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Dr Astrid Birgden is a consultant Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and NDIS Behaviour Support Specialist who has years of experience working in corrections and disability settings. 

Astrid's career is quite extraordinary. She is a trailblazer in behaviour intervention support in Australia and worked overseas on international projects. She has even been an assistant sheriff/warden of a remand centre in New Orleans.

We caught up with Astrid at the Complex Needs Conference in March 2025 where she was part of a panel discussion on Integrating mental health, disability, and human rights for comprehensive support.

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

Hearing voices is often assumed to be a symptom of a mental health condition. However this is not always the case and up to 1 in 10 people hear voices, making it not an uncommon human experience. 

The Voices Vic program is led by peers with lived and living experience in hearing voices, seeing visions or having other sensory experiences. This program offers recovery groups, mentoring and support across Victoria.

Our guests for this episode are Janet Karagounis, Senior Peer Mentor and Tali Brash, AOD & Mental Health, Lived & Living Experience for Uniting Vic Tas.

We spoke at the Complex needs conference in March 2025 after they gave a presentation "Overcoming barriers and simplifying support for people who hear voices and experience unusual sensory events".

More info (not an exhaustive list):

Voices Vic support for hearing voices 

The Voices Clinic (Swinburne University)

Hearing Voices (QLD)

Hearing Voices Network (WA)

Hearing Voices Community Group (Darwin, NT)

Voices and Visions peer support group (Sunshine Coast, Qld)

Hearing Voices Network (UK) 

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

Our guest for this episode is Dr Matt Frize, Director of Forensic Disability Services, which sits within The Victorian State Government's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).

Co-host Karenza Louis-Smith and I were lucky to catch some time with Matt at the Complex Needs Conference earlier this year.

The sold out conference was co-hosted by ermha365 and ACSO Australia and funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

We talk to Matt, a senior specialist psychologist, about how Forensic Disability Services addresses the needs of people with a cognitive impairment who come into contact with the criminal justice system in Victoria.

In this episode Matt mentions the ARMIDILO-S Assessment - the Assessment of Risk and manageability of Individuals with Developmental and Intellectual Limitations who Offend. More info at armidilo.net

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

We’re diving into the topic of conspiracy theories for this episode, particularly on the impacts these beliefs have on an individual and the ripple effect on others. 

Our guests for this episode are Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson who have written a book called CONSPIRACY NATION: Exposing the dangerous world of Australian Conspiracy Theories. 

Ariel is an investigative journalist at the Guardian Australia who specialises on technology, extremism and internet policy.

Cam is an Associate Editor at Crikey and his reporting and investigations focus on the intersection between internet culture, extremism and politics.

Conspiracy Nation is published by Ultimo Press and available online and in bookstores now.

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

Our guest for this episode is Dr Yvonne Maxwell, a forensic psychologist who specialises in working with individuals with a disability who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Get Real spoke with Yvonne at the Complex Needs Conference 2025 where she presented on the use of Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics assessment (NMT) to understand the interplay between factors like disability, trauma, and the current circumstances of a person with complex needs. 

if you are not a clinician or familiar with this, like me, listen on because Yvonne, who is the Portfolio Manager, Forensic Practice for SAL Consulting explains what it is and broadly about the impact of trauma on brain development, especially in early childhood. 

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

The mental health system in New South Wales has been in the spotlight of recent months. ABC’s recent Four Corners episode “Emergency” about the state’s mental health system highlighted the extreme system failures that happen when there is underinvestment in community-based mental health care. The program highlighted that people in deep psychological distress are being left in emergency departments for days, health workers are exhausted and the “missing middle”— those too unwell for a GP but not sick enough for hospital — are being left behind.

Our guest for this episode is Dr Evelyne Tadros, CEO of the Mental Health Coordinating Council in NSW, a peak member-based organisation for the community mental health sector.

We’ll be talking with Evelyne about where Mental Health system reform is at in NSW.

You can also listen to our previous episode with Mental Health Victoria CEO Pip Thomas about the system in Victoria and federally.

More info:

MHCC submissions

Course in Mental Health Peer Navigation

 MHCC News

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

The basis for this conversation is an important pilot service in Victoria called Assertive Outreach and Support (AOS), funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing under its Multiple and Complex Needs Initiative.
ermha365 and ACSO Australia deliver the service in parts of Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Our guests for this episode are Cassandra Turnbull from ermha365 and Psychiatrist Dr Debra Wood, from Clarity Healthcare, who provides clinical governance for the team.
As well as hearing about why there is a need for this program, you'll also hear about what it takes to work in this space and Cass and Debra's experiences.
We recorded this at the Complex Needs Conference in March 2025. 

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

In this episode we are discussing the importance of provider-family partnerships for people with complex needs.
Cheryl Jameson is our guest and she was in conversation with Emily Webb, host of this podcast, at the Complex Needs Conference in late March for the lived experience stream.
A mental health support worker of many years, Cheryl found herself on the other side of systems when her eldest child Josh was 16 and developed psychosis. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which was drug-resistant for many years.  
We discover how her family has navigated systems and worked with providers to ensure Josh has the support he needs and wants. 
Josh gave his consent for his mum to speak to us about their journey so far.

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

We are a few weeks on from The 2025 Australian federal election (May 3) which resulted in a more than convincing victory for the incumbent Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. So, as the federal government begins its new term, and we await the Victorian Government's State Budget next week (May 20),  ermha365 CEO Karenza Louis-Smith  thought it was a good time to catch up with Mental Health Victoria's CEO Phillipa Thomas to talk about what mental health reform and investment will look like for Australia.

Mental Health Victoria website.

Subscribe to Mental Health Victoria's fortnightly newsletter 

Follow Mental Health Victoria on LinkedIn

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Send us a text

This is another conversation from the Complex Needs Conference 2025 and our guest is Adjunct Associate Professor Danny Sullivan, Consultant Forensic and Adult Psychiatrist.

Dr Sullivan gave a keynote at the conference about the prescribing of psychotropic medications, which are namely drugs that influence a person's mood, thoughts, and behavior - for people with complex needs.

He is the Board Director of ACSO Australia and Director of Victoria's Sentencing Advisory Council.

This episode was recorded at the Complex Needs Conference in Melbourne  co-hosted in March 2025 by ermha365 and ACSO Australia with support from Swinburne University's Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and funded by the Victoria State Government's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. 

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.

Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467

ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.

We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.