Last week in Australia

Last week in Australia, weather is obviously acclimatising us ready for Lewis. We have had a wet, windy cool week.

This week was a breakthrough for us in Australia with our first making recovery champion’s course specifically for clinicians of state services. We were based in Frankston on the peninsula. We had 24 fantastic people on the course 15 from Peninsula mental health services, 2 from Queensland, 2 from Tasmania, 2 from Canberra & 3 from the Northern Territories. They are all part of beacon projects to reduce seclusion and restraint in acute services.

They were really creative, passionate about their work and thoroughly committed to leading change. They are all going to make fantastic change agents.

We laughed loud every day, shared the occasional tear and came across an enthusiastic Geordie recently recruited from the UK. Ron found another ‘voice’ in a very wise social worker from Queensland she knows who she is!!!!

We have had 12 weeks in Australia this year, 4 weeks in NZ, the southern hemisphere is feeling like our 2nd home, I am really beginning to understand how the 2 country are, politics, humour, environment, people, spirituality. I have felt particularly close to the traditional owners of both lands and feel that they are my spiritual teachers.

I feel so privileged in our work that I meet so many people whose humanity, care, passion for good mental health continually reinforces my believe in people. We had a public meeting at Prahram mission in Melbourne & 75 people turned out packing the room. We thoroughly enjoyed our talk .

Australia is on the cusp of exciting times in its Mental Health, as they are embracing a similar agenda to Scotland in looking at a population based approach to mental well being for all and recovery being the main focus of all services.

I am sitting writing this in Glasgow airport we have just had 23 hours of flying and are now waiting on our next flight to Stornoway. The kids have been amazing , only squabbling a couple of times.

Home

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.

Sydney for 5 days without the kids- time to play! (although some work too)

3 days with Marius & Sandra, Sydney has been a chance to recharge our batteries. It was wonderful to spend some quality time with Marius & Sandra (Romme), we have our outline plan now for the first world meeting on hearing voices which will take place in Maastricht next year-watch this space. We took them to our favourite bits of Sydney, down to the harbour, out to Watsons bay to Doyles for a fish lunch, Bondi beach, I had 20 minutes in the surf, the currents were strong and there were too many people so I retreated back to the shore.

The apartment we stayed in had a roof top garden where we sat for evening drinks and to watch the sun as set it over looking the harbour and the CBD.

Ron & Marius went to the opera house to see a ballet, whilst Sandra, Monica & myself went for drinks and a fabulous Thai meal.

Ron & I worked for St Vincents on the Thursday, Ron has been working here over last couple of years as they take their services on a huge period of change & discovery towards working from a recovery philosophy.

It was a hard day with several short sessions through out the day, but very positive. We were invited to the acute ward for chocolate cake after lunch, this was the most poignant and connecting part of the day as I listened to peoples stories of their journey, there was much wisdom , woundedness & spirituality + some great guitar and song making.

Friday we had the luxury of a whole day to ourselves, we stayed at our favourite Holiday Inn, near the harbour. Had a long lie in, big breakfast, a swim in the roof pool and then took a ferry to Darling harbour, lunch in china town & 2 hours looking round paddy’s market before taking a taxi to the airport, only to find the plane was delayed and a huge electrical storm brought the airport to a halt for an hour.

Finally arrived back in Melbourne close to 11pm and headed back to Ron’s family and kids.

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.

Buzzing after a successful Recovery confrerence and INTERVOICE meeting

The third weekend was spent gathering together ready for the conference. Its home from home, with Marius Romme & Sandra Escher staying near us, we had them, Julie Downs, Paul Baker, Monica Hoffman, Trevor Eyles, Mike Smith & Marian Aslan for drinks t0 meet Joe Calleja the CEO of Richmond Fellowship. He has done a fantastic job at getting this conference organised
Recovery from Psychosis conference is the first of its kind here in Australia.

We had Rufus May, John Watkins, Ron, Myself, Jacqui Dylan, Romme & Escher, Dirk Corstens, all speaking at the same event here.

The atmosphere was electric; we had many workshops as well. People were buzzing and energised, the government of WA was there to talk about how they wanted to take the recovery agenda forward here. People attended from right across Australia. It was history in the making

This was then followed by the first ever intervoice meeting outside of Europe, Scotland won the prize for most attendees with at least 17 people there most of them voice hearers, there were also delegates from Japan, Germany, Denmark, Holland, England, Australia, NZ, & Palestine
The meeting concentrated on the relationship between emotions and voices, with lots of discussions & an open space event. There were 109 delegates and it was deemed the most successful Intervoice meeting so far.

We left lunchtime on Saturday, feeling a mixture of exhilaration & exhaustion to fly to Melbourne, the kids are staying with Ron’s sister for 2 weeks whilst we carry on working in Sydney & Melbourne

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.

Back to Australia

We were really well looked after Friday night after the first course finished, invited to a BQ by social work students from Curtin University. They have developed a real fondness for Ron after receiving lectures from him last year.

Week 2 in Perth, the weather has changed, its, grey, cloudy & intermittently wet, could be Scotland, oh well we are working so not so important. The 2nd course has gone well, lots of discussion & debate on the first 2 days, but by the third day people were seeing & feeling recovery, the who am I’s had worked their magic yet again. The recovery process is alive and well, watching it run its course over and over has given me a deep sense of what is important in creating mental well being.

I love running this course with Ron, I see it produce profound change and recognition in people. People are amazing, the lives they have led their resilience and will to keep going through adversity, I feel humbled and in awe at how simply listening to their stories can produce such healing, growth and connection.

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.