Annual Forum
10-Feb-20152018: Neurofeedback in reorganising the brain of trauma survivors
Thursday 29th March, 9.00 - 1.00, KGV Sport and Community Centre, 1A Anfield St, Glenorchy
Expert guest Mirjana Askovic, senior psychologist and neurofeedback expert from NSW Services for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma (STARTTS). For more information including how to register please see below or book here on Eventbrite.
- 2018 Forum (729 KB) 09-Mar-2018
2015: Working with Youth: Innovative Programs and Practices
Overview
The Annual Forum was held on the 27 March 2015. This is an overview of the event and the presentations.
The Tasmanian Transcultural Mental Health Network (TTMHN) Project is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, and administered by the Phoenix Centre. The TTMHN holds a forum every year. In 2015 the Phoenix Centre determined to combine the TTMHN Annual Forum with the Phoenix Centre’s Transformers: Early Intervention Program (EIP). The theme therefore was Working with Youth: Innovative Programs and Practices. The forum was held for people who wanted to enhance engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) clients and communities, gain knowledge regarding the current issues for CALD youth in Tasmania, learn about innovative programs, discover new resources that could be utilised, and meet and network with relevant stakeholders.
The Forum Program can be downloaded here:
- 2015 Annual Forum Program (532 KB) 12-Mar-2015
The Forum Report can be downloaded here:
- TTMHN Forum Report April 2015 (920 KB) 29-Apr-2015
Background and Forum Planning
An annual survey of TTMHN members (conducted in November 2014) identified that members wanted: knowledge on how to access individuals and keep them engaged in services; help understanding CALD communities current circumstances living in Tasmania; help to identify CALD communities understanding of mental health and mental illness, and better education on how to work with CALD individuals. The TTMHN Advisory Group Committee and the EIP Steering Committee supported the aims to address these identified needs and determined to have a theme on youth, to align with the EIP Funding Agreement and the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) Tasmania community consultation project.
Background and Forum Planning
Setting
Multicultural Youth Tasmania: Position Paper
Dr Gillian Long, Director Phoenix Centre
Nadine Liddy, MYAN National Coordinator
The Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) is the nationally recognised policy and advocacy body on multicultural youth issues. It is Australia's only voice on multicultural youth issues. In 2014 MYAN TAS completed a series of consultations with more than 200 young people from multicultural backgrounds and people who work with multicultural youth, across Tasmania. Those involved identified current issues of concern and potential solutions, including health, education, employment, confronting racism and processing of claims for asylum.
The launch presentation included a power point presentation of the key findings of the Multicultural Youth Tasmania Report and table group work to identify priorities within the identified recommendations. The recommendations and priorities identified at this forum will be presented to key stakeholders in council, state and federal government.
The power point presentation is here.
- Youth Report Presentation_March 2015 (1382 KB) 02-Apr-2015
The report can be accessed via the MYAN TAS website. A copy of the report also here.
- MYAN_TAS_Our Voices_March_2015 (2200 KB) 07-Apr-2015
"You're Not Alone": Diverse Tasmanians speak about experiencing thoughts of suicide and maintaining mental health
Beth Lord, Community Connections Project Officer, Phoenix Centre, Hobart
The CALD Community Connections - Suicide Prevention Project developed a DVD and accompanying resources. The DVD involves diverse Tasmanians speaking about their experiences of suicidal thoughts, seeking help and maintaining their mental health.
The DVD launch included how the project developed, the rationale and research behind the process, how the individuals became involved, and how the DVD can be used in practice with young people from a CALD background. The panel was opened for questions and included Kondoc, Faisal, and Kajan from the DVD; and Craig who produced the DVD .
The content of the presentation is here. - You're Not Alone presentation content_March 2015 (118 KB) 02-Apr-2015
For a copy of the DVD, please complete a request form and forward to Beth Lord: Beth.Lord@mrchobart.org.au 
- You're Not Alone_Order Form (39 KB) 07-Apr-2015
Tree of Life: A narrative therapy experience
Rebecca Lamb, Transformers: Early Intervention Program Project Officer, Phoenix Centre, Hobart
Narrative therapy is a therapeutic practice that is informed by the idea that people know themselves through stories. Narrative therapy seeks to discover and richly describe preferred, alternative stories. Staff from the Phoenix Centre in collaboration with English Language teachers from TasTAFE South conducted a narrative therapy session with 40 Y-MEP students, in November 2014. The narrative therapy session used the Tree of Life theme for students and staff to tell stories of their past, present and hopes for the future.
