Mental health Archives | Page 19 of 23 | South Western Sydney PHN

12 May 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of SWSPHN’s successful series of roundtable discussions with the region’s mental health service and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) providers in 2020. Our roundtables have now resumed, with participants at the fifth roundtable at the Rydges Hotel, Campbelltown again appreciating the opportunity to meet face-to-face and learn more about other services in the sector.

In this week’s Under the Microscope, we take a closer look at SWSPHN’s Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Roundtables.

Why is SWSPHN facilitating these roundtables?

In 2018, SWSPHN began connecting the region’s mental health and drug and alcohol (AOD) services through a series of four roundtables at various locations across South Western Sydney. The workshops aim to improve integration, communication and collaboration between AOD and mental health service providers, and gather expert advice from various disciplines, to improve services and support for people with drug and alcohol, and mental health co-morbidity.

The roundtables were cancelled in 2020 due COVID-19 restrictions but resumed with a fifth roundtable on Thursday, 29 April.

Which organisations were represented at the fifth roundtable?

AOD and mental health services from across the region were represented at the most recent roundtable. The services included: Family Drug Support; Core Community Services; Odyssey House; Iogha Mental Health Services; Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS); St Vincent De Paul Society – Rendu House; Salvation Army; CORE Community Services; SWSLHD Drug Health Services; Bankstown Community Resource Group Inc; Drug and Alcohol Multicultural Education Centre (DAMEC); and Salvation Army.

What was discussed at the roundtable?

Participants had the opportunity to learn about telehealth from the Agency for Clinical Innovation, hear from SWSPHN staff about outcomes and client experience measures, share client stories and brainstorm ideas for addressing barriers to AOD and mental health service integration.

Presentations were held both face-to-face and via Zoom.

What feedback have you had from participants?

The feedback from participants to the fifth roundtable has been positive.

Matthew James, a mental health nurse in Tharawal AMS’ SWSPHN-funded Social and Emotional Wellbeing Team, has attended four roundtables.

He said he most appreciated opportunities to network and market his service to others across the large South Western Sydney region. “There are also services that I’m not aware of, so it works both ways.”

Mr James said the virtual healthcare session was of huge relevance to his organisation.

Johan Torsteinsrud, an AOD counsellor at Odyssey House, was attending his first roundtable and said it was good to get input from representatives of other services.

“I heard about the experiences of other people and organisations that I can learn from,” he said.

What’s next? Are there plans for another roundtable?

The next roundtable in the series is planned for October 2021 and will aim to further develop sector collaboration and integration.

12 May 2021

In her monthly column, Dr Jan Orman from the Black Dog Institute is providing reliable evidence-based Australian online resources for mental healthcare. In this month’s column Dr Orman looks at MindSpot Virtual Clinic.

Macquarie University’s MindSpot Virtual Clinic – www.mindspot.org.au – is online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with the extra bonus of some clinician guidance. Clinicians based at Macquarie University call or email users (the user’s choice) after they register and again after completion of each of the lessons in their course.

MindSpot courses are free of charge and no referral is required.

Each course is designed to be completed over about eight weeks. There are breaks between sessions to allow people to practice the skills they have learnt in the sessions.

Available courses include three transdiagnostic ‘wellbeing’ courses for different age groups and one for Indigenous users. MindSpot also offers three diagnosis-specific courses for OCD, PTSD and chronic pain.

Some tips when referring to online treatment programs include showing the patient/client the website on their phone or your desktop and helping them register. It also helps to make a definite follow-up appointment.

You can easily integrate program content into therapy. It will help them get the best out of the program and make your work easier as well.

To find more information and access training

22 April 2021

Opportunities are available for clinicians to support people on their journey to mental health recovery by sharing their knowledge and experience.

South Western Sydney Recovery College is inviting clinicians to participate in its Mental Health Recovery long courses as a guest speaker.

What is South Western Sydney Recovery College?

The college brings together people with a lived experience, carers and service providers to learn from each other, share experiences, increase their understanding of mental health recovery and achieve individual aspirations through courses, workshops and training opportunities.

What are the benefits of clinician involvement?

Enhance the positive impact you can have for your professional practice by engaging with the lived experience expertise of the college’s Peer Trainers and students.
Your clinical expertise is shared in a relaxed and supported environment, reaching students who may be hesitant to individually engage with a clinician, building rapport and trust and removing barriers to clinical treatment.
Clinical and lived experience perspectives co-delivered provide students with a holistic approach to learning, informed choices and thus increased motivation towards their recovery.

