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Imagine for a minute that you’re a young boy in the late ‘60s growing up in country Victoria. Yours is a typical childhood in many ways, but you are a little too fond of getting into trouble. On your twelfth birthday, you are made a Ward of the State and find yourself in Turana Youth Training Centre, starting your apprenticeship for a career of crime, drug addiction, mental illness and homelessness. 

What happens next? 

What kind of life will you have? 

And how do you survive and thrive from such a traumatic experience?

This is the story of Steve Cain, our special guest in GET REAL’s second Lived Experience episode. This week, Steve talks to guest host Karenza Louis-Smith about how he embarked on a life as a career criminal at the tender age of 12, immersing himself in a world of drug taking and crime for the next 20 years, until at 35 he decided he wanted his life to be different. And so he set about changing the world – one person, one job, and one dollar at a time.

Now the Founder and Program Facilitator at Empathy Not Sympathy, Steve describes his life journey as one that has gone from – in his own words – “the gutter to glory”, overcoming addiction issues and childhood trauma to help others see that in their own lives, nothing is impossible.

For more information:

ermha365 complex mental health & disability services – https://www.ermha.org/

Steve Cain, Empathy Not Sympathy - http://empathynotsympathy.com.au/ 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

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Over the next few weeks GET REAL speaks with remarkable men and women who have overcome incredible adversity, and are giving back to those in need of support through their recovery journey.

This week, it’s James Harding and Steven Kline from Hard Cuddles, a peer support program which looks holistically at what it means to be a man in today’s society.  Through a combination of mentoring and outdoor therapy, James, Steven and their team help men to reconnect with themselves and find ways to overcome the emotional challenges they are facing.

You’ll hear how both James and Steven have overcome huge challenges in their lives – including drug addiction, crime, prison, family and relationship struggles – to build the supports for men they wish they’d had themselves, when life was at its lowest point.

For support with your mental health, go to:

Hard Cuddles - https://www.hardcuddles.com/about

ermha365 - https://www.ermha.org/mental-health-services/

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

In February 2019, the Victorian Government established a Royal Commission on the Mental Health System in Victoria, the first of its kind in Australia. This is a “once in a generation opportunity” to accelerate improvements in mental health services, service navigation and models of care.  

Nearly 18 months later, the Royal Commission has made interim recommendations and is due to hand down its final report in February 2021. What are these recommendations? What will they mean for people living with mental health challenges, for their carers and loved ones, and for the service system that provides mental health support? What specific opportunities are likely to come from the Royal Commission’s recommendations in terms of improvements to mental health support, and what kind of gaps and challenges might still remain?

This week, GET REAL talks to an expert panel with a real stake in these outcomes, including Angus Clelland, CEO of Mental Health Victoria; Dr Peter Langkamp, former President of Carers Australia; and Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO of ermha365 – a provider of complex mental health and disability services throughout Victoria. 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

Having a roof over your head is pretty fundamental to meet basic needs in life. It’s also a fundamental human right. All of us need a stable, long term home so we can thrive, and be the best that we can be.  

Unfortunately, inadequate and unsuitable housing is a really big barrier to thriving, for people with high and complex needs associated with mental health and disability. It gets in the way of effectively managing issues associated with that disability or mental health issue, and can prevent people from living productive and meaningful lives.

When people live well, they do well. This week, GET REAL talks to a panel of experts all working to solve this big gnarly problem:

• Joseph Connellan of MC Two, one of Australia’s most respected strategic housing consultants, with 30 years’ experience in human services development and delivery including as Executive Officer of three housing agencies;
• Charles Northcote, CEO of BlueCHP Limited, currently the largest developer of specialist disability housing in Australia, having delivered some 1700 properties to the social and affordable housing sector while retaining 800 properties (housing over 1490 people) for its own portfolio; and
• Frances Sanders, Senior Manager of NDIS services at ermha365, who has held executive roles in the mental health sector since 1995 and who works every day on individual cases, helping to surface and to solve the deep challenges associated with finding safe, suitable and therapeutic housing for the people we support. 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

This week on GET REAL, we look at what makes support successful when working with people with high and complex needs associated with mental health and disability.

At ermha365, where we specialise in delivering this kind of support, we have seen that having a shared approach and a common language – used consistently across our organisation –  is the key to supporting people safely and well. This model of practice is known to us as “the ermha way”.

The ermha way model of practice stems from Positive Behaviour Support frameworks, which acknowledge the universality of all human behaviour. This says that we all do the things we do for a reason. So, we need to understand that reason – to be curious, to dig deep, and be ‘behaviour detectives’ – to find out why people behave the way they do. 

Today you’ll get to hear a fascinating conversation about this topic between three experts in this area:

• Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO of ermha365
• Cat Lancaster,  Executive Director of Lancaster Consulting Australia, who worked with the team at ermha365 to design the ermha way, and 
• Teresa McClelland, Chief Operations Officer at ermha365. 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

In Part 2 of Celebrating PARCs, we take a deep-dive into the experiences of the people who work and stay at PARCs. If you missed Part 1, PARCs are mental health Prevention and Recovery Care Centres.

