Altering States - Nov 2010

8/8/2019 Altering States - Nov 2010

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Queensland Alliance

Altering States

Altering States welcomes contributionsrom all our readers. Please submit

articles o up to 500 words [email protected]

Queensland Alliance07 3252 9411

www.qldalliance.org.auPO BOX 696, Fortitude Valley Q 4006

PUBLICATION OF THE PEAK BODY FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY

november 2010

CONTENTSWhats Thriving in Canada 3

Work orce Summit 4

From the President 5

Alliance in the News 6

Mind rame Program 7

Worklink Luncheon 8

Queensland Voice Launched 9

D2DL Capacity Project Update 10

Speakers Bureau 11

An S.O.S. rom Betty Day 12

Mental Health Week Launch and Awards 14

Peak Pro le 16

Notice Board 18

Issue Number: 18363938

Queensland Alliance, ARAFMIQueensland and RecLink joined togetheronce again to organise Walk o Pride2010 held on World Mental HealthDay on 10 October. Consumers, carers,workers and allies joined together inthe rain at Emma Miller Place to bringcommunity awareness to the journey omental health and address the stigmaassociated with mental illness. TheTrans ormers choir hit o the day withinspiring music, ollowed by a speech

rom the Deputy Premier o Queenslandand Minister or Health, Hon. Paul Lucas.

The Minister spoke about theimportance o breaking down stigma

in the community and the importanceo the community sector in the areao mental health. Our colour ulprocession o about 100 then walkedto Roma Street Parklands to theQueensland Health Mental HealthLaunch event. It was a very loud,colour ul and success ul day in whichnot even terrible weather could stopthe commitment and passion o the

community and sector in walkingproudly in the inaugural BrisbaneWalk o Pride.

Walk oPride

Deputy Premier Paul Lucasshows his support oQueenslands Mental HealthCommunity Sector


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Whats Thrivingin Canada in 2010?

While we o ten believe those overseas in North America or the UKmay be ahead o Australia, it is clear mental health communityorganisations in Canada are struggling with similar challenges tous. The Canadian Mental Health Association a national body withstrong divisions covering all provinces and territories deliversrecovery oriented support and mental health promotion services.These services are guided by their Framework o Support, anexcellent documentation o their philosophical approach, wellworth the read. You can download it here:http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-13-981

Canada spends less on mental health than Australia as apercentage o total health spending, and does not have a signi cantinvestment in health promotion, prevention and early interve ntionservices even less than Australia. One example o Canadianhealth promotion is the internet-based youth service mind yourmind. This service is similar to our own Inspire Foundation andyou can nd many games, resources and a wealth o youth- ocusedmaterial on their sitewww.mindyourmind.ca.

Many other pockets o innovation exist in community mentalhealth across Canada, and there were many creative approaches

showcased at the Thriving in 2010 Con erence, which y ou canaccess athttp://www.thrivingin2010.com/b2/presentations.html.The con erence speakers and panelists were overwhelminglypeople with direct experience o mental health problems.

I met Stphane Grenier who has created a peer support programin the Canadian military. Military personnel are exposed to traumaand stress, and many experience symptoms o mental illness,including psychosis and Post-Traumatic Stress Dis order. Receivingsuch a mental illness label in the military can have negative careerand social impacts. In 2001 Stphane coined t he term OperationalStress Injury (OSI) and conceived, devel oped and implementeda national peer support program or the military (www.osiss.ca).

Military personnel were trained to provide peer support as analternative to medical diagnosis.

This work then led to the launch o a second highly success ul noclinical mental health program within the Canadian Forces namedthe Mental Health & Operational Stress Injury Joint SpeakersBureau. The Joint Speakers Bureau (JSB) has demonstrated thatit is one o the most signi cant prevention initiatives introducedin the Canadian Forces. The JSB is a key enabler osteringorganisational and attitudinal change regarding mental healthin the military workplace. He is sharing this experience with thesuccess ul mental health workplace initiatives o the CanadianMental Health Association. (http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/ )

Stphane is now employed by the Mental Health Commissiono Canada to look at Pee r Support across Canada, and you can

nd more in ormation athttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/ English/Pages/PeerProject.aspx.

The Commission has also released a policy discussion paper or anational mental health strategy, which you can nd at:http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/boarddocs/15507_MHCC_EN_ nal.pd.

CEO Jeff Cheverton Je Cheverton was recently invited to speak at Thriving 2010, Canadas national community mental health con erenceheld in London, Ontario. Je was a guest o the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, which ollowedan exchange between CMHA Ontario and the Queensland Alliance in March 2009. Je was also invited by the MentalHealth Commission o Canada to present on social inclusion and anti-stigma campaigns in Ottawa, and discussapproaches to mental health re orm.

The Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk, Ministeror Disability Services and Multicultural

A airs will convene a Summit in Decembero nalise consultations on the Ten Yearlan or Community Mental Health. The

ummit is presented in partnership withhe Queensland Alliance.

This is a very exciting initiative which willlace the community mental health sectorn a great position in the lead up to nextears Queensland Budget. The Summit

will showcase good practice in the sectornd present the research evidence on t heutcomes we achieve. The Minister is veryeen to ensure clients o mental healthommunity services and their amiliesttend the Summit, so that the voices ohose meant to bene t rom our servicesre heard. Organisations invited to attend

will be required to bring at least one clientr ormer client with them, as well asamily or riends.

Members may recall that soon a tere-election o the Bligh Governmentonsultations took place on a proposed Ten

Year Plan or Community Mental Health.These consultations occurred last yearwith more than 300 sector representativesttending in over nine locations around

Queensland. The Queensland Alliance haseen working with the Ministers O cend the Department o Communities torogress the Plan since that time. Theummit will be an opportunity to againrovide input be ore the Departmentnalises the Plan.

Sta o the Queensland Alliance attendedall the consultation sessions aroundQueensland and the themes we heard rommembers include:

1. Recovery as person-centred,fexible service that osters hope andautonomy must in use all we do

2. Leadership by consumers anda diverse range o supports toconsumers and amilies, is critical to

urther development o communitymental health

3. Investing in early responses isessential, especially or those who arenot com ortable accessing the publicmental health system without support

4. Program unding or recovery-orientedsupport services must increasesigni cantly, and be su ciently fexibleto enable services to meet diverseclient needs

5. Mental health communityorganisations have a key role incoordinating social services, especiallyintegrating support with housing,employment, income support,education, etc.

6. Sector development ocused onintegrating re erral, developingcapacity, building evidence andevaluation is critical to supportthe expanded role o communityorganisations

7. Work orce development will underpinthe progression o the communitysector, including employment opro essional sta and development ominimum quali cations or recovery

support workers8. Cultural diversity and the needs o

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople needs greater investment toensure improved access and responses

rom mental health communityorganisations.

I we can generate a Community MentalHealth Plan in partnership with theQueensland Government which addressesall these areas, it will be the rst o its kindin Australia. As always, I remain interestedin your eedback and comments, and anyareas you think are missing.

Queensland is no longer the state wheresocial service developments ollowyears behind. Working together we cancreate a leading document, which willguide Government investment to ensureQueenslanders with mental illness leadbetter lives.

for Community Mental Health

10 Year Plan

3
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/PeerProject.aspxhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/PeerProject.aspxhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/PeerProject.aspxhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/PeerProject.aspxhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/boarddocs/15507_MHCC_EN_final.pdfhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/boarddocs/15507_MHCC_EN_final.pdfhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/boarddocs/15507_MHCC_EN_final.pdfhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/boarddocs/15507_MHCC_EN_final.pdfhttp://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/PeerProject.aspx


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CommunityMental Health

Work orce Summit

The Queensland Alliance and the Heal th and Communities

Work orce Council hosted over 50 leaders rom theCommunity Mental Health sector to a one-day Summit

o examine the current work orce environment and source theectors capacity to direct work orce growth and development.he Community Mental Health Work orce Summit was held at

he Victoria Park Gol Cl ub on 24 September 2010. The Summitwas the primary consultation event o the Community Mental HealthWork orce Strategy, a joint initiative unded by the Department o

ducation and Training to support uture work orce growth andevelopment in the sector. It was chaired by esteemed mental healthpokesman and author o the ConNetica report, John Mendoza.

As a result o the Summit, the ollowing sector-led outcomeswere identi ed (please note, this is only a small selection, see below

or how to access ull set):

A code o Practice or the NGO Community Mental Healthector

The Code would be developed as a statement o valuesand attitudes that characterises the sectors culture andrecovery philosophy

The Code would not narrow the sectors activities i nmultidisciplinary service delivery by providing detailedprescriptions or speci c specialisations/disciplines

The Code would harmonise and value-add to the naturaldiversity that exists in the work orce

areer pathways

Job roles matched to competencies and quali cati ons(Skills, Expertise, Experience)

Certi cate IV in Mental Health is developed into an entry-level quali cation into the sec tor, that is mapped intoli elong learning pathways

n A bridging program is developed that preares universitygraduates entering the sector

n Sector-led review o the RPL assessment would strengthen theintegrity o quali cations

