萝莉视频

About VIPSIG

The aim of the Volunteering and International Special Interest Group (VIPSIG) is primarily altruistic – we promote and support mental health accessibility to all regardless of location and means.

VIPSIG supports training and education in the international arena and aims to:

  • promote volunteer work overseas as well as in the UK and expand the population of people interested in this work
  • be a voice that will inform the College and serve as an agent in this work
  • have a fundraising role in order to develop more volunteer possibilities
  • produce a newsletter in order to celebrate volunteerism in the UK and globally
  • establish e-groups in order to promote this field by regular discussion
  • promote appropriate training materials for volunteers overseas
  • explore web-based psychiatry training to assist training sites in mental health
  • promote the overseas experience in psychiatry as a desirable attribute for the NHS.

As well as having an international focus, VIPSIG is also a forum for volunteer work in the UK. This is an area that needs some development and will fit into the Government’s objectives.

The 萝莉视频 is committed to supporting mental health care across the world, particularly in countries that are known to suffer from an acute shortage of psychiatrists.

The College’s volunteer scheme aims to facilitate contact between hospitals, clinics, projects and communities in need of psychiatric expertise and training, and psychiatrists who are willing to offer their time and support.

To register with the RCPsych volunteer scheme, you will need to complete and return the volunteers registration form.

VIPSIG is open to all members and associates of the College.

There are two ways members of the College can join VIPSIG:

You can also on Facebook.

Upcoming events

Details of future events will be listed here and on the College events page.

Past events

VIPSIG Annual Conference 2024

  • Date: Friday 11 October 2024.
  • Venue: in person at the RCPsych in London.
  • See the events page for more details and to book your ticket.

VIPSIG Annual Conference 2023

  • Date: Friday 27 October 2023
  • Venue: in person at the RCPsych in London.
  • Event info here.

International Psychiatry and Volunteering training in the North East

  • Dates: 26 and 27 November 2022
  • Venue: St Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth

VIPSIG Annual Day Conference – Volunteering Preparedness

  • Date: Friday 14 October 2022
  • Location: 萝莉视频, London

VIPSIG supportive supervision workshop

  • Date: 20 October 2021
  • Location: Online event

Volunteering Skills: How to be an effective and professional international volunteer

WHO Humanitarian mhGAP and Psychological First Aid One day Orientation

  • Date: 13 September 2019
  • Location: 萝莉视频, London
  • Please see conference agenda for further information.

VIPSIG Annual Day Conference – eLearning Opportunities and Challenges

  • Date: Tuesday 18 September 2018
  • Location: 萝莉视频, London

VIPSIG Executive Meeting – Business Meeting welcoming new Regional Representatives

  • Date: Friday 22 June 2018
  • Location: 萝莉视频, London

Peter HughesThe founding of VIPSIG was born from a simple but urgent conviction: that psychiatry has a vital role to play in the most vulnerable parts of the world, and that psychiatrists must be equipped, encouraged, and connected to serve beyond borders.

Throughout my career, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of war, displacement, natural disasters, and poverty on mental health. From Sierra Leone to Iraq, from refugee camps in Darfur to communities rebuilding after trauma, I saw that mental health services were either absent, underfunded, or misunderstood. And yet, the need was overwhelming.

ViPSiG was created to bring together psychiatrists and mental health professionals who are passionate about international work — not only in crisis settings, but also in long-term partnerships with low- and middle-income countries. Our aim has always been to act as a bridge between UK-based psychiatrists and international humanitarian and development work. We advocate for ethical volunteering, cultural humility, and sustainable impact.

VIPSIG is more than a special interest group. It is a growing, values-driven community that believes volunteering is not a one-way act of charity, but a mutual exchange that transforms both the volunteer and the host community. It’s about bearing witness, sharing skills, listening deeply, and walking alongside people in their suffering.

My hope is that VIPSIG continues to inspire the next generation of psychiatrists to step outside their comfort zones, serve with compassion, and be part of a global movement to make mental health care a universal right, not a privilege.
 
— Dr Peter Hughes
Consultant Psychiatrist and Founder, VIPSIG

    

The VIPSIG are delighted to announce the next planned newsletter for December 2025 will focus on ‘Volunteering and international psychiatry in psychiatric training: how can it impact positively on our resident doctors’.

We are requesting articles from resident doctors to share their experiences of volunteering. We would also like to hear from Consultants about what they have done, and what their plans might be to encourage resident doctors to volunteer.

Articles should be emailed to sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk with the subject line ‘Article for VIPSIG newsletter December 2025’.

Last date of submission: 7 October 2025.

  • Book Publication - Volunteering in Global Mental Health : A Practical Guide for Clinicians edited by Peter Hughes and Sophie Thomson. Available early 2021.

Contact us

If you have any enquiries about the VIPSIG please contact sigs@rcpsych.ac.uk.

Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry