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Australian Institute of Health and Welfare launch new online Mental Health Services in Australia website
It's easy to use and presents data in a range of ways.
The website is available at: http://mhsa.aihw.gov.au
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The 13th Annual Minister’s XI Cricket Match
The First Minister’s XI Cricket Match was played at Bedlam Bay Park in the grounds of the old
Gladesville Hospital in 1998. Come along and help celebrate our 13th Anniversary. We are
confident that all who participate will find the occasion an exciting experience.
Sunday 16 October 2011
Commencing at 10.00 am
PETERSHAM OVAL
West Street
PETERSHAM NSW 2049
 13th Annual Minister's XI Cricket Match
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SFNSW provides clinical service
Sunflower Clinic is the first ever clinical service provided by the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW. This innovative Fellowship service will offer recovery based psychotherapy, tailored to the needs of people living with psychosis and their carers and families.
Sunflower Clinic aims to provide compassionate specialist intervention and support for different issues that may impact on recovery. These can include stress, anxiety, depression, interpersonal difficulties, employment and family issues.
Too often people affected by severe or persistent mental illness struggle to access recovery based psychotherapeutic services in the community. Whilst acute medical based services are an important aspect of care- the addition of psychological interventions that build coping strategies and provide broader psychosocial supports can optimise ongoing recovery. Sunflower Clinic will provide such services for individuals and families.
Sunflower Clinic is located in Burwood, within the same office as Respite and Disability Employment Services. This co-location allows all services to work closely. Sunflower Clinic will also be establishing strong links with all other SFNSW services around the area and cross referring to strengthen the recovery approach.
Sunflower Clinic will provide some individual services through Medicare (a doctors referral is required). Bulk billing is available for individuals on the Disability Support Pension, while maintaining affordable rates for people who are not.
Contact Sunflower Clinic for more details regarding fees, accessing Medicare benefits and for information on referrals 9715 5022
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Rural Young People Mental Health Helping Survey
Rhonda Wilson is collecting data for her PhD to find out how young rural people in the New England region of NSW can best be helped when they develop a mental health problem.
If you live in the New England region and have some experience of either having a mental health problem, or helping someone who has, please take a few moments to contribute your ideas and experiences to this survey.
This survey will take about 10-15 minutes of your time. For more information follow the link to the survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5FQWP2R
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Mental Health Reform Survey
The NSW Government is seeking feedback and comments on the proposed Mental Health Commission. There will be community consultations held across the State. Look out for these. There is also an online survey where you can express your views. This can be accessed at the web site below. We would encourage as many people as possible to complete this survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mentalhealthcommission
This could be a defining moment in the history of mental health services in this state. Make your views known!
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Mental Health Sports Network
Was launched on 29 April, 2011
The Mental Health Sports Association (MHSA) was established in 1993 to provide opportunities for sport and recreation to people with mental illness. Through sport these people developed self-confidence, along with improvements to their physical and mental well being. Some of the participants have gone on to compete in open competitions in their chosen sport. Participation in sport has improved the participants’ discipline, enthusiasm, social skills and general enjoyment and quality of life. This has been reflected in other areas of their life, for example gaining employment.
With members of the board retiring, the MHSA is being restructured as the Mental Health Sports Network, under the auspices of the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW. The Network is being established as an umbrella body to enable all mental health agencies in NSW to join in and involve their members in sporting and physical health activities. The Network has the support of the Department of Sport and Recreation and will establish partnerships with sporting bodies, create networks of participating organisations and expand the range of sporting opportunities. MHSA has been offering cricket, table tennis, lawn bowls, ten pin bowling, volleyball, indoor soccer and tennis, which will continue to be offered along with new activities.
The network’s website (www.mentalhealthsportsnetwork.org.au ) will also be launched on the day. Through the website members will be able to access information on events, sporting activities, reports on competitions, memberships etc. Members will have access to sporting rules, guidelines on competitions, event management, sponsorship, training etc. As the site develops, an e-newsletter, forums, research, and news will become available.
For further information about the formation of the Mental Health Sports Network.........
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GoFundraise Sunflower House Swim Challenge
A group of swimmers in Wagga are raising money to help Sunflower House in the purchase of capital equipment and to support the day-to-day living programs offered at Sunflower House to assist people live with and recover from a mental illness.
Click here to sponsor them and help the Fellowship!
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Turning Points resource booklet
Turning Points is a resource booklet for carers, family and friends of those living with schizophrenia.
It tells the inspirational stories of people caring for a loved one diagnosed with schizophrenia in an effort to share experiences and insights with others who find themselves in a similar situation. It also includes a resource section providing additional information and support.
Click here to download the booklet as a PDF, or to order a copy, contact the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW on (02) 9879 2600 or Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd on (02) 9325 4444.
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Helping those with mental illness: Harmony House
Stephanie Jeanes, a journalism student at the University of Technology, Sydney, has produced a six-minute television feature about Harmony House, which provides intensive support to people suffering a mental illness through the Day 2 Day Living Program, auspiced by the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW.
Click here to view the feature.
For more information on Harmony House, click here.
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NSW CAG call for mental health consumers views by 20 April 2011
The Federal Government’s House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment has set up an inquiry into mental health and workforce participation. This committee will examine barriers to education, training and employment that people with mental illness may face.
