'Surviving and Thriving' - a new culture in co-location

Who are Stepping Up?

Stepping Up is an awarding winning consortium that consists of four not-for-profit agencies: Interact Australia, Odyssey House Victoria, Task Force and Youth Projects who came together to delivery a number of programs including forensic, mental health, alcohol and other drug treatment services.

Recently Stepping Up have acquired a new therapeutic counselling service ( x3 locations) that celebrates Psychologists, MSW's, RN's Psych and AOD Generalist on an innovated program that is housed inside Match Works employment services.

This has presented itself with many layers of challenges. The marriage of employment and complex behaviours. The staff have many years of experiences however they have never physically sat in a open office shared space with the employment staff.  Let the fun begin.

The Surviving:

• How to build and new service with professional and clinical integrity?
• How to attract and retain highly skill and qualified staff?
• How to create an environment of mentally healthy staff in foreign environment?
• Support is a language not ever heard in Employment Services - for the staff have only to obtain numbers.

The Thriving:

• Talking.
• Breathing.
• Self Reflection.
• Education.
• Preventative approaches - this is before we actually had any face to face sessions with the consumer.
• Attendance at combined staff meetings.
• Providing training and education from a non policing.
• Staff feeling it is their role to embrace a collaboration with a people focused approach.

How can we best service the community from a population approach.

• External Supervision monthly.
• Peer Reviews.
• Individual supervision.
• Coaching and regular discussion about what is working and what are our growth areas.

Ms Shelley Cross, General Manager, Stepping Up Consortium will present at the: 13th International Mental Health Conference, "Positive Change -- Investing in Mental Health"  6th to the 8th of August 2012, on the Gold Coast.

Web: https://dev3.anzmh.asn.au/conference Email: conference@anzmh.asn.au