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MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
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The NT Mental Health Coalition Board and Staff
wish you a very safe and healthy 2022!
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Mental Health Association of Central Australia
MHACA’s vision is that Central Australia is a safe and inclusive community that actively fosters and supports good mental health.
Understanding the importance of a healthy lifestyle supports Improving wellbeing. Understanding what services are available and how to access them provides community members with agency to manage their own health and other needs. Access to training on mental health issues enables community members to increase their mental health literacy and respond to people in distress.
MHACA has developed a range of resources to encourage people to seek help early for mental health challenges or suicidal thoughts, including specific resources for Aboriginal community members. Such as, Taking care of people with worries
MHACA is also increasing both community and participant understanding of the importance of lifestyle choices in improving mood and the impacts of mental health conditions through the Healthy Bodies Support Healthy Minds campaign.
TEMCHO
Top End Mental Health Consumers Organisation Inc (TEMHCO) is a not-for-profit and charity organisation in Palmerston.
Their drop-in centre gives people living with a mental illness a place to feel safe, build friendships and get the help and support they need. They work with other organisations to make sure consumers and their families get the best possible service.
Their calendar of events for January can be found here.
Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia NT
Cool Program
The Cool Program operates in the Greater Darwin region. The program assists people living with a mental health conditions to engage in social and recreational activities within the community.
The program is designed to motivate, build confidence, encourage the development of new friendships, and prepares participants to continue their recreational and social activities independently. Involvement in the program can provide a sense of fulfilment and belonging, it can improve your self-esteem and social skills and assist you to stay connected with your community.
The Cool Program is currently offered each Tuesday afternoon and on a weekend day (see calendar below) membership is free, but participants may be asked to meet their own costs, such as entry fees and bus tickets. Staff are sometimes able to secure discounts on entry fees, however most activities are low cost or free.
All activities are chosen by participants and have included trips to markets, exploring national parks, museums, Darwin Waterfront & taking part in light sporting activities.
For further information contact MIFANT on 08 8948 1051
TeamHEALTH
TeamHEALTH Child and Family Supports
Child and Family Wellbeing team works with children who are aged 0-18 years, along with other family members and/or significant adults. They work alongside children and families who are affected by or are showing early signs of mental health concerns.
They support children and families in a very flexible and practical way. Support is child focused and strengths based, meaning that the voice of the child is our priority. We focus on what children and families can do, not what they can’t.
They work with children to enhance the positives in their lives and use these to overcome challenges families may be facing and to support children and families to achieve identified goals.
For more information read here.
Anglicare NT
ASIST Workshops - Darwin & Katherine
The two-day LivingWorks Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) trains participants in practical skills to support suicide intervention.
- You will be emailed an invoice for the workshop once you have registered.
- Full attendance for the entire two days of the ASIST workshop is essential.
- The ASIST workshop is supported by the NT Government.
Please contact Tricia Maling on tesiat@anglicare-nt.org.au or phone 8946 4800 if you have any questions about the ASIST course. More information can be found here
Mental Health Australia
The Flannel Flower
Australia’s symbol for Mental Health Awareness The Flannel Flower, an Australian native, has been chosen as the national symbol to promote mental health awareness in Australia.
The Australian bush has an inherent beauty and strength. It is also known for its extremes of weather and landscape. Varieties of the Flannel Flower are commonly found growing wild in the bush throughout Australia. The Flannel Flower, as with all native Australian plants, needs to be adaptable and enduring in order to survive.
In the same way all of us, regardless of our life circumstances, develop resilience and the ability to adapt to change, in order to maintain good mental health. Being open and empathetic to a person’s expression of distress can assist in the recovery of a person living with mental illness and change the negative attitudes of our society as a whole.
Flannel Flower Pins and Postcards
Mental Health Australia offers a Flannel Flower pin and postcard package. The pin and postcard packages are sold for $3.30 each, including postage within Australia.
You can purchase a Flannel Flower pin here.
National Mental Health Commission
National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
The Australian Government’s commitment to a national approach to mental health and suicide prevention could not be achieved without ensuring the mental health and wellbeing needs of our children.
The National Mental Health Commission has developed the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy as part of the Australian Government’s long-term national health plan.
This is the first time a national government has developed a strategy that considers mental health and wellbeing outcomes for children from birth to 12 years of age, as well as their families and communities who nurture them. For more information read here.
Deakin University
Impact story
Artificial intelligence providing faster and more personalised mental health treatment
Drawing on the power of artificial intelligence, Deakin researchers are pioneering a world-first approach to mental health treatment. Known as adaptive experimental design, their concept has the potential to fast-track findings, leading to faster and more personalised health treatments.
