The DanceSyndrome team is excited to be delivering two activities at the EAMHID Congress in Ghent, which takes place from Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th September 2025.
EAMHID is the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability. Every two years, they deliver a congress where people from over 25 countries come together to share ideas and learn from each other’s experiences.
EAMHID Congress 2025
International Congress Center (ICC), Ghent, Belgium
Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th September 2025
DanceSyndrome will be delivering two activities on Friday 19th September:
- 11:30am – 1:00pm: Embracing Inclusivity Workshop
- 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Solicited Symposium: “How healthcare and mental health can be transformed by inclusive and creative arts and practices”
How to sign up:
Our workshop at 11:30am is part of the “Parallel Sessions 4” programme and the location is H VAN EYCK.
The Solicited Symposium at 2:30pm is part of the “Parallel Sessions 5” programme and the location is Auditorium.
If you are at the EAMHID 2025 Congress, we would love it if you would choose to join us for these sessions. More information about the content of the sessions is below.
You can book your place at the Registration Desk on the day.
About Our Work
DanceSyndrome uses co-produced, inclusive dance as a vehicle to transform lives.
Dance helps to make people feel better both physically and mentally. It enables the opportunity to meet new people and gain confidence, giving people the skills needed to become leaders and professional performers. Our work supports people with and without Intellectual Disabilities. We believe everyone should be able to enjoy dance and feel they belong.
At EAMHID we will:
- Hear from experts by experience with Intellectual Disabilities who lead and perform with DanceSyndrome.
- Present academic research in partnership with NHS team members working in the fields of Mental Health and Intellectual Disability.
- Share real-life stories and data about how dance can help with mental health and wellbeing.
- Show how our workshops help other organisations to work more inclusively.
- Give practical ideas for overcoming barriers in a range of settings.
Embracing Inclusivity Workshop (Friday 19th September, 11:30am – 1:00pm)
Our workshop at 11:30am is part of the “Parallel Sessions 4” programme and the location is H VAN EYCK.
The workshop will be delivered by:
- Eve Emsley (DanceSyndrome Leadership and Inclusion Facilitator)
- Peter Pamphlett (DanceSyndrome Dance Leader and Trustee, expert by experience with an Intellectual Disability)
This is a practical, friendly workshop based on our Inclusion in Action training which is co-delivered by a person with an Intellectual Disability.
Delegates will:
- Learn about the everyday barriers people with Intellectual Disabilities face (for example: attitudes, physical access issues and information that is hard to understand).
- See how DanceSyndrome creates a safe space. We’ll show you simple ways to use words, movement, time and use reflective practice to consider small changes to make your own space more inclusive.
- Take part in an experiential workshop which incorporates accessible movement that can be adapted for all abilities
This session is ideal for anyone who wants to make their own setting more inclusive. It is a practical workshop that involves adaptable movement but does not require delegates to have any experience of dance.
Solicited Symposium: “How healthcare and mental health can be transformed by inclusive and creative arts and practices” (Friday 19th September, 2:30pm – 4:00pm)
The Solicited Symposium at 2:30pm is part of the “Parallel Sessions 5” programme and the location is Auditorium.
This is a joint presentation between DanceSyndrome and the NHS which will discuss the challenges of mental health care for people with intellectual disabilities and show how creative approaches can help.
The presenters are:
- Louise Howitt & Hannah Randall (NHS, supervised by CANDDID)
- Eve Emsley (DanceSyndrome Leadership and Inclusion Facilitator) and Peter Pamphlett (DanceSyndrome Dance Leader and Trustee, expert by experience with an Intellectual Disability)
- Julie Nicholson (DanceSyndrome Managing Director)
Delegates will learn about:
- The latest research into the impact of creative activities on health and wellbeing.
- How conventional therapies like CBT may be hard for some people to access and why creative approaches can be a helpful alternative.
- How DanceSyndrome and the NHS work in partnership to put inclusion into action.
- Give real examples and stories from people with lived experience of Intellectual Disabilities.
- Watch a short performance by Ellie (a Dance Leader with an Intellectual Disability), with a voiceover from her mum Cath, talking about what DanceSyndrome means to them.
This session is ideal for anyone who is interested in creative approaches to health and wellbeing or those who are advocates for greater inclusion in society. The activity does not require delegates to dance.
If you are attending EAMHID Congress 2025, we would love to meet you in Ghent and share ideas about how dance and creativity can change mental health care for people with Intellectual Disabilities. You can book your place at the Registration Desk on the day.
If you would like to know more about EAMHID Congress, you can find all the details on their website or on the EAHMID app.
If you would like to sign up to receive more information about DanceSyndrome and our activities at EAMHID Congress 2025, please complete the brief form below.
