The SAFE-SORRY team participated in the symposium “Advances in the transition for 16- to 23-year-olds” held on Friday, September 3rd, 2021, in Brussels at the Erasme Campus.

The event attracted a public from different horizons—parents, psychologists, researchers, and medical professionals—all of whom were gathered to reflect on questions of how to best accompany youth in transition.

Stijn Van Petegem presented the SAFE-SORRY project as well as recent findings from Swiss data on the topic of overprotective parenting. A discussion followed the morning presentations, in which Pr. Stijn van Petegem and fellow presenter Pr. Ruud Van Wincke (Dutch-speaking Chair for Psychiatry and Transition – Youth in Transition) engaged with the public on the important question of how to best accompany youth facing mental health struggles into adulthood, with consideration for the contemporary issues (e.g, COVID-19) that may exacerbate existing difficulties. Several youth also participated in the symposium; in an artistic performance, they shared their personal journeys in psychiatry and the trials and the tribulations they experienced on the path toward positive mental health. A father also shared his experiences as a parent confronted with the mental health struggles of his daughter as she transitioned from childhood to adulthood.

Youth artwork completed during their group performance at the symposium.

To consult a copy of the presentation (in French), see here.