THE CANNAN INSTITUTE LIMITED
1220 Creek Road, PO Box 24 , CARINA, BRISBANE, QLD 4152

The Cannan Institute Limited is a non-profit mental health organisation, which has a research and educational charter.  It endeavours to sponsor or convene conferences and seminars which tackle substantive issues of both theoretical and clinical interest.

Conferences in recent years convened by The Cannan Institute include, "Blind to Betrayal: Forgetting, Unawareness and Interpersonal Trauma", featuring Prof Jennifer Freyd and held at the Bardon Conference Centre, Brisbane on 23rd February 2002,  "Boundaries", featuring Prof Glen Gabbard, opened by the Queensland Health Minister, Wendy Edmond, and held at the Sheraton Hotel, Brisbane on 13th and 14th April 2002, and, with The Delphi Centre, the international conference on trauma, attachment and dissociation, "Transforming Trauma: Critical, Controversial and Core Issues", held at The Grand Hyatt, Melbourne on 12th-14th September 2003, the conference series "Complex Trauma: New Developments in the Treatment of Personality and Stress Disorders, Attachment Disturbance and Relational Dysfunction" featuring Assoc Prof John Briere held in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in August-September 2004, and the conference series, "Healing Chronic Traumatization" featuring Dr Ellert Nijenhuis and held in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in April 2005.

All these conferences tackled major contemporary issues of particular interest to mental health professionals, but also of great relevance to the wider health, legal and education communities etc.

In addition to conferences The Cannan Institute has been involved in organising an ongoing series of dinner meetings at Belmont Hospital featuring innovative speakers addressing topics of particular relevance to the mental health field. These dinner meetings have included presentations by Prof Jack Pettigrew, Dr Ray Kerr, Prof Max Stampfer, Mr Hedley Thomas (discussant Dr James Scot t), Prof Pankaj Sah, Prof Michael Fenech, Prof Barry Nurcombe and Prof John McGrath.

The Delphi Centre in collaboration with The Cannan Institute and the Trauma and Dissociation Unit, Belmont Hospital convened a seminar, "Feeling, Knowing & Being: Perspectives on Dissociative Disorders & Their Treatment", Victoria University, presented by Adjunct Prof Warwick Middleton, 8th-9th April 2006.

A three state conference series which The Cannan Institute, in collaboration with The Delphi Centre and the Trauma and Dissociation Unit Belmont Hospital, convened was "Trauma Model Therapy: Treatment Techniques for Borderline Personality, Psychosis and Dissociation" featuring Dr Colin A. Ross and which was presented in September 2006. 

Other seminars involving The Cannan Institute include "Trauma, Dissociation & Psychosis: Conflicting Realities" featuring Adjunct Prof Warwick Middleton (WA, July 2006), " Integrating DBT into a Clinical Approach for the Management of Complex Trauma" featuring Sandi Plummer (Brisbane, Oct 2006), "Surviving Childhood: Understanding Childhood Trauma and its Sequelae" featuring Adjunct Prof Warwick Middleton (Tas, Nov 2006), "Trauma, Dissociation and Psychosis: Metaphor, Strategy and Reality" featuring Adjunct Prof Warwick Middleton (May 2007), "Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Dissociation" , featuring Assoc Prof Christine Courtois (Sept 2007), and "Principles of Trauma Therapy: An Integrated Approach to Complex Trauma", featuring Assoc Prof John Briere (scheduled for May 2008).

The Cannan Institute Limited has been involved in a number of research projects in which a substantial amount of the research has been carried out within Belmont Hospital. 

Such research projects include a large body of work examining cognitive inhibition in Dissociative Identity Disorder (Dorahy, M.J., Irwin, H.J. & Middleton, W.), auditory hallucinations (Hargreaves, L., Dorahy, M.J. & Middleton. W.), cerebral interhemispheric switching in Dissociative Identity Disorder (Pettigrew, J. & Middleton, W.), the patterns of changes in cerebral hemispheric switching with E.C.T., (Pettigrew, J. & Prowacki, S.), and patterns of major road incidents in patients with D.I.D. (Antoce, G., Middleton, W. & Dorahy, M.J.) etc. Papers written citing the affiliation of The Cannan Institute regularly appear in Australian (and other) psychiatric journals.

The Cannan Institute Limited Board consists of Dr Georgiana Antoce (Treasurer), Dr Jeremy Butler, Dr Michael Martin, Mr Patrick McGurrin, Professor Warwick Middleton (Chair), Mr John Smith, Dr Mark Spelman (Secretary), Dr John Thearle and Dr Al Unwin .  The patron of the Institute is Sir Llew Edwards.

Advantages of Joining The Cannan Institute

Members of the mental health community or those with a professional interest in mental health issues are invited to become members of The Cannan Institute.

Ideas for the formation of The Cannan Institute took shape in the late 1990's and by 1999, articles of association had been prepared, a board appointed and a mission statement and objectives delineated and agreed upon. The Cannan Institute's Mission Statement is to "support and promote research into and education about mental health."  From the time of inception, Sir Llew Edwards, Chancellor, University of Queensland, has been the patron of The Cannan Institute.

The Institute has been well served by a motivated board and has involved itself in organising and convening conferences/seminars/dinner meetings concerning topics or issues of particular relevance to the mental health community. The Institute has continued to work collaboratively with a number of organisations or companies in supporting particular projects, it has conducted research and it has provided opportunities for others to have access to clinical settings/facilities in order to further their own appropriately approved research projects, it has facilitated an ongoing series of peer based clinical presentations, and there have been ongoing publications in scientific journals reporting on research/clinical matters including research completed in association with the Institute and/or written by members of the Institute.

All educational events (conferences, seminars, dinner meetings) with which The Cannan Institute has been associated have been characterised by a welcoming, friendly inclusiveness and there are now a considerable number of colleagues who are regular attendees.

Annual membership of The Cannan Institute is a modest $55 (inclusive of GST).  Membership is renewable at the end of each financial year, (though new members who join in the 2nd half of the financial year have their renewal held over to the middle of the following year).

Members of the Institute receive a discount on the registration charges for all conferences or seminars that The Cannan Institute has a role in convening.  Members receive free registration (assuming they register in time) for any of the ongoing series of dinner presentations convened by the Institute and held at Belmont Hospital .  Aside from being on The Cannan Institute's mailing list and receiving notification regarding forthcoming educational events involving the Institute, members will shortly be receiving a regular email bulletin concerning Institute's activities, research projects etc.  The Institute will do what it can to assist in furthering approved research projects put together by Institute members.

Categories of membership of The Cannan Institute are available for medical and non-medical professionals. Application forms are available from the Institute secretariat.