Key Facts:
The process – known as ‘adaptive experimental design’ – has the potential to fast-track clinical trials across the health spectrum within a decade – bringing better care to individuals sooner.
This innovative research method can also be applied to fast-track production in many industries, including manufacturing. Young people face the brunt of the global burden of mental illnesses. Mental health problems, such as psychological distress, are the largest of all health disorders globally, affecting 792 million people.
Mental illness is expected to cost the global economy AUD $21.58 trillion by 2030. Mental disorders are on the rise in every country. The economic cost is primarily due to early onset of mental illness and lost productivity, with an estimated 12 billion working days lost due to mental illness every year. Download the impact story here.
Menzies School of Health Research
Study highlights dimensions of resilience among remote
Aboriginal middle school students
Media Release - 12 January 2022
More than 1000 students and teachers from remote Northern Territory (NT) schools have assisted in implementing the Skills for Life resilience program with results now published in the highly regarded multidisciplinary journal PLOS ONE.
The innovative study by researchers at Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) is part of a program in partnership with five NT secondary/middle schools which sought to evaluate the implementation of Skills for Life, a program of social emotional learning (SEL) for remote Aboriginal students in years seven to ten.
Menzies lead-author, Professor Gary Robinson says the Skills for Life program was developed in consultation with knowledgeable elders, community members and educators in remote NT communities.
“It aims to build students’ resilience as a contribution to youth suicide prevention, which is a critical concern of remote NT communities"
“It is a 12-lesson curriculum designed to be taught to middle school students in their classrooms over one - two school terms,” Prof Robinson said. Read more here.
Media contact: Paul Dale, Communications Manager
Phone: 0439 108 754 or (08) 8946 8658
Email: communications@menzies.edu.au
Northern Territory PHN News
Compass Conference Update
PHN NT's professional development and networking event for Territorians working in primary health care will be back in 2022. They have confirmed new dates of 12 and 13 August with the conference taking place at the Darwin Convention Centre.
They will release information about sponsorship, the opportunity to attend as an exhibitionist, and travel and accommodation in the new year. Read more here
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Australian Indigenous Health Bulletin
Emerging Minds
National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health (2021)
Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children living with disability
This set of factsheets, designed mainly for non-Indigenous workers, aims to present important information for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children living with disability.
The tip sheets focus on:
- taking a holistic approach
- cultural safe practice
- working skilfully to support families.
The factsheets have been co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who care for children living with a disability. Read more here.
Pro Bono Australia
Community sector pushes to get more free RATs in the hands of vulnerable Aussies
Luke Michael – 7 January 2022
"Frontline community service providers must be included in the distribution plan for free rapid antigen tests (RATs) to ensure at-risk groups are protected, sector leaders say"
Amid Australia’s surge in Omicron COVID cases, the requirement for people to undertake a PCR test to confirm a positive RAT result has been removed, in a bid to take pressure off PCR testing queues.
But many Australians have struggled to access RATs recently, with overwhelming demand causing many chemists and supermarkets to run out of stock quickly.’ Read more here.
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Anglicare NT
Senior Manager – Community Relations & Business Development
Darwin
Full Time (10 Month Maternity Leave Placement)
Click for details
headspace Darwin
Program Manager (Early Psychosis)
Full Time
Click for details
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SUBMIT AN ITEM TO E-BULLETIN
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To contribute notices to our fortnightly eBulletin, please email your information in the body of an email or as a Word document to admin@ntmhc.org.au
Please ensure your contribution is no more than 200 words and includes all relevant dates, times, links and contact details.
Please note: submissions are due by 2pm on the second Monday of the month for next day (Tuesday) distribution.
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The Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition is the peak body for community mental health and well-being. We represent NT community managed mental health organisations.
We work in collaboration with a wide network of organisations, people with lived experience, their families and supporters across the Northern Territory.
We work at both a national and local level to improve a national and local level to improve the mental health and well being of Territorians.
As a member of the Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition, you commit to supporting NTMHC’s purpose.
COME & JOIN US
Would you like to be a member of the Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition? As a member, you become part of a larger voice within the mental health sector across the Northern Territory.
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| Office Location: |
7/18 Bauhinia Street,
Nightcliff Community Centre,
Nightcliff NT 0810 |
| Postal Address: |
PO BOX 157,
Nightcliff NT 0814 |
| Phone: |
(08) 8948 2246 |
| Email: |
ceo@ntmhc.org.au |
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