The 6th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium theme, The Practitioner’s Voice, seeks to give voice to practitioners who are faced with these challenges on a regular basis. Be a part of the discussion by registering for the symposium to be held 12-14 November 2014 at the Commercial Club Albury.

Trudy Atkinson, CQ University

"Walking the wire: a lived experience academic's perspective on consumers and practitioners speaking as one voice to bring about social change in rural and remote communities"

Mental health in rural and remote areas of Australia is confronted with the challenge of speaking as one voice: consumer-carer-practitioner through the conceptual lens of a recovery and peer support approach.

The new agenda for mental health care delivery is about going beyond "tokenistic partnerships" and "collaborative engagement", towards a unified voice which facilitates community awareness and social change. This requires all key stakeholders to be thinking outside the box in developing innovative and authentic initiatives that challenge the status quo about what constitutes quality holistic, person-centred healthcare delivery.

This paper will be presented at the 6th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium, it will explore existing barriers to healthcare reform in rural and remote communities, and posit a different view of the requirements needed to meet the challenges of change in a sustainable manner that addresses the dynamic and ever-changing needs of contemporary mental health consumers.

Join Trudy Atkinson from CQ University as she presents from an academic's perspective on consumers and practitioners speaking as one voice to bring about social change in rural and remote communities.

Secure your place at this year's Symposium, hear from Trudy and over 70 other presenters. View the full program or register at conference website.