Promote a culture o pro essional development

n A Communities o Practice approach that promotespro essional development across organisations (i.e. sta swaps,shared training opportunities)

n Endorsed and resourced by organisations at the regional level

Research and skills development

n Establish partnerships with Universities and the academiccommunity

n Articulation agreements between VET and Higher Education

n Establishment o a Centre o Excellence or Community MentalHealth Research, Education and Practice (to help attract unding

or research and work orce development, and increase t hesustainability o the projects e orts into t he uture)

Building rom the success o the Summit, key stakeholders will be

invited to participate in a workshop to provide strategic advice onimplementation o the priority actions or t he project. An IndustryLeaders Group will then be appointed to oversee development andimplementation o the Work orce Strategy through 2011/12.

A copy o the ull Summit ndings, as well as summaries rom theacilitated discussions are av ailable by registering on the projectsorum page via the Community Door Network Spaces

(http://networks.communitydoor.org.au/group/cmhws).Project updates and uture events will also be posted on the

orum page. More in ormation on the project can also be oundon the Work orce Councils work orce initiatives page inwww.work orce.org.au.

from the presidentCathy OToole, President, Queensland Alliance State Council

As the end o the yea r approaches, so does the QueenslandAlliances Annual General Meeting (AGM). The meeting on the29th October included the election o State Council or 2011.I am pleased to announce the re election to State Council o :

Kerry Staines Graceville Centre

Clare Guili oyle GROW

Mary-Anne Bowyer Southern Cross Care

Christian Grieves Mackay Division o General Practice

Cathy OToole Advance Employment Inc.

I also welcome the newly elected:

Bob Steele Mental Illness Fellowship o Queensland

Gill Townsend Mental Health Resource Service Centacare Cairns

The AGM was a great success again this year and we thank guestspeakers the Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP (Minister or DisabiServices and Multicultural A airs) and Andrew Cripps MP (ShadMinister or Disability Services and Multicultural A airs). Bothspeakers strongly supported the work o the Queensland Al lianceand acknowledged the value o having such a strong peak bodyto interact with in te rms o keeping abreast regarding the needs othe mental health community sector i n order to accurately in ormpolicy and budgetary decisions.

Both speakers acknowledged the Queensland Governmentscommitment to ensuring that people with a mental healthconditions living in our community get a air go. Both speakersare looking orward to the roll out o the Anti Stigma Campaign

unding that will work to counteract the debilitating issue o stigmby providing much need mental health education within ourcommunity.

This AGM also included a motion to change our name toQueensland Alliance or Mental Health. The decision to changethe o cial Queensland Alliance name is linked to the ormation the new strategic plan and we believe that the newly adopted nameis much more positive and relevant to our contemporary society.At the meeting 26 members voted in avour o this motion.

The State Council looks orward to working with the membershipin the new year to urther our lobbying activities with governmentat all levels to ensure that we achieve a vision, o creatingcommunities that value di erences, promote well being and creata sense o belonging or everyone.


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Alliance

SW N Ein the

With mental health eaturing prominently in the media throughouthe year, the lead up to mental health week (1016 October) waso exception. A range o varied topics relating to mental healthave been discussed in the past ew months. In August, Matthewewtons experience o mental illness as reported by the media

was scrutinised or some weeks, ollowing his parents interviewwith A Current A air. Queensland Alliance CEO Je Chevertonwas interviewed by Madonna King on the i ssue (31 August 2010).

he issues around women, mental health and discrimination wereaised by Radio 4ZZZ, with Speakers Bureau Coordinator Lana

Wool sharing her personal experiences and also promoting thepcoming Walk o Pride. The topic o anti stigma and the need ormental health anti stigma campaign continued to be o interest in

he lead up to this mental health week. Editorials were sought by theMaryborough Herald andHervey Bay Observer (6 October 2010)

rom Je Cheverton, who completed a 2008 Churchill Fellowshipround the possibility o such a campaign in Australia.

World Mental Health Day, the Queensland Walk o Pride and o cialueensland Health launch o Mental Health Week all took place on0 October 2010. In the lead up, Radio 2SM Sydney intervieweden Pennings o RecLink on their co-hosting o the Walk o Pride

with Queensland Alliance and ARAFMI, along with RecLinksevelopment o their Trans ormers choir, which per ormed atoth the Walk and the o cial launch events. The Communityroadcasting Association (CBA) also took interest in the Walk oride, as part o their national suicide prevention and mental healthwareness project. The CBA is made up o over 270 member radioations nationwide, and distributes their stories through theiretwork.Bundaberg News Mail and theDaily Mercury Mackay were

among media that also sought interviews rom Queensland Allianceduring Mental Health Week.

