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HMHH is a women's mental health conference for professionals ready to challenge what we think we know about women's mental health.

Join clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals and changemakers as we explore the blind spots, missed presentations and systemic failures shaping women's mental health outcomes and discover practical, evidence-informed approaches to delivering better care.

JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa

Monday 31 August – Tuesday 1 September 2026

The Women We're Missing: Rethinking Mental Health Care for Women

 

Women are still being misdiagnosed, dismissed and overlooked across mental health and healthcare systems. HMHH26 brings together clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, service leaders and advocates to explore the blind spots, missed presentations and systemic failures shaping women's mental health outcomes — and what better care can look like.

 

HMHH26 is designed for professionals seeking practical, evidence-informed approaches to the complex factors shaping women's mental health, helping build confidence in recognising, understanding and responding to the realities too often missed in care.

Insightful keynotes from national and international leaders in women’s mental health

Practical sessions grounded in clinical decision-making and service delivery

Lived experience perspectives embedded as essential expertise

A deep dive into perimenopause, trauma, neurodivergence, inequity and systems reform

Space to connect, reflect and collaborate across disciplines and sectors

What you'll walk away with

 

At HMHH26, you'll gain practical insight into the clinical blind spots, emerging evidence and system challenges shaping women's mental health today.

 

You'll leave better equipped to recognise complex presentations, challenge assumptions and deliver more responsive, effective and gender-informed care.

Keynote Speakers

 
Jillian-Whiting-headshot-Current-2024-web-2

Jillian Whiting

Conference MC

Associate-Professor-Caroline-Gurvich-web

Associate Professor Caroline Gurvich

Deputy Director, HER Centre Australia

Rosie-web

Rosie Luik

Author, Speaker and Lived-Experience Advocate

Sharon-web

Sharon Sherwood

Chief of Mental Health and Cabrini Outreach, Cabrini Health

Hinemoa-Elder-web

Dr Hinemoa Elder

FRANZCP, PhD, MNZM. Kaiārahi Oranga Hinengaro.
Te Hiku Hauora. Kaitāia.

Associate-Professor-Magdalena-Simonis-AM-2-web

A/P Magdalena Simonis AM

Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM
MBBS FRACGP DRANZCOG MHHS
Clinical Associate Professor Department of General Practice
University of Melbourne

Nicky-Bath-Headshot-web

Nicky Bath

CEO of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia

Join HMHH26 and You Can:

 

✓ Build confidence recognising the presentations, patterns and risk factors that are often overlooked in women and girls.

✓ Better understand the impact of hormones, perimenopause, trauma, neurodivergence, burnout and social context on women's mental health outcomes. 

✓ Learn practical approaches to assessment, formulation and care for complex and often misunderstood presentations. 

✓ Explore where current systems, services and models of care are failing women — and what can be done differently. 

✓ Hear directly from clinicians, researchers and lived experience leaders challenging traditional assumptions about women's mental health. 

✓ Discover emerging evidence, innovative programs and real-world examples of gender-responsive practice. 

✓ Connect with professionals across mental health, primary care, women's health, research, policy and community services. 

✓ Take away practical ideas you can apply immediately to improve outcomes for the women you support. 

✓ Be part of a growing national movement to rethink how women's mental health is understood, recognised and responded to. 

Does this sound like you?

HMHH is designed for professionals, leaders and advocates working across the women’s mental health landscape.

 

You will be in good company if you are a:

 

  • Psychology, psychiatry or mental health care

  • Menopause, perimenopause, reproductive and hormonal health

  • General practice or primary healthcare

  • Women’s health, reproductive health or perinatal care

  • Counselling, social work or community services

  • Occupational therapy or allied health

  • Lived experience leadership or peer work

  • Research, academia or education

  • Service design, commissioning or policy

  • Disability, neurodivergence or trauma-informed practice

  • Advocacy, systems reform or community leadership

 

Whether you work in hospitals, private practice, primary care, NGOs, education or government, HMHH26 is for people committed to improving women’s mental health outcomes.

What you’ll learn at HMHH

 

The content you’ll gain, and the conversations you’ll be a part of at HMHH26


  • Perimenopause, Hormones & the Female Brain

    A major focus of the program, exploring the mental health impacts of hormonal transition, cognitive change, menopause, ovarian insufficiency and how clinicians can better assess and support women across the lifespan.

  • The Clinical Blind Spots in Women’s Mental Health
    Sessions addressing misdiagnosis, masking, overlooked presentations and the systemic tendency to minimise or misunderstand women’s distress, particularly in relation to autism, ADHD, trauma and chronic stress.
  • Neurodivergence in Women & Girls
    A strong stream focused on late diagnosis, masking, burnout, self-injury, ADHD and autism in women — including neurodiversity-affirming and ecological approaches to care.
  • When Distress Is Context, Not Pathology
    A recurring theme throughout the program examining coercive control, medical trauma, caregiving pressure, inequity, violence and social conditions as drivers of distress rather than individual pathology alone.
  • Burnout, Mental Load & Invisible Labour
    Exploring the emotional, cognitive and physiological toll carried by women across caring roles, workplaces and family systems — including neuroscience-informed approaches to burnout and sustainable wellbeing.