You’ll hear from Sean Kearns, Day Program Co-ordinator at Barwon Health Mental Health, who has been working at Barwon PARC for 17 years; Sharon, who recently experienced a stay at Barwon PARC; and many of the fabulous ermha365 staff who make PARCs happen, including Sally Wall, Alys Boase, Frank, Kristen, Andrew, Jacquee, Cathy and Gabby.

This two-part episode of GET REAL celebrates PARCS, and the amazing role they play in the mental health recovery journey for many people. 

ermha365 has been managing PARCs for almost 15 years. As a psychosocial support services provider, we work hand-in-hand with our clinical mental health partners to make sure our PARCS address local needs and challenges. We set up the first women-only PARC in Victoria, and provide over 18,000 hours of programmed PARC activities each year, along with specific, targeted one-on-one mental health recovery support.

For more information, and a video that shows more about the wonderful synergy and partnerships created between clinical mental health, ermha365 staff and mental health consumers at ermha365 PARCs, go to https://www.ermha.org/residential-support-3/ 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

Have you ever considered a career in mental health and disability? If not, here are some great reasons why you should. The sector is vibrant and growing, with the NDIS promising comprehensive choice and control for people with disabilities, and the mental health sector experiencing widespread community attention and renewed Government investment. 

All this offers many exciting career choices for people who want to make a difference and who care about supporting vulnerable people.

This week, GET REAL explores career opportunities in mental health and disability with some of ermha365’s passionate and talented staff, including Sarah Waite, Talent Acquisition Advisor, and Sharon, Nicole and Sam, all at different stages in their career with ermha365. You’ll hear lots of great advice about the rewards of working in the sector, what a typical day is like, current vacancies, and how to secure a role where your values match the work you get to do every day.

For more information about careers at ermha365, go to https://www.ermha.org/working-at-ermha365/

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

At ermha365, we reckon PARCs are pretty special places. But if you haven’t heard of them before, what is a PARC? 

PARC stands for “Prevention And Recovery Care” services.  PARCs are short-term, residential mental health treatment services located in the community.  

ermha365 has been managing PARCs for almost 15 years. As a psychosocial support services provider, we work hand-in-hand with our clinical mental health partners to make sure our PARCS address local needs and challenges. We set up the first women-only PARC in Victoria, and provide over 18,000 hours of programmed PARC activities each year, along with specific, targeted one-on-one mental health recovery support.

This two-part episode of GET REAL celebrates PARCS, and the amazing role they play in the mental health recovery journey for so many people. Guests include:

• Karen Dixon, Lecturer and Fieldwork coordinator in the School of Primary and Allied Health Care at Monash University, who helped set up Springvale PARC as the first women-only PARC in Victoria;
• Kez and Sharon, who have first-hand experience of mental health recovery support from ermha’s PARCs; and
• A number of ermha365’s fabulous PARCs staff and managers, who make it all happen. 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

People with complex mental health conditions, along with a range of physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, face additional challenges and hardships within the criminal justice system; a system that is difficult for any of us to negotiate. 

So, when the Royal Commission on Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Discrimination against People with Disabilities released a Paper on Criminal Justice issues, the team at ermha365 – which has long been a lifeline for people who are challenged with complex mental health and disability issues – believed it was particularly important to respond.

This week, GET REAL explores the criminal justice system through the lens of complex mental health and disability, including our six-point plan to address the vulnerabilities and challenges of the people we support. Guests include:

• Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO ermha365, who has extensive experience in Australia with the criminal justice system and how it affects vulnerable people; and 
• Isabel Calvert, Social Policy, Justice and Advocacy Adviser at ermha365, who has worked internationally over many years in criminal justice reform. 

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...

Got feedback, a question, or a topic suggestion? Drop us a Fan Mail message right here.

This week, GET REAL looks at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – and how it impacts on the disability sector and our work today.

Together, the United Nations Convention, plus Australian and State legislation and policies, create a robust regulatory framework to protect the human rights of people with disabilities. In addition, organisations that advocate for and provide services to people with disabilities are instrumental in helping to ensure that they can - and do - exercise their rights.  

Despite this, there are still many challenges to ensuring the fulfilment of everyday rights for people with disabilities, particularly those with cognitive and mental impairments, and vulnerable groups such as women, remote communities and indigenous peoples, especially in these challenging times with COVID19. On this episode, guests include:

• Leah Van Poppel, CEO,  Women with Disabilities Victoria; and 
• Isabel Calvert, ermha365’s Social Policy and Advocacy Advisory and former Social Policy Adviser in the United Nations Disability Program,

For more information on:

• ermha365, complex mental health and disability services - https://www.ermha.org/
• Women With Disabilities Victoria, the peak body in Victoria for advocacy on disability issues regarding women - https://www.wdv.org.au/
• The Royal Commission on Disability (see Issue Papers for public response)  https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/policy-and-research/issues-papers

Meridia represents the next evolution of a group of long-standing and trusted social service organisations working across disability, mental health, employment, community inclusion, social enterprise, allied health and clinical services.

Together, we bring organisations including The Disability Trust, ermha365, OC Connections, Marriott Support Services, Bedford and embarc into a more connected and future-focused structure.

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

Meridia 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.

...