Closing the gap in mental health services for Aboriginal community

District Coordinator of the Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Services Laura Ross spoke about this gap in mental health services and how we can help close it.

“It’s relatively universal that accessing mental health, and drug and alcohol services for Aboriginal people has always been difficult,” Ms Ross said.

“That’s likely because there is a great deal of historical context around our relationships with agencies – government agencies in particular.”

However, Ms Ross said people in general – whether they are Aboriginal or not – have a very basic understanding of mental health issues.

She said some of the issues lie with people not knowing where to get assistance when it’s needed.

“In terms of the Aboriginal community, that’s certainly the case which we have a few different strategies that we use to try and tackle that hurdle for community members.”

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To combat this, she said they have a state-wide workforce development program, the Aboriginal Mental Health Traineeship Program.

The MLHD have five Aboriginal traineeship provisions across the district.

“Those mental health trainees will complete a three-year Bachelor of Health degree through the Charles Sturt University.

“And, once they successfully complete their degree, they are transitioned into a mental health clinician role, so they’re based in the teams they did their traineeships with.”

Griffith has one currently – the recent trainees are due to graduate in September and October this year – and will be looking to recruit to those five positions.

“We’ll be looking for someone from the community to apply, if they have an interest in the traineeship program,” she said.

Ms Ross said having Aboriginal representation on the local teams has an increased value.

“It makes it easier for Aboriginal people to access the service if they know there is someone there who understands the culture – that might be significant for them.”

They also deliver free Aboriginal mental health first aid courses across the district – in partnership with the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network – which are nationally accredited.

“We had about 11 from MLHD accredited to facilitate that course, and each of the sites have accredited facilitators to deliver that training to communities where it’s identified.

“It could be a simple thing where someone from that community might contact their local team and say, ‘Where can I get this training?’ or ‘How do I go about setting it up in my community?’ and then I will coordinate that course on the ground.”

The Aboriginal mental health first aid courses run over two days, and are similar to the standard mental health first aid course but this particular course looks at first aid from a cultural perspective.

“It also looks at grief and loss, which aren’t really addressed in the standard mental health first aid course.”

The course is designed for anyone, but Ms Ross strongly encourages Aboriginal community members to join and do the training.

“It gives service providers an understanding of what could be happening for an Aboriginal individual who might be experiencing a mental health crisis.”

Ms Ross said practices such as weaving was incorporated into her therapy, which helped those who had lost that knowledge – whether or not because they were removed from country or were part of the stolen generation.

She said her mode of therapy worked really well, particularly for those with anxiety disorder.

“They are able to weave through their anxiety, and learn about their culture at the same time.”

Ms Ross said she wants people to be really aware of the course and the degree.

Any carers, consumers of the service, and anybody who has lived experiences with mental illness, drug and alcohol issues are welcome to undertake the degree.

The Aboriginal mental health first aid course is a free two-day course, and all educational materials are provided.

Further details of the traineeship programs can be found in the Indigenous Times.

All enquiries can be sent to Ms Ross laura.ross1@health.nsw.gov.au