aussie consumer newsletter

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a Web newsletter for psych. consumers in Australia
** 30 January 98
next edition Friday 13 February

PEER COUNSELING IN MELBOURNE .. "Vincent's" was a "peer support service" for consumers in Albert Park, Melbourne. Some of this material is derived from the final evaluation report on Vincent's, [ authors Julie Contole and Cas O'Neill ]. Other comments in this story have come from various Melbourne consumers who had involvement with the centre.

One recommendation of Contole's report was that Vincent's become a consumer training facility for the whole State, develop other relevant consumer activities at the centre and alter its staffing structure. Copies of the report are available from VMIAC, phone (03) 93878317.

Peer counseling means consumers helping other consumers, by-passing issues of status and stigma. Vincent's attempted to implement the model of peer counseling for consumers in Melbourne. The philosophy of Vincent's was unique; many consumer-based ideas were tested there for the first time in Australia, and perhaps in the world. The concept was taken from successful models in Canada and the USA ...

Vincent's produced a newsletter, maintained strong links with local service providers, and offered work experience placements for social work and other students.

Vincent's was funded by the Commonwealth NMHS thru DHS for two years to December 1996 - $178K in total - and was reviewed by DHS. Interestingly, the one copy of an evaluation report on the first training program disappeared during 1995. Vincent's was subsequently closed in early 1997 by the Management Committee after funding was not renewed .

Because of the level of funding, a decision was made that Vincent's could only open for three days each week. The numerous consumer volunteers at the start probably made Vincent's possible.

What happened at Vincent's? In the initial funding submission, Vincent's was described as a "service run by and for consumers". There was argument about the reality of this from the commencement of the centre's operation. Vincent's was auspiced by VMIAC and the Inner South CAG - such support was essential to secure NMHS funding. Once funding was approved, some of the professional staff of the local MH service providers effectively became the leaders of Vincent's steering committee . Later a management committee was established.

Local consumers and observers had problems with the structure of Vincent's. Some of the consumers who had put together the original submission for funding expressed anger about the professional involvement, and quietly abandoned the centre. Some felt the project was a betrayal by the local service providers, while others claim Vincent's as a consumer victory. Other issues at the time were the description of Vincent's as a *service* In the original submission, Vincent's was intended to provide an alternative to local MH services, yet began to look much the same. The word *counseling* was also in contention, and Vincent's staff decided to use *peer support* instead in the literature.

Vincent's developed an outreach service. As part of the outreach, the staff worked very hard to entice consumers to Vincent's. As a rule, this had uncertain results. One of the support workers told us that Vincent's was not visited by any consumers during many weeks in 1996. The building was not filled with consumers as intended .. from Contole's report - "at an early stage .. the view that Vincent's was not a drop-in centre became part .. of the culture". One consequence was that some consumers never made contact with the centre.

Two training programs were conducted for peer support workers, and a Volunteer's Manual was created. These trainees were later paid a certain amount for their support work there. Most of the 36 course trainees had left Vincent's by October '96 and were not involved there. The clinical results of the peer support work done there are unknown. However, the course participants themselves often report that they benefited from doing the peer support course.

Staff consisted of a training coordinator, a volunteers' coordinator and admin support. Various people presented papers on the project to three THEMHS conferences. There was some turnover - three staff had left the centre before Vincent's closed. The report noted that "the non-heirarchial (organisational structure) led to some confusion re lines of accountability" and emphasised the "symbolic value" of the project.

Apparently no information about the closure of the centre or the reasons for the closure appeared in the newsletters of VMIAC or ISCAG during1996 or afterwards.

click for an interesting essay by Allan Pinches on the interaction of psychiatry and spirituality ..

(NEW ZEALAND) A social worker in NZ is currently facing a disciplinary hearing because he acknowledged a client's right to refuse treatment .. he wasn't sectionable/commitable by law (the client, that is!). We will postpone providing more details because this case is sub judice at present .. watch this space.

(VIC) The Avalon Centre in East Malvern provides creative opportunities for disabled people. It's unique in offering support, activities and even venues for a range of disabilities. Phone (03) 95692240.

(SOUTH OZ) Flinders University (Adelaide, SA) Department of Public Health has vacancies for students in their Graduate Certificate (Community Mental Health) and Masters programs by internal or external study (Distance education). The course teaches prevention, promotion and therapeutic approaches to a diversity of mental health issues for young people and adults. Other courses are available in primary health care, addiction studies and palliative care.

