Authors: Lucy Mahony, Rachel Barbara-May, Deb Carlon, Craig Wallace, Katie Larsen, Dr Caroline Lambert, Jacqueline Rozario, Robyn Martin, Amaya Alvarez, Melissa Petrakis, Sharlene Nipperess, Christina David & Caroline Walters
Year: 2023
Event: 2023 The MHS conference - Adelaide
Subject: It's the Rights Time
Type of resource: Video
Abstract:
Presentation 1: We're only human
Authors: Lucy Mahony and Rachel Barbara-May
Abstract
The discovery college podcast explores the topic of people in distress and extreme states. discovery college offers alternative ways of thinking and learning about mental health. The podcast series offers an engaging way to explore important issues as it’s accessible, free and the shorter episodes make learning digestible. The different episodes delve into how our crisis response can often compound distress and re-traumatise people, leaving them alienated and isolated. Through speaking with lived/ living or professional experience on the topic, we look at ways we can begin responding to distress in a humane and compassionate way.
This podcast was created through a co-design process after speaking with many people who had been treated unjustly in the mental health system, with a focus on psychiatric wards and involuntary treatment.
We began by having conversations with the community, gathering different ideas and perspectives . It became apparent that this is a topic which many people are passionate about and we’ve received an overwhelming amount of interest to be interviewed on the podcast.
The presentation will be a listening experience. Participants will be invited to listen to a series of snippets from our podcast series, hearing stories from those who have been in an extreme state or who have cared for someone in that state. The podcast looks at this topic from all perspectives and explores how the whole community can take better care of each other. There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion afterwards with the creators of the podcast.
Learning objectives:
Through our presentation, we aim to elevate the voices of people with lived/living experience who don’t feel heard and in doing so, offer fresh and relevant perspectives on extreme states, helping to normalise them and reduce stigma. We want the audience to gain knowledge around the practical and easy actions they can start implementing to bring about more compassion in our response to extreme states, both in our personal and work lives.
Participants of the conference run the risk of being subjected to death by PowerPoint. discovery college aims to make learning fun by throwing a listening party and inspiring the community to start bringing our humanness into mental health.
Learning Objective
To elevate the lived experience voices who don’t feel heard. Offer relevant perspectives on extreme states, to normalise them and reduce stigma. We want participants to gain knowledge around practical actions they can implement to bring more compassion in our response to extreme states, in our personal and work lives.
Presentation 2: Ensuring Human Rights and Consumer led Values and Principles underpin the Healing Place in Victoria.
Authors: Deb Carlon, Craig Wallace and Katie Larsen
Abstract
MIND Australia and Alfred Mental and Addiction Health have been funded to lead the co-production of the first Lived Experience Residential Service in Victoria the Healing Place.
This project will seek to radically transform approaches to governance, leadership, workforce, and environment by enabling consumer leadership and specialist peer delivery.
We will take you on a journey as we explore and develop the underlying principle and values of a peer led service, and how we position this service firmly in a Human Rights Framework.
How we developed through consultation and co-design a philosophy of healing based on those values and principles. The philosophy of healing then became the foundations of the operating manual.
We explore what consumer lived experience governance really means and how that can change the way our spaces can operate.
All the while holding genuinely implementing a service that is centered around guest/consumer leading their own journey through crisis.
Learning Objective
Participants will leave with an understanding of the journey that has been undertaken to co-produce a genuine peer led alternative anchored in Human Rights and consumer perspective values and principles where the guest/service user leads their own journey through crisis.
References
https://healthsciences.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/3392215/Coproduction_putting-principles-into-practice.pdf
https://www.vmiac.org.au/wp-content/uploads/The-VMIAC-Declaration_01-Nov-2019.pdf
LELAN (2022) ‘Walking the Journey Together, From the Start: A lived experience-led developmental evaluation of the Connect peer service in Adelaide’s north’ Evaluation Report
Presentation 3: Family Carer Research Advocacy Network (FaCRAN): building research and advocacy to promote Family Carer Rights
Authors: Dr Caroline Lambert, Jacqueline Rozario, Robyn Martin, Amaya Alvarez, Melissa Petrakis, Sharlene Nipperess, Christina David and Caroline Walters
Abstract
The Family and Carer Research Advocacy Network (FaCRAN) was established in October 2022 to address the significant and historical gap in the evidence base that promotes and informs family and carers rights within the mental health system. The network surfaces and privileges hidden and unexpressed stories of families and carers, challenge the individualised view of mental health support to include the relational, and to build evidence through research and advocacy for change thereby promote a better quality of life and uphold the human and citizenship rights of families. Members of the network hold multiple roles - within lived experience workforce, not for profit organisations, universities, clinical services and government.
This presentation will demonstrate the need for a network to represent and uphold family rights and to understand the priority areas for further research. The presenters will discuss how the network,
• Models a rights-based approach through a commitment to inclusion
• Encourages new and emerging voices
• Shares power and skills
• Builds capabilities through co-research design, and co-authorship
• Identify, amplify and extend the conversation around family carer rights.
Learning Objective
Develop an understanding of addressing family rights through collaborative research and advocacy models that include diverse voices, with lived experience at the centre.
References
Callander, R., Ning, L., Crowley, A., Childs, B., Brisbane, P., & Salter, T. (2011). Consumers and carers as partners in mental health research: reflections on the experience of two project teams in Victoria, Australia. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 20(4), 263-273. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0349.2010.00731.x
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