August 2004 - Tracey Napa

I have just arrived back from the Gold Coast where I have been attending a four-day Australasian Mental Health forum. The forum was made up of a range of expert international guest speakers, and covered a comprehensive range of topics, relevant to Australian and NZ Mental Health Services. 1000 people attended the forum, and the atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm to share knowledge and gain from the whole experience.

The theme of the forum was “Harvesting Hope Through The Lifespan”. It was an excellent opportunity to meet new friends and network with those who are service providers, users or both. Many of the wonderful people with whom I made a connection were consumers who are working in a specialist field and are drawing from their wealth of personal experience and insights in order to make a vital impact on the quality of service delivery.

All presentations covered highly relevant topics over the four days, including Mental Health Meets Social and Emotional Well-being, The Clubhouse Model: Communities of Hope, Recovery and Belonging in Society, Family Forum: New Initiatives that Promote Recovery and Well-being.

I was impressed by the consumer perspective given on several of the topics, as it is really important to get those service users who are directly involved in client assessments to give their own input into how the mental health services are serving their needs and working to support their process of recovery.

It was refreshing to hear evidence of the promotion and implementation of assessment needs that enable consumers and clinicians to engage in dialogue that supports collaborative treatment planning. I felt it was very valuable to relate this principal to the resource development work I had completed this month, which involved adapting the standard needs assessment support plan to be more visually inspiring. I added colorful pictures to help make the messages more accessible, as our Deaf clients relate well to visual aids as many have limited English skills.

I really enjoyed a powerful and moving performance given by the Te Whare Tapa Wha. The presentation consisted of a drama using indigenous instruments, waiata, dance and poetry, through which four whanau members portrayed the four cornerstones of health. They related the elements of Wairua (spirit), Hinengaro (mind), Tinana (body) and Whanau to their own dramatisation of their personal journey from life shattering mental anguish through to recovery and wellness. This cultural model addresses the importance of treating the whole person compassionately and respectfully by nurturing to the mental, social, emotional and spiritual elements holistically.

I would like to mention here a fond farewell to our lovely former manager/team leader, Linda Hall, who has contributed passion and immense support to the Deaf Mental Health Service from its conception two years ago. We miss her and extend our utmost gratitude for her vital and instrumental involvement towards the Service’s development and success. Cheers Linda!

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