Lived Experience” • Hope and Recovery • Rainbow on the Plains: Hay Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
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People share their stories of mental health recovery in work and life June Quarterly Issue 2019 • Sailing for recovery • Peer Work: Using “lived experience” • Hope and recovery • Rainbow on the Plains: Hay Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Contributors wanted! We especially like to read recovery stories from people with lived experience of mental health issues! Contact us at: [email protected] NDIS provider since 2013 Flourish Australia Page 1 / Panorama Quarterly Issue June 2019 Mental Health Recovery is for everybody Page 2 / Panorama Quarterly Issue June 2019 Flourish Australia Sign up to have a FREE hard copy of Panorama sent to your home address • Recovery at home • Recovery at work • Recovery in the community Email ‘subscribe’ & your mailing address to [email protected] For electronic copy only, just email ‘subscribe.’ Flourish Australia Page 3 / Panorama Quarterly Issue June 2019 CONTACT PANORAMA: [email protected] you back from study? CONTENTS APRIL (GREEN SECTION) A. Safety of Others. Responsibility COVER: John O and his instructor towards others set sail from Dobroyd near Five B. Alcohol. the dangers of mixing alcohol Dock, NSW. PHOTO BY SIAN with medications STANLEY See the full story on C. Drugs: Pill testing pages 10-11 D. Friendship. The ABCs of hanging out About us 41 The man in the glass reflects on life Flourish Australia is committed to walking 6-7 Using my own lived experience to and peer work beside people with a lived experience of support people 42 What is ‘Ability Links’? mental health issues as they progress along 8-9 To make way for the things you really 43 Using the four pillars to care for their recovery journeys. We passionately want, you have to let some other things carers believe in mental health recovery, and are go 44 The Gardening Gang Gets Going committed to providing the best possible 10-11 Sailing for Recovery 45 Music Review. RUNNING FOLK by Jeff support and encouragement to people so 12-13 Helen Blum: the very beginning of Tooth they can achieve their recovery goals. We Australian Peer Workers 46-48 Coming home to Embark offer this help across all 64 of our services in 14 Trevor is doing it for the love 49 BACK ON TRACK HEALTH: My Skin NSW and Southern Queensland. 15 From YPOP to help desk, Kirt has a 50 BACK ON TRACK HEALTH: Chest pain solution 51 BACK ON TRACK HEALTH: Going to 16-17 Glenda Paton’s journey towards Chair: Prof Elizabeth More AM the Toilet - Bowel cancer is treatable and becoming a peer worker Part II CEO: Mark Orr AM beatable if detected early! 18 Walking through life together, riding 52 Hope won’t forget into the future Contact Flourish Australia! 53 Staying on top of it 19 SPORT-O-RAMA City to Surf dream 54 Three Great Challenges for us all 1300 779 270 becomes magical reality 55 A Gold Service Provider www.flourishaustralia.org.au 20 SPORT-O-RAMA Engage and 56 PRESTIGE PETS A curious clowder of Re-engage, YCLSS Street Soccer in calm at the charming cat cafe Panorama Newcastle 57 TRAVEL with Edwina: my favourite Founded in 1996 in one of Flourish 21 SPORT-O-RAMA Fun Commitment things about Tokyo Australia’s predecessor organisations and Support: Getting active with the 58 Skills for dealing with shame (PRA), Panorama has grown to become a Mood Active exercise program 59 Exploring Veganism lifestyle magazine dedicated to informing 22 The Man from Lightning Ridge and encouraging the recovery journey of 23 Goings on in Griffith EMPLOYMENT PANORAMA readers. Panorama is written, designed and 24-25 Rainbow on the Plains: Hay Mardi 60 Funeral Attendant. produced almost entirely by people with a Gras Parade 61 Employers are crying out for empathy lived experience of mental health issues. 26 Recruiting Peer Workers 62 Employers are crying out for: The 27 Reflections of a new Peer Worker power of teamwork Manager, Development projects: Jasmin 28 SELF ADVOCACY Part V. Mel’s battle 64-65 Work, fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Moradides for mortgage protection Publications Office: Warren Heggarty, Syndrome. Grant J Everett 67 More than token hiring General Manager, Inclusion: Fay Jackson Middle pull-out section THREE IN ONE ACTION Subscriptions FREE CONTRIBUTORS Warren: (02) 9393 9021 JUNE (BLUE SECTION) Grant: (02) 9393 9022 Sian Stanley (Photos) is a Mental Health A. Keeping In Touch. The value of Address: Publications Officer, 5 Figtree Drive, Worker at Flourish Australia’s Leichhardt building connections Sydney Olympic Park, NSW 2127 service. B. Getting Myself Around. The E-mail [email protected] advantages of two wheels [email protected] Kylie Smith is a Peer Worker