The NSW Consumer Advisory Group – Mental Health Inc. (NSW CAG) wants to connect with current and former mental health consumers to hear their experiences in accessing education, training and employment. They would like to hear from consumers about: what some of the barriers to employment and education they’ve experienced; their experiences with discrimination; and how they’ve managed times of transition (for example from school to the workplace). NSW CAG will use the information that they gather from consumers to inform their submission to the committee and their recommendations to make things better.
In order to gather a wide range of views, NSW CAG have set up an online survey. You can access this survey at: http://www.nswcag.org.au/page/have_your_say.html . For those who are not able to access the internet but would still like to share your ideas and perspective, please contact Tara Dias at tdias@nswcag.org.au or 9332 0200.
The deadline to participate in this survey is 20 April 2011
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nib foundation grant to establish New South Wales Young Carers program
Children of parents with a mental illness are often a neglected group, but thanks to a national partnership grant from nib foundation, young carers will soon have access to much-needed mentoring and support services.
The $500,000 grant from nib foundation will allow for an 18-month, state-wide rollout of the Schizophrenia Fellowship’s ON FIRE! support program to carers aged eight to 18 years.
Click here for more information.
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Online fundraising through GoFundraise and Everyday Hero
We’ve joined the GoFundraise and Everyday Hero websites! These online fundraising sites make it easy for you, your friends and family to raise money to support the Schizophrenia Fellowship, by nominating it as your cause for fundraising events you are part of — for example, sport events, fun runs, morning teas and other projects and activities.
You can also make a secure donation to the Fellowship online any time via the “Donate Now” button on our GoFundraise and Everyday Hero cause pages.
Visit the Fellowship’s GoFundraise cause page at http://www.gofundraise.com.au/CharityDetail.aspx?cid=330 or the Everyday Hero cause page at http://everydayhero.com.au/charity/view?charity=1319 to find out more.
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2009-2010 Annual Report
The Schizophrenia Fellowship's Annual Report for 2009 to 2010 is now available for download. The report details achievements of the previous financial year, plans for the future and provides a statement of accounts.
Click here to download the report.
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Within You, Without You - a schizophrenia story
Taylor Auerbach, a journalism student at the University of Technology, Sydney, has produced a seven-minute television feature about the life of Richard Schweizer, who is living with schizophrenia. The feature includes an interview with Schizophrenia Fellowship CEO Rob Ramjan.
Click here to view the feature on YouTube.
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Participants needed for study into bipolar disorder
Five hundred Australians are required for a world-first study to pinpoint the causes of bipolar disorder.
The focus is on 12 to 30 year olds who have at least one relative with bipolar disorder. One in 50 Australians suffers bipolar disorder, yet there is still no way of identifying a person in the very early stages or a person who is at high risk.
Researchers from the Black Dog Institute and the University of NSW are undertaking the study in collaboration with major universities in the USA. They will look at all the factors that may contribute to the illness, including a patient’s DNA, brain imaging and psychological testing.
To participate, please phone 1800 352 292 or email: bipolar-kidsandsibs@unsw.edu.au. Click here to see a flyer with more information.
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Shoalhaven Mental Health Fellowship Open Art Competition 2011
The Shoalhaven Mental Health Fellowship Open Art Competition 2011 is an open art competition to help raise awareness of mental health and mental illness in the Shoalhaven region. This year’s theme is “Family & Friends — Support makes a difference”.
Click here for a flyer with more information or call Jon Strang at The Junction, Mental Health Rehabilitation Service for an entry kit on (02) 4421 5595.
 Registration Form
Hanging Guidelines
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MMHA launches new national mental health workforce standards
The New South Wales Governor, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, has launched Australia’s first ever National Cultural Competency Standards, boosting recovery prospects for Australians from non‐English speaking backgrounds living with a mental illness.
The Standards form part of the new National Cultural Competency Tool (NCCT) for Mental Health Services, which was developed by Multicultural Mental Health Australia (MMHA) in partnership with the Government of Western Australia’s Mental Health Commission. As well as containing a set of National Cultural Competency Standards, the NCCT resource pack includes a range of practical aids and strategies, such as a self‐assessment checklist, to help agencies work in a multicultural setting.
Visit www.mmha.org.au for more information.
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ART Wednesday
The Fellowship’s Sanctuary Respite is now running a Carers' Art Group every Wednesday between 10am and 3pm, at the studio based on the former School of Artillery grounds, North Head, Sydney. The group is open to all skill levels and is run with a focus of flexibility, fun, freedom and play. See the flyer for more information.
To register for groups please contact Katherine Owen, 0458 792 908 or Jennifer Madsen, 0429 928 201.
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World first schizophrenia library launched
The Schizophrenia Library is a free online one stop shop for a wide range of information on schizophrenia. Launched on June 21 by the Hon. Carmel Tebbutt, MP, Minister for Health, on completion the Library will allow the general public, researchers, clinicians and policy makers to search from over 400 topics to discover more information on treatment, risk factors and course and outcomes of the illness.
The wide range of topics will be grouped into nine different categories, including treatment, signs and symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, course and outcome, physical factors, comorbid conditions, population perspective and families.
Read more ...
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Insight on SBS - Minds At Risk
 Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, a pioneer in youth mental health, says mental illness is the single biggest health risk facing our kids, yet many receive little or no help.
With three quarters of all mental health issues appearing before the age of 25, Professor McGorry is calling for an urgent rethink of our mental health system.
He says a renewed focus on young people and early intervention the answer.
So how do you know if your child is at risk? What’s normal what’s not? And is getting in early really the answer?
Click here to watch online, view the transcript or leave a comment
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