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.