at Flourish C. READERS’ SURVEY page 1 OR [email protected] Australia’s Blacktown service. D. READERS’ SURVEY page 2 Disclaimer Anna accesses Flourish Australia’s Mait- Panorama’s content is not intended as a MAY (PURPLE SECTION) land, NSW, service substitute for the advice of any specialised A. Intimate and close relationships. Let’s or qualified professional. The views agree to disagree Sue Matynia is a Mental Health Worker expressed herein are those of the authors, B. Sexual and reproductive health. Are at Flourish Australia’s Maitland service. not necessarily of Flourish Australia, or we winning against STIs? any associated enterprises, their staff, C. Caring for children and family. Janet Meagher AM (Photo) is a long management, employees, or service Preparing for parenthood standing champion for the rights of peo- recipients. D. Education and Work. What’s holding ple living with mental health issues. Page 4 / Panorama Quarterly Issue June 2019 Flourish Australia Trevor accesses Flourish Australia’s ser- vice at Wollongong. Glenda Paton is a Peer Worker at Flour- ish Australia’s Orange service. Sam accesses Flourish Australia’s service at Hervey Bay, Queensland. NDIS Kirby Lunn is the Manager of Flourish Flourish Australia can assist you to: Australia’s Newcastle service. Tania Curley is general manager of the Find out if you can Mood Active program access the NDIS Jean-Claude Accesses a number of differ- ent Flourish Australia services Think about your current Leticia Franchi is a mental health worker supports, goals and needs at Flourish Australia’s Leeton service Mel the Bunny Mother is a professional who is a long time reader of Panorama Meet with your NDIS planner and get a plan Tony is a peer worker at Flourish Austral- ia’s Hervey Bay service Decide which service providers Nerida Jackson Works with Ability Links you want support from in Woolloomooloo NSW. Emma Burton is carer advocate with the One Door organisation. Put your plan into action Karen Delaney formerly worked at the PEARL program, Warana QLD. If you or someone you know needs support, we are here to help. Contact us 1300 356 874 Lachlan Smith formerly accessed the [email protected] PEARL program, Warana QLD. flourishaustralia.org.au Charlene Del-Cet Senior Mental Health Worker at Flourish Australia’s Katoomba Contributors NEEDED! service. We especially like to read Peter L accesses Flourish Australia’s recovery stories from people Penrith service with lived experience of mental health issues! Doris Kluge is Flourish Australia’s senior Contact us at: human resources advisor. [email protected] Tina Irving is a professional copywriter Neil Fenelon (Photos) is the regular professional photographer for Flourish Australia Grant J Everett staff writer/photos/de- sign Warren Heggarty staff writer/photos/ design Flourish Australia Page 5 / Panorama Quarterly Issue June 2019 Recovery Story can even get up of the morning and do half the things they do. They’re all so inspiring. Housing NSW will often play a big role in helping with the transition back into the community, as the women who seek our support often need housing assistance, whether in the private sector or in public housing. If they want to return to work then we can support them with writing a resume and by linking them in with job network members. Study is another major goal for many of the outreach mums, and we make sure they’re receiving enough support to get the most out of their education. Linking up the ladies who have younger children with supported playgroups can ease the pressure of parenting and help with the Using my own lived bonding process. experience to support people I think we do a great job in working side by side with these families-in-need. We don’t take over their lives: ABOVE: Kylie Smith, Peer Worker at the Women and Children’s Program we work with the families. PHOTO BY GRANT J EVERETT moment we have nine families in What is does it mean to use your own transition, and three in outreach who By role modeling what good parenting lived experience of mental health issues I work with directly. Another couple of is, what good living skills are, how to to support other people? Kylie Smith, peer workers share the caseload with maintain wellness, and how they can a Peer Worker at Flourish Australia’s me here at Charmian Clift. No two days work towards their goals. We’ve got lots Women & Children’s Program at are the same, which is a good thing. of families who have had a lack of role Blacktown explains. models in their lives, so some mums To be eligible for our program, a woman can’t even do basic things like put on a By Kylie Smith needs to either be homeless or at risk load of washing or cook a meal, so to see of homelessness. They need to have a them build those skills is beautiful.