What would it involve?

Select a topic of interest from THIS LIST.
Review the topic workbook and provide feedback to the Peer Trainers.
Prepare a one-hour presentation that supports the topic workbook, adds clinical perspective and encourages activities and discussions.
Present two or three times – face-to-face or via zoom.
Remuneration of $400 for two and $500 for three presentations (for workbook review, feedback and three, one-hour face-to-face or Zoom presentations) to your private practice or organisation.

To express interest:

Send your CV and the topic of interest to Janeen Harris, Acting Manager of South Western Sydney Recovery College

Email: Janeen.harris@mdservices.com.au
Phone: 4621 8400

12 April 2021

Most practitioners have heard of THISWAYUP (TWU) a suite of evidence-based diagnosis-specific CBT courses that come from the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD) at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney and the University of NSW.

Most of the TWU courses consist of six to eight lessons spread over as many weeks. Courses involve education around specific diagnoses and cognitive behavioural approaches to management. They teach skills for users to apply in their daily lives to help them manage their symptoms of psychological distress. Because there is no money involved at present users can simply log on, complete the self-report questionnaire and choose the best course to suit their needs.

Added value comes from the fact that as a practitioner registered to prescribe and refer to THISWAYUP (you can do that via the clinician’s hub) you can watch the progress of your client/patient through the course and discuss it with them when you see them. You can also check to see whether they have engaged and you will be notified by TWU if their condition deteriorates. There is also a brief CBT course for GPs that is accessible through the clinician’s hub of the website.

You can find out about the research that supports the use of THISWAYUP on their website thiswayup.org.au/research and check out the courses on offer at thiswayup.org.au/courses

As engagement and adherence are the biggest issues for online therapy (rather than efficacy), it’s worth going the extra yard to persuade people of the value of doing the programs.

It’s also worth noting that THISWAYUP includes an excellent chronic pain management program developed by CRUfAD in collaboration with the Pain Clinic at St Vincent’s Hospital. It’s a terrific aid in our fight against opiate misuse. Just remember that to access the chronic pain course your patient/client will need a referral and this too can be done on the website.

For more information and training go to www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/emhprac

08 March 2021

The BITEBACK website from Black Dog Institute is a positive psychology-based website designed for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 (though many older people have used and benefitted from its contents).

BITEBACK is helpful for young people who are struggling, teaching them emotional survival skills like mindfulness and gratitude using creative techniques that keep them interested and engaged.

One of the great features of the BITEBACK site is its 6 Week Mental Fitness Challenge which provides a structured way for young people to build their resilience. Week by week it focusses on things like gratitude, identifying personal strengths, learning mindfulness skills and making social connections. At the end of the program the site develops a downloadable wellbeing plan based on the user’s activity in the program. It’s free, fun and anonymous and to my mind is potentially helpful for lots of people – not just teenagers.

To find more information

16 February 2021

Butterfly’s Youth Program, a skills-based group therapy treatment program for young people aged 18 to 25, is open for referrals. The program is based on Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT-E) and Butterfly’s clinicians are trained to work with young people living with body image issues and eating disorders. The program is currently delivered via Zoom and is open to anyone aged 18 and 25 years, anywhere in Australia.

In a safe, supportive and recovery-focused environment, trained clinicians will aim to help patients:

Develop skills to manage stress and emotions
Manage relationships
Increase mindfulness
Learn self-compassion
Improve body image
Reduce symptoms of their eating disorder
Build a healthier relationship with food

The program runs for two hours a week for 12 weeks and can supplement treatments participants may be already receiving.

Next daytime program starts: 5 April 2021
Next evening program starts: 22 March 2021

To find out more

15 February 2021

The opportunity for fun, fitness and fundraising – Coastrek – is back and SWSPHN has three teams taking part this year, in the 60km, 30km and 15km treks.

What is Coastrek?

Coastrek on Friday, 19 March is a hiking challenge which aims to raise $1 million for Beyond Blue.

There are 60km, 30km and 15km options, and this year’s route is along the Northern Beaches of Sydney, starting at Palm Beach (60km), Long Reef (30km) or Balgowlah (15km) to Mosman.

Find out more:

Coasttrek

What is Beyond Blue?

Beyond Blue is an independent, not-for-profit organisation working to reduce the impact of anxiety, depression and suicide. It provides information and support to help Australians achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.

Find out more:

Beyond Blue

This year’s Sydney Coastrek is booked out but you can still support the cause by making a donation.