To draw journalists awareness to Mental Health Week, QueenslandAlliance CEO Je Cheverton wrote to many o our QueenslandAlliance contacts, across radio, television and print media; to sharein ormation about accurate reporting o mental health issues. Heshared with them selectedMindframe resources which we hope willbe put to good use in the coming year.Mindframe is an AustralianGovernment national media initiative which aims to provideaccurate in ormation about mental illness and suicide, and itsportrayal across a range o media. Find out more aboutMindframe on page 7 o this publication.

Former New Zealand soldier Nick Williams who held police atbay or 16 hours in Brisbanes city centre on 26 October as hethreatened to blow up his yacht has been charged at a bed sidehearing. When the 54 year old set his yacht alight and stabbedhimsel in the stomach with a bayonet police sprayed him with nonlethal ammunition and rescued him rom the water. Mental healthadvocacy organisation Queensland Alliances board member JudeBugeja, has said that it is airly indicative that people dont knowwhere to go.

Stay up to date with whats being talked about inthe media around mental health.

Visit www.qldalliance.org.au

A new critical guide to adding the correctsuicide and mental illness helplines tostories was issued to Australias mediaon 9 September.

Australia print, radio and televisionnews continues to lead the world onappropriate reporting o such issues,according to health experts. However,a recent report ound that whilst theaddition o helplines to stories hadincreased overall, some media stilladded the wrong help-seeking advice.

TheMindframe National Media Initiative which produces the national resourceson appropriate reporting o mentalillness and suicide has now produceda new two-sided quick guide to supportmedia pro essionals. Representatives

rom the media as well as the nationalmental health and suicide preventionorganisations have been involved in

its development. One side o the guidehas priority crisis contacts or suicidestories and the reverse has prioritysupport helplines or mental illnessstories. Each side also includes quicktips on how to use them correc tly.

The Australian Media is recognisedinternationally as leading the way whenit comes to reporting suicide and mentalillness. This was supported by the MediaMonitoring Study, released earlier thisyear byMindframe , that ound Australian

reporting o both issues had increasedin volume as well as quality.

Mindframe Program Manager JaeleaSkehan says people are more likelyto seek help and advice when the

New Guide to

appropriate services are included instories. News rooms are busy placesand it can be challenging to identi y andprovide the most appropriate help-seeking in ormation, she said. Thenew re erence card supports mediapro essionals, ensuring they have quickeasy access to the right contacts thatmatch their stories.

Mindframe has worked with all themental health and suicide preventionorganisations that run the crisiscounselling services and helplines suchas Queensland Alliance, beyondblue,

Li eline, Kids Helpline, CrisisSupport Services, SANEAustralia and many others, toensure the recommendationsmatched up with theirexpectations.

Li eline Chie Executive O cerDawn ONeil said: Mediastories about mental healthand suicide do have an impacton people at risk. Thatswhy it is so important toprovide people with help-seeking pathways, as well asavoiding morerisky reportage.

We do want the media toreport on these matters.

However, we call on them to do it s a ely.A helpline like Li elines 13 11 14 at theend or in the body o a story can beliterally li e saving.

Queensland Alliance wrote to journalistsand media outlets throughout the stateduring mental health week to makethem aware o theMindframe resources,including the new helpline guide.

Copies o the new helpline guide and themedia resources, can be downloaded

rom www.mind rame-media.In o

HELPLINES


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Queensland Voice or Mental Health was launched as anindependent organisation on 2 September at their newpremises in Bowen Hills.

The Consumer Voice Project began in early 2007. Theobjective o the project was to cre ate an independentmechanism or consumers and carers to provide advice

to the Queensland Government on mental health policy,exclusively rom a consumer and carer perspective.

Queensland Voice has developed to become a united voiceor consumers and carers to actively promote the health

and well-being o all Queenslanders through advocacy,participation, co-operation and education. QueenslandVoice is now no longer auspiced by the Queensland Alliance

and is an independent, incorporated association. It receivesunding directly rom Queensland Health and an MOU has

been developed between the Queensland Alliance andQueensland Voice or Mental Health.

Queensland Voice or Mental Healths Mandate is toimplement a sustainable mechanism that enables ongoing

meanging ul participation by consumers and carers inhealth services planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluationprocesses at national, state and local level.

You can contact the Queensland Voice or Mental Healthtoday by phoning07 3252 3999 or emailingin [email protected]. Their new o ce premises are locateat 7 Mallon Street, Bowen Hills.

