QLD gets new mental health service
The sunshine state is to get a new mental health support service for LGBT community members.
The new project, made possible through funding provided under the Mental Health Disaster Recovery Package, is a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland governments under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.
It will be administered by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC).
LGBT Queenslanders aged 15 years and over can use the new service which provides information, advice, referrals, individual counselling and case management. Social, therapeutic and educational groups will also be held.
The service is available to both individuals and families who have a mental illness or mental concern, or who have experienced psychological distress during or following the 2010/11 Queensland natural disasters.
“This is a great opportunity to expand upon the support and services QAHC has been providing to the LGBT community,” project coordinator Sally Morris said.
“Mental health is an issue of concern to a lot of LGBT people and this program is a step towards meeting some of these concerns.”
The project will also undertake workforce development in the non-government mental health sector so services can better meet the needs of LGBT communities across the state.
The first 2012 event is an LGBT community barbeque on Saturday, January 14 at Orleigh Park, West End. Any LGBT community member affected by the natural disasters is invited. A survey will be conducted on the day to guide the project forward and discover how to better respond to the needs of the LGBT community during times of disaster.
Other activities include Living and Loving the Lesbian Way — a discussion space for lesbian and same-sex attracted women — and Talking Outside The Box, a discussion space for trans and gender diverse people.
There are future plans for a bisexual discussion space, a coming out support group and a relaxation group.
INFO: For more information contact Sally Morris on 07 3017 1740 or [email protected] or www.facebook.com/sallymorrisQAHC
Mental Health is such a prevalent issue that has needed addressing for so long and even today the 21st century. We do now have the occasional ad on TV addressing it for a feelgood factor to the current government, then cheers to that. But what about the people who can’t afford assistant, i.e. me. I have begged, pleaded, attempted horrid things etc for help only to be shoved into the public sector and told to wait for a “spot”. Alternatively I can spend hundreds per night in a private facility getting the help I need. But I don’t have that kind of money so obviously only the wealthy can get healthy and in the meantime I, and thousands like me wait in the queue for help. Sometimes that queue gets too long and hard and they end up leaving it to the peril of themselves and their loved ones. God forbid a member of current government’s child or family member wait for assistance. Yet that will never happen. They will get the best help in the best facility and no waiting queue. Perhaps the government needs to actually have someone on their committee who has mental illness to give true assistance and understanding. You know we can actually be full, active and successful members of the public race.
“Mental health is an issue of concern to a lot of LGBT people and this program is a step towards meeting some of these concerns.” yeh sure it is, because at the moment people who go to a mental health facility thinking they are going to have some respite and words of comfort to ease their concerns will in reality be risking having their concerns met by,sick seeing psychiatrists who may potentially incarcerate them against their wishes indefinitely, and then potentially poison them for the rest of their lives without escape,where the problems you had/or have fade into insignificance compared to the problems you’ll have being oppressed depressed and poisoned on deadly debilitating psychotropics,vegetated without escape because you will have a chemical imbalance that no one can see except the psychiatrist, so if anyone thinks they can take that risk by all means go and see them,although in fairness I don’t know who these people are, but if they affiliate themselves with mental health and are psychiatrists then id be a bit concerned to say the least and if they are that is what you will be risking, on the other hand if they are counselors or psychologists that are evolved and not into poisoning people against their wishes for emotional psychological concerns which 99% of concerns are, they might stand a chance of benefiting you, but the fact they call themselves mental health would keep me well and truly away. Psychological or emotional health is another story, but no one needs sick,mental,insane,mad, or ill or diseased layed on them, their family, their friends, or the community. because they just needed to feel ok.