15 February 2021

Peer support is now available through the You in Mind program which provides free psychological therapies for people (12 years and above) experiencing moderate-severe mental illness. The program is delivered by mental health professionals across South Western Sydney.

Who is eligible for You in Mind?

Living with stress, anxiety or depression and from one of the following populations:

Culturally and linguistically diverse or from a refugee background
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Living in the rural areas of Wollondilly and Wingecarribee, with barriers to gaining support through Better Access (Medicare) services
Residents of Claymore, Airds and the 2168 postcode
LGBTQAI+
Older People
Financially Disadvantaged
Perinatal Depression

Experiencing a severe and enduring mental illness

Who provides the peer support?

SWSPHN has commissioned One Door Mental Health to provide the new peer support component of the You in Mind program, in partnership with Community Links Wellbeing.

Consumer peer support workers use their own lived experience of mental illness and accessing services to support clients in:

Understanding what to expect from engaging in psychological therapy
Psychoeducation
self-advocacy
Linking with other supports (e.g. psychosocial support)

How do I know if peer support will be best for me?

Once accepted into the You in Mind program, clients will be assessed to determine if they would benefit from peer support.

How do I find more information about peer support?

Contact One Door Mental Health

Via phone on 9199 6143
Via email healthcare@onedoor.org.au

14 February 2021

Passionate, enthusiastic and innovative community members and services providers came together with SWSPHN recently to create design briefs for new local mental health services which could transform the way men at risk of suicide access supports.

Eighty-three participants attended our Men’s Proactive Suicide Prevention co-design sessions at Campbelltown and Mittagong on 3 and 4 February.

We’ll be developing and funding a range of new men’s suicide prevention initiatives over the coming years to reduce the alarming rate of male suicide.

The co-design sessions gave local people an opportunity to contribute to the development of local services.

Presentations from existing services which have already tailored programs towards men inspired participants early on in the sessions and helped spark crucial early conversations about the best practice approaches to men’s suicide prevention.

Consumers, carers and family members whose lives have been touched by suicide also spoke, reminding participants of the importance of tackling the significant mental health concern.

Our Mental Health Manager Christopher Jones received a positive response from participants.

“Participants said the sessions provided a tangible way to put forward their ideas and visions for change,” he said.

“They also said that through the creation of their own design brief, both individually and with like-minded people, they gained a sense that they are able to be part of a wider vision that influences how programs and services should be funded and made available in South Western Sydney.”

Our mental health and commissioning staff will now work closely with the co-design consultant to review the design briefs and develop programs and supports within the coming months.

09 February 2021

Welcome to the first of our regular columns by Dr Jan Orman from the Black Dog Institute providing reliable evidence-based Australian online resources for mental healthcare. In her first column Dr Orman looks at Portals to Care – online repositories of all the information you need to start using online resources. There are three major Australian portals:

Head to Health
WellMob
MumSpace

Online mental health resources can look like a confusing mass at first glance. There is so much available and is hard to know how they can be useful.

The best places to start to find information about what’s available and what would suit the people you are helping manage their psychological wellbeing are portals. They are online repositories of all the information you need to start using online resources.

There are three major Australian portals:

Head to Health

Head to Health is a constantly evolving website that provides information for consumers and health professionals about Australian online mental health resources. It has great search functionality. Searches can be filtered to suit patient characteristics like age and cultural group. A function called Sam the Chatbot provides easy access to information about resources to suit specific needs. Asking Sam to recommend something for a specific symptom will lead to a list of appropriate resources including websites for psychoeducation, apps and online treatment programs. Find the portal at www.headtohealth.gov.au and while you are there you might notice that there are specific sections for people affected by the Black Summer bushfires and those experiencing CoVID related distress. Head to Health provides direct links to all the resources it recommends.

Head to Health

WellMob

WellMob is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific portal that provides links to more than 200 culturally appropriate online resources to promote cultural and emotional wellbeing. These resources differ from more Western style resources by including much more narrative based material in the form of audios and videos of peoples’ stories as well as the more traditional sorts of resources including online assessment tools and treatment programs. It’s a very important and useful site for anyone looking for material to support their work with indigenous patients and clients.

WellMob

MumSpace

MumSpace is a site that will lead you to a host of resources to support the mental health of parents in the perinatal period. These include websites, apps and treatment programs. Definitely something worth knowing about as we see people struggling with the demands of parenthood.

MumSpace

Take a look at these sites and we’ll come back to talk about some of the to the individual resources they recommend and how to use them in future columns.

For more information and training go to:

Black Dog Institute: e-Mental Health in Practice