  • Rebuilding Women’s Mental Health Systems
    Practical conversations around redesigning systems, improving service pathways, co-design, lived experience leadership and creating more responsive, integrated models of care.
  • Lived Experience as Essential Expertise
    Lived experience perspectives are embedded throughout the conference — not as side conversations, but as central leadership voices shaping policy, practice and systems reform.
  • Trauma, Recovery & Gender-Responsive Care
    Sessions exploring trauma-informed approaches to women’s mental health, including domestic and family violence, coercive control, maternal mental illness, pelvic pain, ageing and recovery pathways.
  • Identity, Culture & Inclusive Mental Health Care
    Strong focus on First Nations women’s mental health, cultural perspectives, disability advocacy, parenting, survivorship and the intersection of identity and wellbeing.
  • Identity, Culture & Inclusive Mental Health Care
    Strong focus on First Nations women’s mental health, cultural perspectives, disability advocacy, parenting, survivorship and the intersection of identity and wellbeing.
  • Practical, Real-World Clinical Application
    A major strength of HMHH26 is the focus on implementation and practical relevance — supporting clinicians and professionals with real-world approaches they can apply immediately within practice, services and communities.
  • Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration & Systems Thinking
    The program brings together clinicians, researchers, lived experience leaders, advocates, policy professionals and service designers to move beyond siloed approaches to women’s mental health care.
  • A National Conversation About Women’s Mental Health
    HMHH26 positions women’s mental health not as a niche topic, but as a major national conversation around healthcare, systems reform, clinical confidence and improving outcomes for women and girls.

Why This Conference Matters

 

HER Mind, HER Health responds to a clear gap in the mental health landscape.

 

Women’s mental health is frequently siloed from women’s physical health, leading to fragmented care and missed opportunities for early intervention and effective treatment. Emerging and under-served areas such as perimenopause, midlife mental health and neurodivergence in women remain poorly understood and inconsistently addressed.

 

This conference creates a shared national platform to build capability, challenge assumptions, elevate lived experience, and drive coordinated change across practice, policy and systems.

Register

 
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Virtual

$499 + GST

Save $100 with early bird.
Ends 31/07/2026

  • Live streaming of keynote sessions

    and plenary sessions

  • Official conference app

  • On-demand session recordings post-event

  • CPD points and a certificate of attendance

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In-Person

$999 + GST

Save $500 with early bird.
Ends 31/07/2026

  • All keynote presentations and concurrent
    sessions

  • Practical workshops and panel
    discussions
  • Premium catering and a high-quality
    venue experience
  • Official conference app

  • On-demand session recordings
    post-event

  • CPD points and a certificate of attendance
  • Networking function

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Group of 3

$2,697 + GST

Save $400 with early bird.
Ends 31/07/2026

  • All keynote presentations and concurrent
    sessions

  • Practical workshops and panel
    discussions
  • Premium catering and a high-quality
    venue experience
  • Official conference app

  • On-demand session recordings
    post-event

  • CPD points and a certificate of attendance
  • Networking function

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Location

Venue
Accommodation
JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa

158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

 

A 6-minute walk from the beach, this contemporary high-rise resort is also 1.8 km from the SkyPoint Observation Deck.

 

Refined rooms feature flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi, plus desks, coffeemakers, and balconies with sea or mountain views. Studios and 1-bedroom suites add living areas. Room service is available.

 

Amenities include a cafe, a seafood restaurant, and a trendy Japanese steakhouse with a whisky bar. There's also a lagoon-style pool with cabanas and a waterfall, plus a day spa, a gym and a tennis court. Parking is available.

JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa

158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

 

Accommodation is optional and can be booked during registration.

Room Only - $332 per night
Room + Breakfast for One - $367 per night
Room + Breakfast for Two - $402 per night

 

*All prices are AUD and include GST.

Surfers-Paradise-Marriott-Resort-Spa-1

Travel Information

 

From Brisbane Airport (BNE), the resort is about 80–85 km away, typically around 1 hour by car via the M1 in normal traffic. Travellers can choose between self-drive, pre-booked chauffeured transfers, taxis or rideshare, or public transport using Brisbane’s Airtrain to the Gold Coast with a connection to the G:link tram, which altogether takes around 2 hours including transfers. There is also a once-daily coach service linking Brisbane Airport and Surfers Paradise for those preferring a direct bus option.

From Gold Coast Airport (OOL/Coolangatta), the resort is approximately 23–25 km and around 25 minutes by car or taxi in usual conditions. The most common public transport option is the 777 airport bus to Broadbeach South, then the G:link tram to Surfers Paradise North, which takes just under an hour including the transfer. Multiple shuttle operators also offer door-to-door services from both Brisbane and Gold Coast airports directly to the hotel, which can be convenient for delegates travelling in small groups.

 

jw-marriott-gold-coast
marriott-room

Sponsors

Uniting Communities
Wellness Zone Sponsor
WHEQ logo
Showcase Exhibitor
LEMTIF
Showcase Exhibitor
Talk Now Telehealth Registered TM Logo-1
Lanyard Sponsor
Julie Vincent
Showcase Exhibitor

Further Learning Partner

HealthCert Education

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