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Our support staff

Our staff consist of a wide variety of people that come together to provide the best possible service for our patients. 
The following list shows some of the types of staff you might come across when accessing our services.

 

Nurse
A mental health nurse is a registered nurse who specialises in working with people who experience  mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis and more.
They work with patients to help them better manage their lives. This might relate specifically to their mental health, but can also include helping with any physical, social, cultural, and spiritual needs.

Dietitian
Dietitians help people understand the relationship between food and health. They can also help people change their diet so that they can become healthier, and stay healthy in the long term.
They provide expert nutrition and diet advice for people of all ages. 
They can help you if you have a food allergy, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer or gastrointestinal diseases, or if you are overweight or underweight. They can help with other health problems too.

 
Language and multicultural support
Language and multicultural support - psychologist

Psychologist
Psychologists are experts in human behaviour. They have studied how the mind works and how people think, react, and behave.
People are often confused about the differences between a psychologist and a psychiatrist: 
Psychologists deal with people in their everyday lives, or within their work environment, to help them function better, and to prevent the development of problems in mental and physical health.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialise in the treatment of mental illnesses. Their training in medicine means that they may prescribe drugs in treatment.
Clinical psychologists work in hospitals and community health services and can help with problems such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol abuse.

Neuropsychologist
Neuropsychologists assess and treat people with brain disorders that affect memory, learning, attention, language, reading, problem-solving and decision-making.

Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has done extra training to become a specialist in mental health. 
They diagnose and treat people with a mental illness or a mental health disorder, such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 
Psychiatrists work in different ways and can use a combination of treatments, including counselling, psychotherapy, and medication.

 

Pharmacists
Pharmacists provide medications for treatment to all patients whilst in Hospital, Health Centres, and paying attention to individual client’s special needs.
Pharmacists provide pharmaceutical information to all patients before a patient is discharged. The Pharmacy department assist in technical information on drug regulations and direction of procurement of special required drug to staff.

Social Workers
Social Work Services include provision of psychosocial assessments, care coordination, care planning, discharge planning and advocacy. Our aim is to support, advocate and empower mental health consumers, families and carers in improving their psychosocial situations whilst utilising different professional practice framework which consist of crisis intervention, person centred approach, strengths based, recovery-oriented practices and trauma informed care.
Social Work provides comprehensive and collaborative psychosocial assessments and interventions for mental health consumers during their recovery journey while in hospital.

The Occupational Therapy Department
The role of Occupational Therapy is to assess and enhance a person's independence in everyday meaningful activities. Occupational Therapists work with consumers and the multidisciplinary team to build skills, assess functional abilities, and assist in determining an appropriate and safe discharge plan.
Occupational Therapists provide a strengths based and trauma informed approach in developing evidence based strategies and supporting consumers on their mental health recovery journey. 

Diversional Therapy
Diversional Therapy is a client centred practice that recognises that leisure and recreational experiences are the right of all individuals. Diversional Therapists provide leisure and recreation activities utilising specialist skills in leisure theory, leisure behaviour and activity adaption to support consumers leisure functioning and independence. Activities are designed to support, challenge and enhance the psychological, spiritual, social, emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals.

Art Therapy
Art Therapy is inherently healing and enriches the lives of individuals, through art making, creative processes and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.
A qualified art therapist offers a variety of mediums which offer consumers an opportunity to engage in this process. They develop, implement and evaluate Art Therapy interventions.  
The programs includes individual and group arts programs and counselling sessions to help them address emotional and psychological issues through creative activities such as drawing, painting, sculpting, photography and collage as well as to coordinated and support placement opportunities for Art Therapy students.

Music Therapy
Music Therapist are accreditation as a Registered Music Therapist with the Australian Music Therapy Association.
They utilise evidence based music therapy sessions and clinical assessments within a mental health services. They provide group, individual, family sessions and counselling sessions to help them address emotional and psychological issues through creative Musical interventions. They use a variety of music media to achieve therapeutic goals. contemporary music and contemporary musical instruments. They also develop, implement and evaluate Music Therapy interventions. They work with Adolescents & Youth within PCYMHS in both inpatient units & community settings. support placement opportunities for Music Therapy students.

Exercise Physiology
Exercise Physiologist have Bachelor Degree in Exercise and Sports Science and are accredited with ESSA. The exercise program aims to develop skills and self-management strategies the patients need to confidently engage in a regular exercise routine, which is safe, fun and targeted towards achieving optimal improvements overall mental health and wellbeing. 
Exercise intervention is part of a holistic approach with the treatment of the child’s mental health condition. It has many benefits, not only in patient’s physical health but also their mental health. Exercise Physiologist will provide assessment, exercise prescription, health education, and delivery of individual and group exercise, lifestyle and behaviour modification programs for the management of consumers in the inpatient and community setting. support placement opportunities for Exercise Therapy students.

Getting back into the community
Chaplaincy and spiritual care

Chaplaincy and
Spiritual Care

 

A chaplain’s role is to provide spiritual guidance, counselling, and solace to people of all ages, backgrounds, and belief systems.

They can answer faith-based questions and provide spiritual guidance to patients and staff members during times of hardship. 

Chaplains also perform religious ceremonies, prayer, and meditation services for people in group settings or individually, depending on your needs.