Clinical Risk Management

Emergency Events Management

Undergraduate Support Officer

Growing a Recovery Oriented Mental Health Workforce in Queensland

Expanding Post-Graduate University Partnerships Project

Training in Practice Supervision for Mental Health Professionals

If you have any questions about these projects please contact our Statewide Projects Director Bretine Curtis/Judith Piccone on (07) 3271 8837

Community Awareness Initiatives

A web based information resource package with downloadable fact sheets and flow charts on the Forensic Mental Health System in Queensland. Click Here for Website . The information provided is for the general public, indigenous communities and media professionals.

Additionally a DVD (and associated learning material) which portrays a young indigenous man's journey through the Forensic Mental Health System has been developed. The DVD can be utilised by community centres, indigenous workers and mental health workers to provide general information to indigenous individuals, families and communities about the Forensic Mental Health System. 

Email:fmhqcmhl@health.qld.gov.au for a copy of the DVD resource.

For further information please contact Denise Sands on email: denise_sands@health.qld.gov.au

A new multimedia self-directed learning package is available to assist psychiatrists in writing section 238 reports for the Director of Mental Health. The overall goal of this package is to provide psychiatrists with useful information and tips to improve the quality of section 238 reports.  The package will be available on DVD.

Please contact Denise Sands on email: denise_sands@health.qld.gov.au for a copy of the DVD resource.

"Critical Components of Risk Assessment and Management for the Mental Health Practitioner" is a one day workshop providing practitioners with the core knowledge and skills required in risk assessment and management. The training is interactive and practical.

The CRM training will covers the principles of risk assessment and management; risk and protective factors; the range of risks in clinical practice; cultural issues in risk management; the use of the Mental Health Act 2000 in risk management; clinical management strategies to reduce risk and the importance of linking the risk management plan to risk assessment. The training will include a competency based assessment.

For further information please contact Paloma Mitchell or Philip Ferris-Day on email: paloma_mitchell@health.qld.gov.au, or  philip_ferris-day@health.qld.gov.au

Please see our QCMHL Training Calendar for specific projects' training dates and forward appropriate registration forms to E-mail: qcmhltraining@health.qld.gov.au

Other Initiatives

Emergency Events Management

QCMHL is contributing to the Queensland Health Skills Development Centre, Emergency Events Management Training. This is a 5 X 1 day core course, delivered to all Queensland Health nursing and medical staff in Emergency Departments in their first and second years of employment. QCMHL has developed a one day mental health module to address triage, assessment and management of mental health consumers in Emergency Departments.

Undergraduate Support Officer

QCMHL hosts the Undergraduate Support Officer (USO) for Southern Queensland. This position develops and coordinates strategies that enhance Queensland Health's recruitment of final year undergraduate students studying in the areas of social work, psychology and occupational therapy.

The Undergraduate Support Officer promotes the benefits of working in the Queensland Health mental health sector such as training and education, practice/clinical supervision, professional development opportunities, cadetships and scholarships for postgraduate study.  This involves the Undergraduate Support Program working with university student associations to be involved in Careers in Mental Health and Industry information sessions. This allows clinicians who are working in mental health to speak with students about what it is like to work in mental health, how to apply for positions in mental health, and how to develop a pathway to a career in mental health early in the progression of their degree.

The USO also liaises with the newly appointed clinical educators in Southern Queensland in developing partnerships on how to work together to increase the number of mental health placements available in Queensland Health mental health and increase the level of support offered to students while they are on placement with Queensland Health.

'Be the future of mental health' is the exciting new campaign to support and inspire students as they transition into the Queensland Health mental health workforce. In association with Queensland Health's Work For Us, the USO is finalising a "Careers in Mental Health" fact sheet that includes testimonials from current workers in mental health, information about what is involved in a career in mental health and the types of initiatives working in Queensland Health can offer new staff. The energy, enthusiasm and innovation of this future workforce can affect how we do mental health in Queensland into the future! We want to inspire emerging mental health professionals to think about how they can become involved in the ongoing reform of mental health care in Queensland.

For further information please contact Clare Kildea on email: clare_kildea@health.qld.gov.au

Growing a Recovery Oriented Mental Health Workforce in Queensland

This initiative consists of two components. The first of these, the development of a ten minute DVD that promotes recovery oriented practice amongst Queensland Health (QH) mental health staff is in its final stages of filming and production and uses stories of staff, consumers and carers to promote an understanding of recovery.As the concept of recovery is embedded in the unique and personal journey of individuals, it is not possible to identify a definitive formula. Nonetheless, the common elements of each individual's experience provides some consistent themes. These themes underpin the core values that support recovery and guide the implementation of recovery-oriented service provision.

The DVD is designed to be used initially in staff orientation programs, in mental health education/training activities, in marketing activities amongst undergraduate students, in recruitment activities, and at initial supervision sessions. It is aimed at providing a shared understanding of recovery oriented practice for all mental health staff (including administrative, allied health, medical and nursing staff), policy developers, and those in service planning, service management and research.

The second initiative involved sponsorship of Queensland Health mental health staff to attend the Recovery Orientated Mentorship Program (ROMP). ROMP was designed for Queensland Health, Disability Services Queensland and Non-Government Services staff in leadership or supervisory roles that could influence organisational change to come together and engage in both a comprehensive understanding of "Recovery" and the ability to incorporate it into all aspects of practice and service delivery.

Expanding Post-Graduate University Partnerships Project

QCMHL has been funded to review formal postgraduate mental health training partnerships between Queensland Health and universities/vocational training institutes to enable strategic leadership of any future Queensland Health funded interdisciplinary post-graduate mental health training partnerships.

This project will not evaluate effectiveness or specific outcomes of courses but will compare the contractual models, funding arrangements, teaching models, enrolment data and outcomes associated with the courses.The project will review issues affecting the current workforce's participation in education and training and will provide a list of recommendations to assist development of future partnership agreements that enable long-term, desirable, viable and sustainable training to occur.

Training in Practice Supervision for Mental Health Professionals

Clinical Supervision is fundamental to the development and training of mental health professionals and for ensuring high quality health practice and consumer outcomes. Training in the competencies and practice of clinical supervision is central to the delivery of effective and ethical supervision and in achieving quality outcomes for those clinicians receiving clinical supervision.

The Mental Health Clinical Supervision Training Program - "Supervisor" Training is a practical and comprehensive two day program that promotes a collaborative process-based supervision model. The training has been designed for novice to more experienced clinical supervisors who are currently supervising staff or expect to be in a position that will require the provision of clinical supervision.It is suitable for all mental health practitioners regardless of professional orientation, area of specialisation and service delivery model.  The training is practical and skills-based whilst focussing on the "how to" aspects of providing clinical supervision.

The Mental Health Clinical Supervision Training Program - "Supervisee" Training is a new one day supervision training workshop that has been designed to orient mental health clinicians and practitioners to the expectations and processes involved in receiving clinical supervision.The training has been designed for clinicians and practitioners who are currently (or will be in the future) receiving clinical supervision and would like to enhance their experience of clinical supervision.

In addition QCMHL is in the process of exploring the development of training for supervision of supervision which would complete the suite of Mental Health Clinical Supervision Training Programs available to mental health practitioners in Queensland Health. It is anticipated this workshop will be developed in the latter part of 2009.