WHEN looking to improve a certain industry, who better to find out what needs to be done than from the workers themselves.
That is what the Lived and Living Experience Workforces Employee Survey aims to do, gathering information from mental health workers about barriers and attitudes they find challenging in the workplace.
The survey is part of the Victorian Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, looking to further build a strong and supported workforce in the mental health sector.
Swan Hill Headspace mental health clinician Celeste Costa believes getting firsthand knowledge from those working within the system can help create positive change.
“It would be helpful to incorporate strategies around how we can increase access to wellbeing services and resources to rural and remote populations,” Ms Costa said.
“Though we’ve definitely seen an improvement here with our Headspace outreach and online mental health services, having more professionals relocate and be involved in face to face outreach would be valuable.”
Ms Costa said one of the reasons she chose to relocate back to Swan Hill after studying in Melbourne was the great need for rural and regional mental health workers.
“Having now worked in the region as a psychologist, I can see the increased need for the support in terms of mentally ill health compared to metro areas,” she said.
“We have come quite far in the Swan Hill region regarding stigma with accessing mental health support, which has historically been known to be a challenge, particularly in smaller communities.
“Without access to mental health workers in the community, we would likely go backwards with this progression.”
She said the importance of having access to mental health workers in regional areas like Swan Hill should not be downplayed.
“Some presentations and challenges faced by the young people we see, for example those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, find it very challenging communicating through video and phone platforms. They tend to thrive through face to face communication and therapy,” Ms Costa said.
“If there were no or limited mental health workers in the region, then they would not have access to the most efficient care they can have.”
Ms Costa is keen to see how the survey may have an impact on the mental health sector.
“In my experience, we as mental health workers have come a long way in terms of mental health support progression,” Ms Costa said.
“We are prevention and solution-focused within the Headspace team and that’s something we hope for in Victoria’s mental health system. “