This presentation included a power point presentation of the Tree of Life Day , and the drawings of the trees of CALD students from Y-MEP TasTAFE South.
The power point presentation is here. - Tree of Life presentation_March 2015 (1708 KB) 02-Apr-2015
'Our Voices': Stories of carers from refugee and migrant backgrounds
Silvana Izzo, Statewide Education and Training Coordinator, Victorian Transcultural Mental Health, Melbourne
The presentation included a brief power point on how the project developed, and progressed to show three video narratives of carers from a refugee backgrounds, telling their stories. Arefa, a carer originally from Afghanistan accompanied Silvana and spoke about her experience as a carer of her father, and their adaptation to the Australian mental health care system, way of thinking about mental illness and seeking help.
These deeply insightful, courageous and poignant stories of carers from Migrant and Refugee backgrounds have uniquely been captured via the collaboration and support of many leading mental health, carer and multi-cultural organisations. 'Our Voices' is a series of five short films offering rare and profound insight into the lives of carers, caring for family with mental illness. The films explore the lives of five carers from Afghani, Egyptian, Somali, Turkish and Vietnamese communities. Each narrative is told in the carer's original language, and has been subtitled in English.
The power point presentation is here.
- Our Voices presentation_March 2015 (3107 KB) 02-Apr-2015
Hard copies of the DVD series (complete with an information kit offering insights into the making of the films, recommended use and practice insights in using digital storytelling platforms with carers in the area of mental health and wellbeing), can be requested. To register your interests in obtaining a hard copy go to the 'Our Voices' website.
'City of Courage': A peer led holiday program for new arrivals
Lucy McEvoy, Youth Specialist Worker, ASeTTs, Perth, Western Australia
The power point presentation included information on ASeTTS Youth Specialist Program, the impact of trauma on young people, the three pillars of trauma informed care and the Circle of Courage model. Lucy then talked about the Camps of Courage – the history, and outline of the camp structure.
Lucy finished with video interviews of Youth Support Workers sharing the value and impact of the program.
The power point presentation is here. - City of Courage presentation_March 2015 (2240 KB) 02-Apr-2015
The Circle of Courage poster is here. - Circle of Courage poster_March 2015 (405 KB) 02-Apr-2015
Position description of a Youth Support Worker is here. - Position description_Youth Support Worker_March 2015 (104 KB) 02-Apr-2015
Schedule of a camp and delivery period is here.
- City of Courage_12 month overview (17 KB) 02-Apr-2015
Forum Packages
Each attendee was provided a forum package. The package contained resources useful for a professional working with CALD youth. The resources can be downloaded below, or links provide access to electronic forms from their sources of origin. The packages included:
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Child development and trauma specialist practice resource, Human Services Victoria
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Foundation House Project:TYRES Talking with Young Refugees about Experiences of Services
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Professional Development opportunity through the Australian Childhood Foundation
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Fact Sheet: Use Interpreters in Tasmania
- Factsheet: Use Interpreters in Tasmania (336 KB) 07-Apr-2015
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NAATI Tasmania developed resource: Working Effectively with Interpreters
- Working Effectively with Interpreters (50 KB) 07-Apr-2015
Evaluation
Child development and trauma specialist practice resource, Human Services Victoria
Foundation House Project:TYRES Talking with Young Refugees about Experiences of Services
Professional Development opportunity through the Australian Childhood Foundation
Fact Sheet: Use Interpreters in Tasmania - Factsheet: Use Interpreters in Tasmania (336 KB) 07-Apr-2015
NAATI Tasmania developed resource: Working Effectively with Interpreters - Working Effectively with Interpreters (50 KB) 07-Apr-2015
Feedback was provided by attendees through a written survey completed at the end of the forum. The positive and critical feedback will inform the next annual forum and future events organised by the Phoenix Centre.
Acknowledgements
