Search

The article discusses a study which evaluated a series of leadership development workshops focused on project management and partnership development skills held at the New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry (NSWIOP) for mental health workers from the Pacific Islands. Topics covered include the response of participants to the training, their confidence in taking on formal or informal leadership roles in the workplace, and strengths and weaknesses identified in the delivery of this training.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe a model for consultation with Aboriginal stakeholders used in the development of a training course, by the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, about young people's mental health and wellbeing. Historical, social and political factors contribute to the elevated rates of mental distress and disorder experienced by many Aboriginal young people. However, these young people often do not receive the help they need. Knowledge, skills and attitudes of clinicians are associated with the uptake of services. Therefore, a training course for clinicians was developed utilizing a detailed consultation process with Aboriginal stakeholders. Conclusions: The course was delivered as part of an ongoing comprehensive interagency training program for 2000 clinicians. The course was positively evaluated by participants and stakeholders, suggesting that the course development, including the consultation process with Aboriginal stakeholders, was effective in meeting participant and stakeholder needs. Agencies may be interested in the application of this model to consultation processes with Aboriginal communities and with other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the impact of a structured program of mental health training on the clinical practice of mental health workers in NSW, Australia. The NSW School-Link Training program, comprising four courses to date, has been delivered locally to more than 2000 mental health workers from various agencies over seven years. Participants, who include school and TAFE counsellors and clinicians from health, Juvenile Justice, Community Services and drug and alcohol agencies, report improved inter-agency collaboration and improved clinical skills as a result of the training. Sixty-seven per cent of school counsellors report retaining clients they would previously have referred to other agencies, providing opportunities for specialised mental health services to focus on clients with more severe presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Some groups of young people experience elevated rates of mental disorders and low rates of uptake of mental health services. Because an association between staff competence and uptake of services has been demonstrated a key objective of this paper is to identify relevant staff learning needs. Method: A learning needs analysis was undertaken of adolescent mental health workers employed in the health and education sectors in NSW, Australia, to explore their learning needs regarding Aboriginal, same-sex attracted and culturally and linguistically diverse young people. Results: Significant differences were found between learning needs in relation to location but no significant differences were found in relation to agency or experience. Participants ranked their learning needs as high and their knowledge and skills in working with depression and related disorders in these young people as low. Conclusion: This article highlights issues that may be of interest to clinicians and their managers regarding training, policy and service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]