As part o the MentalHealth Week activities,Worklink hosted theAnnual National StressLess Day Luncheon onWednesday 13 October.

With guest speaker,Garry McDonald, bestknown or his characterNorman Gunston andthe dour Arthur Beare oMother and Son, the daywas a great success.Garry McDonald is oneo Australias mostsuccess ul actors.Garry is also a directorand ambassador orBeyond Blue and hasbeen a past patron othe Anxiety DisordersFoundation, New SouthWales Branch.

With over 450participants, ranging romsta to consumers tocorporate, the event wasvery well attended. The

eedback rom the eventindicates the majority oparticipants were veryhappy and enjoyed theluncheon. A ter the lunchGarry McDonald cameback to the WorklinkO fces or an a ternoontea or the consumers.

Luncheon

WorklinksNational Stress Less Day l a u n c h e d


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ommunity Mental Health AustraliaCMHA) has initiated a two year national

roject that will acilitate the identi cationnd dissemination o good practicemong D2DL Program providers. CMHAthe national body ormed by the state

ommunity mental health peak bodiescross Australia.

roject Administrator Danielle Flanaganommenced 1 November. Danielles rolencludes assisting service providers to usehe web based plat orm once developed.

roject Manager Melody Edwardson isonducting telephone surveys with all

D2DL service providers to aid in planningorums and establishing a web basedlat orm.

Responses so ar indicate a strongwillingness to participate

in orums and connect withother D2DL service providers.Importantly respondents so

ar expect the project to havea positive impact on servicedelivery to consumers.

Forums will be held in allstates February/Mar ch 2011.Date claimers will be sent to allD2DL providers by the end othis year.

For urther in ormationcall 07 3252 9411 or [email protected] [email protected]

Day to Day Living (D2DL)Capacity Project Update

Whatsnew and good with the

Speakers Bureau?The Queensland Alliances Speakers Bureau has beenbusy creating and acilitating educational orums with avariety o organisations.

Last month we had two events that were very success ul. The rstwas with the Royal Brisbane HospitalsRecovery Unpacked: Tips and Tricks on the Recovery Journey Forum. On Monday 18 October

2010, ve speakers rom the Bureau presented at the orum each oa di erent aspect o their recovery journey.

The audience was overwhelmingly made up o service providersand the eedback was antastic. When speci cally evaluating thespeakers, 42.4% o the audience was very satis ed and 57.6%thought the speakers were excellent. The comments included:

The second orum was with All About Livi ng The RESP-EECTProgram. The event was Orientation to Mental Health Paci cIslander Pastoral Care, held in De ception Bay on Friday 22October 2010. We had one speaker present on how pastoral carerscan provide an important role in supporting people experiencingemotional distress. The day was also hailed a success with di erentorganisations showing an interest in hearing more peoples stories

and acknowledging a greater understanding o mental health issuesas a result.

Our next orum is a non government servi ces providers con erencA Healthy Headspace: Wellbeing in our Community on the 10November 2010. The speakers Bureau will be acilitating a sessionentitled Beyond Labels: social inclusion and de-stigmatisation inour community.

New National Cultural Competency ToolThis package has been speci cally designed for use by mental health services working with peoplefrom culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgr ounds. The development of this NCCT formental health services is an exciting and signi cant step towards enhancing the capacity of themental health workforce in working transculturally with an increasingly multicultural population.

Copies can be ordered through Multicultural Mental Health Australia.

For more information and to download PDF copy, please click on the link below: http://www.dhi.gov.au/Multicultural-Mental-Health-Australia/default.aspx


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AnS.O.S. rom 110 000 people in Queensland:

here are at least 110,000 people withLong Term Persistent Mental Illness

LTPMI) on record, in Queenslandlone, and growing at an alarming rate,ecause the level o treatment that theseeople desperately need is virtuallympossible to nd. In general, there iso e ective treatment o ered to theseeople apart rom medication o ten

wrongly, or over prescribed. I havenked in with hundreds o these people,nd a huge percentage o them tell mehat they are given so much medicationhat they eel like zombies. More than

medication alone is vitally needed.

want to highlight two aspects o thexperience o Long Term Persistent

Mental Illness (LTPMI):

. The lack o psychotherapy inQueenslands public health system,which would enable many su erersto reduce their medication intake,improving their health and qualityo li e.

. The lack o practical services inQueenslands public health system

or substance abuse Dual Diagnosis(DD), which my son experiences.

