Send us a text

Participants, families and providers across Australia are trying to make sense of what the latest NDIS Price Guide means for them – and this is in addition to the changes slated in the Federal Government’s Getting the NDIS Back on Track Bill. 

ermha365 is right behind the #4aBetterNDIS campaign that’s in response to the latest NDIS Pricing Review. 
This campaign is a joint effort of peak bodies – National Disability Services, Disability Intermediaries Australia, CEO Collab and Allied Health Professions Australia and their member organisations.

There are changes that particularly impact the NDIS support and services that the organisations of each of these Peak Bodies provide.   

For us at ermha365 the biggest impact is high intensity supports for people with complex and challenging behaviours being downgraded to standard supports category.  

This is a reduction in the funding available and a downgrading in recognition of the skill and experience of the workers in this area. 

For this special episode we are going to hear from ermha365 CEO Karenza Louis-Smith and Melbourne mother Anne, whose adult son James is supported by ermha365 as part of his NDIS plan. He has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and experiences other psychosocial conditions. James relies on daily, intensive support for daily living, including for complex and challenging behaviours.

MORE INFO

• ermha365 response to consultation on draft lists of NDIS Supports 
• Disability sector organisations raise the alarm on NDIS market failure (media release)
• 4 a Better NDIS - A campaign for a better NDIS for people with a disability through the delivery of services from a safe, quality focused and a vibrant service market, underpinned by fair and transparent pricing.

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 Michelle Lim, Scientific Chair and CEO of Ending Loneliness Together - a national network of organisations that work together to address the loneliness in people living in Australia. This is done through evidence-based research, advocacy and public information and awareness.

MORE INFO
Find out more aboutEnding Loneliness Together and Loneliness Awareness Week.
 

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 an edited version of our 2020 two-part podcast Celebrating PARCs, hosted by Chief Marketing Officer Robyn Haydon.
Prevention and Recovery Care services (PARCs) are short and extended residential and day programs that provides 24-hour support in a “home-like” environment to people experiencing mental ill health and whose recovery can be supported without hospital admission. PARCs also supports people discharged from hospital who are not quite ready to return home.
ermha365 delivers PARCs in South Yarra, Barwon and Warrnambool for partners Alfred Health, Barwon Health and Southwest Healthcare.
Guests: Karenza Louis-Smith (ermha365 CEO), Sally Wall, Senior Manager, Mental Health, Forensic and Community Services, Kez and Sharon (PARC participants).

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're thrilled to welcome Kimberley Irwin and Ian Graham from Change Mental Health in Scotland to talk about the Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) Programme, which was developed and first piloted in 2016 in parts of Scotland to respond to the needs of people experiencing distress.

DBI is now an established part of mental health support in Scotland.  The program was highlighted as a model for a similiar service in Victoria in recommendation 27 of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health system.

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

MORE INFO
Find out more about Change Mental Health's origins and journey to where the organisation is today.

More about the DBI Programme in Scotland

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

Helplines in the UK
Samaritans  116 123 

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.

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 a special episode in recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) which happens every year on March 31. This day is for learning more about and celebrating the lives and achievements of transgender people.  Our theme for this episode is inclusion for transgender and gender diverse people and why it matters.  And what does meaningful inclusion really look like when it comes to things like community participation, health services, human rights and policy development, to name just a few. 

Our guest for this episode is Tara Laursen who is ermha365’s Chief Operations Officer. Tara is bringing her own living experience as a member of the transgender community to this conversation.

General information and basic concepts:
Transhub 101
Minus18: Trans 101 – The Basics (youtube)

Support for transgender and questioning people:
Transgender Victoria
Queerspace

Support for family members/parents:
Transcend 

Information for allies
GLAAD: Tips for allies of transgender people
Minus18: How to be a trans ally
Trans Justice Project: Conversations for Trans Justice

Information entioned in podcast
Equality Australia research
Banning trans women from sport ignores so many inconvenient truths by Natalie Feliks (online article)
Australian Human Rights Commission national project mapping threats to trans and gender diverse (TGD) human rights in Australia.

