 24, 2026 at JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.

Shaping the Future of Mental Health: Bold Ideas, Inclusive Solutions

Description:
IMHC26 promises to be a comprehensive exploration of the most pressing issues facing our sector today.

Join your peers as we delve into a wide range of crucial topics, from Digital Realities, Media & Mental Health to Sustaining the Workforce & Systems of Care, IMHC26 will address the innovative approaches and transformative journeys that go along with reimaging mental health.

As well as this, experts will guide discussions on Justice, Rights & Global Mental Health Reform as well as Sustaining the Workforce & Systems of Care.

Walk away equipped with knowledge and innovative strategies to better serve the mental health needs of your community, clients and peers in our rapidly changing world.

Emerging Frontiers in Mental Health:

• Psychedelic-assisted therapies & innovations in psychopharmacology
• Gut–brain axis and nutritional psychiatry
• Neurotechnology, VR/AR, and biofeedback for self-regulation
• AI & machine learning in assessment and care (with ethics foregrounded)
• Climate change and ecological distress as drivers of mental health risk
• Longevity, ageing, and wellbeing across the lifespan 

Trauma & Recovery: Individual, Collective, Systemic:

• Complex and intergenerational trauma across communities
• Trauma-informed vs trauma-responsive systems
• Collective trauma and community-wide recovery
• Cross-cultural and Indigenous healing practices
• Virtual and digital approaches to trauma support

Lived Experience Leadership & Peer Innovation:

• Peer-led models: governance, supervision, and outcomes
• Embedding lived experience in system reform
• Career pathways and workforce sustainability for peers
• Authentic co-design beyond consultation
• Peer-driven digital innovations and platforms

Digital Realities, Media & Mental Health:

•  Online hate, misinformation, and political extremism
• Social media and digital wellbeing across the lifespan
• Algorithmic bias, AI ethics, and protective tech design
• Digital inclusion for marginalised and older populations
• Building resilience through digital literacy and safe media use

Open Topic:

• If you would like to present around a topic you don't see mentioned, please submit under "Open Topic".

Hope, Suicide Prevention & Postvention:

• Indigenous- and community-led prevention models
• Coronial learnings and systemic reform for suicide prevention
• Peer-led and lived experience insights
• Postvention supports for wh?nau, workplaces, and communities
• Digital tools and ethical predictive analytics in suicide prevention

Neurodivergence & Inclusive Systems:

• Strengths-based, affirming therapy and assessment
• Burnout, masking, and trauma in neurodivergent populations
• Neuro-affirming schools, workplaces, and public systems
• Intersection with culture, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity
• Digital accessibility and neurodivergent-led online supports

Justice, Rights & Global Mental Health Reform:

• Human rights and equity in mental health systems
• Indigenous worldviews, decolonisation, and cultural leadership
• Refugee, displaced, and humanitarian contexts
• Carceral, policing, and justice system intersections
• AI, surveillance, and privacy in global reforms

Sustaining the Workforce & Systems of Care:

• Moral injury, vicarious trauma, and systemic responsibility
• Reflective practice, supervision, and practitioner identity
• Workforce redesign and non-tertiary roles to meet demand
• Hybrid/remote service delivery and AI-enabled support
• Leadership and governance models that protect staff wellbeing