On May 10 and 17 2020, the first international conference "COME TOGETHER" was held in collaboration with the Department of Community Mental Health at the University of Haifa, the Israeli Society for Psychiatric Rehabilitation in Israel (ISPRA) and the Laszlo N. Tauber Foundation.

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NAVIGATE is a comprehensive treatment program for First Episode Psychosis (FEP) developed in the US as part of the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) initiative, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. NAVIGATE’s main goal is to help clients and family members navigate the confusing experience of a FEP and the complexities of the mental health system towards the desired outcome of recovery. NAVIGATE’s core treatment components include individualized resiliency training (IRT), family education program (FE), supported employment and education (SEE), and personalized medication management (PMM).

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First implemented in the US, NAVIGATE  was later adapted to the cultural contexts of  Israel, Canada and China. The purpose of the conference was to help establish an international community and learn from one another about the efforts and challenges of implementing NAVIGATE in different geographical and cultural settings.  The conference began with a key-note lecture from a true luminary in the field,  Patrick McGorry, MD, PhD. a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne and Executive Director of ORYGEN, the National Center of Excellence in Youth Mental Health in Melbourne, Australia.

In addition, the  leadership of NAVIGATE development, Susan Gingerich and Piper Meyer-Kalos provided an  international overview of NAVIGATE and  Kim Mueser talked about the future of NAVIGATE. Representatives from the NAVIGATE teams in the US, Israel, Canada and China presented their work which was later discussed by the conference participants.

The conference was attended by more than 350 people  from around the world.  Survey feedback from 100 of them revealed that lectures were perceived as interesting, comprehensive and relevant and Over 90% expressed their interest in future international  NAVIGATE events.

The organizing committee included David Roe, Kim Mueser, Susan Gingerich and Piper Meyer-Kalos from the US.

The organization was supervised by Dr. Gili Hoter-Ishay, who completed her doctorate in the Department of Community Mental Health at the University of Haifa, and Taisia ​​Leikin, the coordinator of ISPRA, who completed her master's degree in the same department.