What is psychotherapy? ndividualised psychotherapy isssential to those who experienceTPMI. Psychotherapy is barely

provided in the public system, andinvolves counseling with a therapistto improve wellbeing. Access totherapeutic counseling is an unmet needin our public health system.

What is it like toexperience LTPMI? When people with Long Term PersistentMental Illness are eeling unwell, thepain is daily and unrelenting and theperson loses their sel esteem andpleasure in li e. Su ering is continual,and or many o these su erers, theonly way they can see to get relie , isto take their own lives, which sadly, alltoo many o them have done. Evidencesuggests that people with a LTPMI alsodevelop more physical illnesses than

the general public do. These illnessesinclude cardiac problems, liver disease,diabetes, in ectious diseases, cancer,nutritional de ciencies, ParkinsonsDisease, oral and optical problems.In most o these cases the illnessesare attributed as being side e ectso medication needed to treat themental illness. With better access topsychotherapy, many su erers wouldbe able to reduce their medication andin doing so, reduce their chances odeveloping the associated psychicalillnesses.

My story as a carer I am mother and carer o a 48 year oldson, who has had a per sistent (andcomplex) mental illness or over 18years now. He is getting progressivelyworse, because we have not been ableto nd any orm o e ective treatment orhim to assist in improving his condition.My son has not been able to nd the

level o therapeutic counseling that heso desperately needs. We have had tolearn all we possibly can, in our e ortsto get help.

In February 2002, we learned rom abook what the main part o my son'smental illness is. It is called SubstanceAbuse Dual Diagnosis (DD) and wenow know that it a ects more than halo the LTPMI su erers. DD is a complexcombination o a chronic mental illness,and reliance on substances alcohol,

tobacco, and other drugs, even ca eine.

In Queenslands health system, drugs and oralcohol issues are only dealt with by Alcohol,Tobacco and Other Drugs Ser vices (ATODS),

and although both ATODS and Mental HealthServices come under the mantle o QueenslandHealth, neither service o ers help or thecombined condition. That is why there issuch a desperate need or speci cally trainedclinicians to treat DD in an integrated way.

Once I knew that my son had DD, I elt thenthat help would be re adily available. Howwrong I was. In spite o being told in 2002 thatclinicians were being trained to treat DD, wecannot nd evidence o this. DD researchershave been pleading since 1993 to urgently trainspecialised DD clinicians.

Since 2002 I have, with help, sent out over7,000 letters/em ails, plus made thousandso phone calls in e orts to get help or DDsu erers. I now eel that I know most o themajor short alls in treatment or DD, and howto correct many o them in a cost e ectiveway. For long term DD su erers, specialisedresidential programs, as run overseas andI knowexactly how these programs are run,claim to have up to 90% success rates ingetting people well.

I know dozens o people with similar stories toours relating to the experience o a Long TermPersistent Mental Illness (LTPMI).

Please eel ree to contact me [email protected] i you would like

urther in ormation.

Changes to mental healthservices needed

CommunityDoorLaunchesNew Resourcefor Workingwith Clients

Queensland Council o Social Service (QCOSS) has recentlyproduced a Planned Support Guide: an approach to casemanagement or people working in a wide range o communitservices. I you are a ront line worker, supervisor or mangerthis guide is or you.

The guide assists in the development o a sharedunderstanding o good case management practice across thecommunity services sector. Increasing the use o proven casemanagement practice ensures better outcomes or clients.

Planned support is an approach to case managementthat emphasises our key concepts: support, planning,collaboration and relationships.

To view the guide or download a copy visit Community Doorat www.communitydoor.org.au/planned-support-guide

This is an excerpt rom a letterby Betty Day. Following itsdistribution, Madonna King

wrote about Betty (The CourierMail, Minds Put on the Line , 2August 2010) and commented,

To take mental illnessseriously, our politicians haveto learn that this one issue is

having an enormous impact, notonly on amily li e, but on social

policy, law and order, and ourpublic hospital system.


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Mental Health Week 2010 was o cially launched byThe Hon. Paul Lucas, DeputyPremier and Minister or Health,

Queensland on Sunday 10.10.10.The launch was the beginning o

various events held in locations acrossQueensland. Despite heavy rains the week

e ore and on the day itsel , many braved the wet weathero enjoy the Walk o Pride ollowed by a popular Juice O ponsored by Boost Juice.

elebrities and sporting personalities, joined orces withro essionals rom the community Mental Health sector,ncluding our own Melody Edwardson to create somenteresting creations.

he winner o the $500 prize rom Boost Juice was the Orangeeam with Beryl Garrard representing the Aboriginal andslander Community Health Service. Overall the launch was areat success despite the weather.

he third annual Mental Health Week Achievement Awards,n partnership with Open Minds, Queensland Health, throughhe Mental Health Directorate, was held on Friday 15 October010. The Awards recognise the achievement o individuals andrganisations who work determinedly to increase understanding

mental health issues, enhance ser vice provision and improvehe mental health o Queenslanders.