Helplines:
Lifeline

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 first guest for 2024 is Jodi Rodgers. Jodi is a sexologist, counsellor and special education teacher and has a Masters in Sexual Health. For Jodi, connection, intimacy and relationships are a basic human right and this drives her work, in particular with autistic people to support developing their social skills and understanding their emotions. Jodi’s appeared on the series Love on the Spectrum Australia, working with some of the show’s participants. Her new book, Unique: What autism can teach us about difference, connection and belonging has just been released and draws on her 30 years’ of experience.
Find out more about Jodi at birdsandbees.com.au

More info:
Aspect - Aspect is Australia's largest national service provider for people on the autism spectrum.
Yellow Ladybugs - Yellow Ladybugs is a non-government organisation, dedicated to the happiness, success and celebration of autistic girls, women and gender diverse individuals.

CREDITS
Produced, hosted and edited by Emily Webb, ermha365 Advocacy and External Communications Advisor with Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO ermha365.
Follow ermha365 on social media:
FACEBOOK - @ermhaorg
TWITTER - @ermha365
INSTAGRAM - @ermha365

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

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 our final episode for 2023, and we thought it would be timely to talk about self-care, especially during Christmas and the New Year period with, as always, a focus on mental health.  Donna Markham is our guest. Donna is a qualified occupational therapist, an adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University and also a member of our ermha365 board, and chairing the Practice Governance, Quality and Safety Committee. Donna is Victoria’s former Chief Allied Health Officer and is now focused on entrepreneurship, using her allied health leadership experience to coach professional women, many in allied health, around career transition, among other things with her business Disequilibrium.

 Donna joined us on Get Real for our last episode of 2021 and since then a lot has happened in Donna’s life, including the honour of being the recipient of the medal of the Order of Australia in 2022 for her contributions to healthcare administration and the diagnosis of her young son as autistic/ADHD.

CREDITS
Produced, hosted and edited by Emily Webb, ermha365 Advocacy and External Communications Advisor with Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO ermha365.
Follow ermha365 on social media:
FACEBOOK - @ermhaorg
TWITTER - @ermha365
INSTAGRAM - @ermha365

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

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

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. Jakqui Barnfield,  Lifeline Direct's Executive Director of Service Delivery.
Jakqui is a registered nurse with a passion for mental health and suicide prevention. She tells us about the power of reaching out to Lifeline Australia's services and that you are not alone.

Helplines:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
Free nationwide service providing 24/7 phone and online counselling to people affected by suicide
SuicideLine Victoria 1300 651 251
24/7 telehealth service that offers free professional phone and online counselling for people living in Victoria
MORE INFO about the Safety Plan mentioned in this episode.

CREDITS
Produced, hosted and edited by Emily Webb, ermha365 Advocacy and External Communications Advisor with Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO ermha365.
Follow ermha365 on social media:
FACEBOOK - @ermhaorg
TWITTER - @ermha365
INSTAGRAM - @ermha365

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

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 contribu

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 special guest, veteran court reporter and author, Megan Norris talks about her book 'Look What You Made Me Do' which examines revenge killings by estranged fathers during marital breakdowns.

This episode of Get Real comes with a strong content warning. Topics discussed include family violence, suicide and the murders of children. Listener. Discretion is advised.

Domestic Violence and Family Court Lawyer Kathleen Simpson, who was named the Queensland Solicitor of the Year in 2022 said Megan's book is "A must read for all domestic and family violence professionals, DFV frontline workers, educators, judiciary, police, lawyers and students, as an important resource to guide in what could be done, or should be done, to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future".

Find out more about Megan at her website megannorrisauthor.com
 
FURTHER READING/LISTENING
When Parents Kill (ABC News)
Fathers who kill (ABC Radio Local)

If you need help phone 1800 RESPECT - Australia's national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service on 1800 737 732.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger phone Triple Zero 000 in Australia or the emergency number in the country you are listening from.

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

If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

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 o

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 Abuzar Mazoori, who came to Australia from Afghanistan as a refugee in 2017.
Abuzar, who has a law degree and worked as an advocate for human rights in Afghanistan, currently works for Foundation House in Melbourne. Foundation House is a specialist refugee trauma agency supporting survivors of torture and other traumatic events.
Abuzar speaks with us about his experience coming to Australia, starting a new life and the challenges that refugees face in their new home.

MORE INFO:
Foundation House - The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
Refugee Council of Australia - the national umbrella body for refugees and the organisations and individuals who support them.
 Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre - a for-purpose community-based agency providing services to migrants and refugees living in the southern region of Melbourne.

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

If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)

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. 

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.