Closing Date for enrolments is 6th February (you have one week!) Contact Carol Gibb(Adminstrative Officer, Dept of Public Health.) phone 08-8204 4628, or fax 08-8204 5693 , or the Associate Professor, Graham Martin who is associated with AsuEinet, the early intervention network for MH in young people.

Another course, dealing with related consumer issues will be run at the Swinburne Institute of Technology (Melb.) this year, if funding permits. We will publish more information about this course in a future edition.

(INTERNET) A new Net newsgroup specifically for young people with depression was set up in December --- alt.support.depression.teens

(UNITED STATES) More American therapists are offering "Consumer Friendly" practices - weekend appointments, flexible fees, and credit card payments .. and more.

A survey, released in Washington on December 19 in the newsletter of the American Assoc'n for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) shows that most therapists are rapidly adapting to the realities of managed care and taking them once step farther .. AAMFT is the national professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy and represents the interests of its 23,000 members. You can access a copy of this survey report at http://www.aamft.org/media/survey.htm. The mailed survey was conducted for AAMFT by Gayle Tuttle Associates.

Therapists generally are delivering a fuller range of mental health services to an increasing number of patients. They're responding to a changing managed mental health care environment by re-creating their profession and offering "consumer friendly" services that are more affordable and accessible to their clients. More than two thirds (68 percent) of therapists now offer evening appointments and nearly one-third (32%) offer weekend appointments, according to the survey. Also, 20 percent will accept credit card payments.

Some are now offering brief (15-minute) check-up visits, consultations with primary care physicians, employer and human resources counseling, and occasional telephone therapy sessions. Many are also developing new opportunities working with schools, courts and businesses.

Falling income seems to be abating, according to the survey, as fees paid to the therapists by managed care companies have stabilized after several years of steep declines. As a result, some therapists offer a sliding scale of fees and reserve several sessions for clients without health insurance or who have used up their annual benefits.

The survey respondents said that 47% of their clients still pay for therapy out of their own pockets. "This is disturbing and we'll need to conduct additional research to determine why this percentage is so high," said an AAMFT representative.

"I suspect .. that fear of rejection by employers keeps many people from using their health insurance for therapy," he continued. "Also, since many people are changing jobs in this dynamic economy, they may be hesitant to use their mental health insurance benefits because they don't want to face a "pre-existing condition" penalty if they change insurance plans ..."

(how did this slip in?) .. Monkey Politics (Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka) by Dr. Wolfgang Dittus @ Smithsonian Institute, USA.

Macaque monkeys know all about social outcasts and being part of the 'in' crowd. If you have ever wondered about the evolution of human social behavior, these troops' fusion and fissions will offer great insights. In the dense evergreen jungles of Sri Lanka, amongst the tribes of toque monkeys, with between 1000 plus members and 30 social groups, there exists a stratified pecking order as sophisticated as human society.

The purpose of this research is better to understand the function and evolution of primate society. Are longer established groups more apt to survive than newer groups? How does membership within a specific group affect the health and development of each individual member? Volunteers will spend the larger parts of their days observing macaques interact by following a group through its home range.

(NATIONAL) THEMHS is an annual conference for mental health services AND cønsumers in Aussie land & NZ; THEMHS 1997 was conducted in Sydney during August. There were several cønsumer events, including the AGM of the Aussie MH Consumer network, and papers given by Australian cønsumers. Venue for THEMHS 1998 will be Wrest Point Hotel (Casino nearby!) in Hobart, Tasmania.

I don't care what's in your history .. and
I don't care who you are,
where you're from,
what you did,
long as you Love me (Backstreet Boys 1998)

Across the world, the cønsumer movement is gathering momentum as users of psych health services realise their own wisdom and resources. "an aussie cønsumer newsletter" is published by cønsumers, for cønsumers Down Under. This document is composed and edited in Melbourne ... a new issue is usually published every second Friday.

This cønsumer newsletter is independent of any cønsumer group, network or service provider. And, it is an un-funded enterprise, so if you as a cønsumer can help us or suggest improvements, we need you.

Watch this space .. we collect consumer stories and material. We will accept your files and GIFs/JPEGs, up to 64K . Our postal address is aussie cønsumer newz, PO Box 469, Carlton South, Vic. 3053 Australia.

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