Queensland Alliance extends our sincere congratulations to theollowing winners or 2010:

Non-Government/Community OrganisationCategory: Richmond Fellowship QLD Transition Support Service

Government Service/Program Category: Pro . David Kavanagh,QUT for OnTrack information website

Carer/Carer Organisation Category: Lynn Forster Volunteer, Mental Health Unit at Cairns Base Hospital

Consumer/Consumer Organisation Category: Michael Burge

Individual Category:

Nadia Beer OAM, Advocate at The Park Centre for Mental Health

Media Category: Lexy Hamilton-Smith,Channel 10 News MATES in Construction Program

Earle Duus Award: Nadia Beer OAM, Advocate at The Park Centre for Mental Health

Highly Commended: MATES in Construction Program,OzHelp QLD

Congratulations to all nominees and winners.

Mentally

Healthy QLD

mental health weeklaunch& awards

U pda t e

The Queensland Alliance and MentalHealth Association QLD (MHAQ) werevery pleased to play host to Pro essor RobDonovan on Thursday 16 September 2010.Rob very kindly few across to Brisbane

rom Perth especially or this event, andprovided an overview o how the Act-Belong-Commit campaign has developedin Western Australia.

Thank you to everyone who attended thisrst o cial Community Forum or the

Act-Belong-Commit campaign in QLD.Supported by Ivan Frkovic - Department oCommunities, Geo Riddell MHAQ, and

Dr Dennis Young Drug ARM Australasia,the positive spirit o the proceedings,and the packed house o ered importantreassurance that the sector is indeed onboard with this campaign.

The orum generated a huge amount ointerest or the campaign, with manyorganisations ready to sign up already.For those o you who were unable to at tendthe Community Forum in Brisbane on the16th September, and those o you whoattended, but would like to share it withyour colleagues, why not set a date to sitaround the lunch table and watch the 40

minute video (uploaded in 3 parts on theMHAQ Website under News & Events).

There is a lot o work going on behind thescenes to ensure we make a big splash inearly 2011 with the Act-Belong-Commitmessage. To urther this cause, we arein the process o establishing the QLDHub or the campaign Mentally HealthyQLD. The role o the hub is to managethe campaign delivery in QLD, and source

urther campaign unding to spreadthe word!

We have received many expressions ointerest to not only sign up, but to join thesteering committee, and to volunteer. BothMHAQ and the Queensland Alliance havebeen delighted to see this kind o supportgenerated so quickly.

We are currently meeting withorganisations to explain how the campaigncan work or them. There are manydi erent ways you can be involved...it isonly limited by your imagination!

Solid oundations are being laid in

Queensland to enable this campaignto really take o in 2011! I you haventalready, be sure to express your interest bycalling1300 836 393 or [email protected]


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altering states

Peak ProfleCARERS

QUEENSLANDarers provide unpaid care and support to amily membersnd riends who have a disability, mental illness, chronicondition, terminal illness or who are rail. More than onen eight Australians provide care o this kind. The purpose oarers Queensland is to improve the lives o carers. Theyrovide services like counselling, advice, advocacy, educationnd training. Carers also promotes the recognition o carers toovernments, businesses and the public.

arers Queensland provides a variety o services to supportarers in their ca ring role along with a number o programs

which represent carers' issues to service providers,overnments o all levels - Local, State and Federal - and theommunity. They provide in ormation and support to carershrough:

The Carer Advisory ServiceThe National Carer Counselling ProgramA Regional O ce NetworkCarer Support GroupsEducation and TrainingFamily Support and AdvocacyMomentum: Back to Work Program or carersCarers Queensland LibraryYoung Carers ProgramFamily Support Collective ProjectCulturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) program

Carers Queensland actively promotes the No Interest LoanScheme (NILS), through which they provide interest- ree loans

or carers on low incomes. It is a community-based programthat enables carers access air, sa e and equitable credit or thepurchase o essential goods and services such as a ridge, awashing machine or dryer. A NILS loan may also be provided

or such things as health aids. Clubhouse members o theQueensland Alliance have also success ully undertaken thisscheme.

