Page 148 - ReAwaken Ebook 1st Ed
P. 148
Maggie Toko & Becky Myers - 2 Nations Yarning and Korero about
indigenous women's mental health
Maggie Toko is a Maori woman from Aotearoa. She is the CEO of
the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council and has a lived
experience of mental health. Maggie is passionate about human
rights and has made a life time commitment to fight injustice
whenever she can.
Becky Myers is an aboriginal Arrernte
women from Alice Springs living in
Adelaide, currently working as Case
Worker in Mental Health & Disability and Drug and Alcohol
misuses. Becky is very passionate about the rights of all people,
loves the work she does for aboriginal women dealing with
Mental Health and is very committed to support those in need.
Michael Sheehan - Whatever happened to hope-inspiring environments?
The compassion deficit in mental health care.
Current mental health policy and practice does not appear to
prioritise the development of compassionate contexts, as
evidenced by a wide imbalance of power in mental health
services, a lack of tolerance for ‘difference’ and an imperative to
deal decisively with ‘problematic’ clients. Additionally political
and societal concerns prioritise the need to control risk and
uncertainty, resulting in an inherently coercive mental health
framework. The alternative is to create compassionate and hope-inspiring environments
in which people experiencing mental distress can develop their own unique ways of
accepting and living with (or recovering from) their mental health difficulties.
Michael Sheehan is currently Executive Director at Relationships Australia Western
Australia and oversees its Family Mental Health, Domestic Violence and Child Contact
Services. For over 25 years, he has held senior management positions within the
community services sector. His skills and experience include policy development and
review, clinical supervision, university lecturing and liaising with government and non–
government agencies and various key reference groups.
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