To contact Carers Queensland, you can call(07) 3900 8100 or toll ree1800 242 636 or visit their websitewww.qld.carersaustralia.com.au

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) iscommon in military amilies, and can beinherited. Recent evidence suggests a widerange o emotional management conditionssuch as ADHD, Autism, Bipolar, ConductDisorders and Depressive and Anxietydisorders can have their origins in signi cantstress generations be ore. The Families A ter Trauma Foundationprovides li e-saving consumer-operated-services to amiliesliving with the intergenerational impacts o military ser vice.

In 2007 the Children & Grandchildren o Vietnam VeteransNetwork was ormed. Word rapidly spread about the e ectivenesso the Network and amilies a ected by other military situationsenquired about our specialised support who reported highlysimilar problematic symptoms plaguing their amily or severalgenerations. We ound the ability or this Network to be heard

in the right places was severely restricteddue to its structure, scope and vision.Thus the Families A ter Trauma Foundationwas ormed.

Now, a charitable, not- or-pro t research,training and support organisation, theFoundation is run by volunteers and

amilies a ected by psychological trauma caused by militaryexperiences. As a true Consumer Operated Service, our primarygoal is to assist and re-empower other amilies experiencing thedestabilising e ects o military trauma, especially the inheritedaspects o this social and personal issue.

You can read a ull description o our work at our website at:www. amiliesa tertrauma.org. This site is requently updated, smake sure you check it regularly.

De ending the amilies that de end us

Families A ter Trauma Foundation


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altering states

or a ree quote visit: www.n pdesign.com.au

or call 1300 693 314.........................

Helping you to help others because we care too.

When you need low prices, a fast quote and someone who understandsthe not-for-profit sector, were here to help. Our services include:

design and artwork display material printing merchandise website development photography

By registering on our websitenfpdesign.com.auyou will be able to: receive discounts off your promotional material buy credit for any of our services to use over a 12 month period obtain instant quotes to ass ist you with your budgeting.

If you need a more specific quote we guarantee to provide you with thiswithin 48 hours.We will not compromise on quality just to get a cheaper price. Oursuppliers are the ones weve developed good relationships with overmany years. Youll be receiving the highest quality at an extremelyspecial rate.

notice board

The Court Liaison Service (CLS) is a consultationand liaison clinical service that provides mental

health advice, assessments, re erral and diversionor people with identi ed mental health needs

who are involved in the criminal justice system(courts and watch house settings). The CLS aimsto build strong working collaborative partnershipswith organisations and departments who provideservices to people with mental health needs bothwithin the criminal justice system and within the

general community.

For more in ormation visit our websitewww.qldalliance.org.au

or contact the Service directly on07 3139 7200

Leading the ChangeConference

On the 17th and 18th February 2011 MHCC ACTwill be holding its rst ever conference!

This conference is an opportunity to create a

vision of the mental health sector we would liketo see and discuss how we can shape the sectorboth locally and nationally.

For more information see h ttp://www.qldalliance.org.au/mhcc-act-conference-leading-change

Peer WorkerSocial and Professional

Network QueenslandFor Peer Workers in the mental health sector, paid or

volunteer or seeking employment. Jump online and nd outmore about job, networking and other opportunities alongwith good practices at www.peerworkernetwork.ning.com

Court LiaisonService (CLS)

Queensland Alliance has moved premises.

Change o contact details are as ollows:(there will be a period during which our old details willbe redirected)

Telephone: 07 3252 9411

Street Address: Level 2, 266 Brunswick StreetFortitude Valley Q 4006

Postal Address:PO Box 696, Fortitude Valley Q 4006

h a s m o v e d !Q u ee n s la n d A l lia n

ce

Please join the HonAnnastacia Palaszczuk MP,

State Council and sta or anO fcial O fce Opening

Date:Thursday 25 November 20104 6pm

RSVP by 22 November:[email protected]

Interested in Indigenous mental health research?This website provides a peer reviewed electronic

journal rom the Australian IndigenousHealthIn oNet. It also contains presentations and

outcomes rom the Start stronger, live longernational Aboriginal Health Worker symposium

which took place in WA in June this year.

See http://healthbulletin.org.au/

Improvingonline

informationfor people

with disabilityThe Department o Communities (Disability andCommunity Care Services) are in the process oimproving and streamlining online in ormationto make it easier or people with a disability, their

amilies and carers, to nd in ormation aboutgovernment services.

To have your say or nd out more, visitwww.disability.qld.gov.au/key-projects/improving-online-in ormation
http://www.nfpdesign.com.au/http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/key-projects/improving-online-informationhttp://www.disability.qld.gov.au/key-projects/improving-online-informationhttp://www.nfpdesign.com.au/http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/key-projects/improving-online-information


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Queensland Alliance

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