Áine Ní Tighearnaigh chats with Sarah Wilson, Executive Operations Manager at Multicultural Communities Council of the Illawarra MCCI about the services and supports they provide to multicultural communities in the ACT, Queanbeyan and the Illawarra. I also speak with Sarah about her experience of working in the UK prior to migrating the Australia, especially focusing on the differences in support and services available to diverse and multicultural communities and how that compares with the Australian health and mental health services and programs.

Sarah has over 17 years in the not for profit sector with experience in both Australia and the UK. She joined MCCI in early 2018 ans has been working closely with the management team to implement quality improvement throughout the organisation with a focus on human resources, work health and safety, fleet and facilities management. Prior to her work at MCCI, Sarah worked as the Operations Manager for a regional peak body representing the community services industry and prior to that had experience in managing a variety of employment and learning and development programs. Sarah also has extensive experience in social enterprise, including the creation of a not for profit recruitment and labour hire business.

The phone line was an initiative of the World Wellness Group who are based in Brisbane. When the Covid Pandemic struck many international students and community members found themselves stranded without support, access to quality health, mental health information and resources to manage their well-being. The phone line was developed as a response to the needs of those multicultural and migrant communities. It operates in every state and territory excluding Tasmania and Queensland, (which has its own state phone line) and provides information in your first language on health and mental health services and supports available in your area.

Transforming Perceptions, bringing you news, views, updates and information from the lived and living perspective, community, multicultural and mainstream mental health sectors; and music from round the world.

There is currently a world wide shortage of Ozempic, a drug used by people with diabetes but also popular with others who want to lose weight.  The drug is extremely important to those living with type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.  There are concerns that the drug may not be available in Australia until mid-2023.  

Áine chats with  with Professor Cowley about  the purpose of the drug and why it is so important to the health and well-being of people living with these conditions.

Professor Michael Cowley is head of physiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences, and a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He is also a doctor of philosophy (medicine) and has a particular interest in public health, obesity, metabolics and diabetes. Michael was also the Director of the Monash Obesity and Diabetes Institute (MODI), which focuses on developing new therapies for obesity and diabetes. He is particularly interested in why leptin resistance is high in obese people. He's also looking at some of our most dangerous obesity-related diseases.

In our first show for 2023, trainee presenter with Transforming Perceptions Matt Pepar, brings you our Energising Your Life segment featuring Tapping Practitioner Emmalee Pepar.

Disclaimer: Tapping is an alternative therapy which can be used in conjunction with traditional medical, counselling and talking and clinical therapies.  In showcasing Tapping it is not the intent of Transforming Perceptions to discourage people from continuing their medication or other psychological therapies.

Matt shares a unique on-air experience he recorded in September 2022 as part of his volunteer training with 2xx FM 98.3 Community Radio in Canberra.  The Tapping session/demonstration was conducted by Tapping Practitioner Emmalee Pepar with a participant/client who was kind enough to share about some of the stress they were experiencing in their university studies in Pharmacology.  Many students undertaking clinical studies in Psychiatry, Medicine and other related sciences experience stress and sometimes heavy pressure to succeed from both internal and external forces which may impact their well-being.  During the recorded and guided session the participant was assisted by Emmalee and felt some relief from her concerns.  

Emmalee is an accredited Tapping Practitioner and able to work with both adults and children who are keen to make changes in how they are managing an issue and improve well-being.  EFT, or Tapping, is a technique that allows us to process and release unpleasant emotions that are associated with a limiting belief, phobia, craving, or challenging event.

Em found Tapping at “a time in her life when she wasn’t thriving.  Hard times at work, hard times with the family and a sense that life was racing by while she was standing still… and not really knowing how to change it.  Em was able to work on what was keeping her stuck, break the patterns and get going again.

Our lives are always a work in progress, but hers has much more joy now that comes from doing something meaningful, feeling more balanced, doing work that is more aligned with purpose.” https://www.fromheretonext.com/

To hear more join us live, livestream or listen back On Demand off our 2xx Transforming Perceptions program page.

Transforming Perceptions, bringing you news, views, updates and information from the lived and living perspective, community, multicultural and mainstream mental health sectors; and music from round the world.

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh and Matt Pepar chat with Alan Woodward Australian National Mental Health Commissioner, Founder of Lifeline Research, Board Member of Grand Pacific Health and involved with Lifeline International.  The award recognised and celebrated the outstanding mental health leadership in the clinical, academic or professional sectors at a national level.

Alan discusses how he traversed an unconventional path into the field of suicide research.  His upbringing in Wollongong, work as an evaluator, contributions to national mental health policy development and long and distinguished career working in the fields of mental health, crisis support and suicide prevention for 20 years as an executive leader, service and program developer, evaluator and researcher and as an expert on crisis lines and related community services.  

Alan has contributed to suicide prevention policy and program development nationally.  He co-chaired the Expert Advisory Group to the Special Advisor on Suicide Prevention and was a Board Director for nine years with Suicide Prevention Australia.  He worked for Lifeline Australia in various executive roles for 14 years until 2018, including the Lifeline Research Foundation.   Alan has a Master’s Degree in Social Science and Policy, a Business Degree in Public Administration and a Diploma in Arts/Communication and is a Fellow of the Australian Evaluation Society.

Quote – "The sad reality is that many people experiencing mental health problems that are affecting their enjoyment of life and limit their contributions to work, family, or community, do not approach services for help. A barrier can be the stigma surrounding mental health. People are reluctant to name their mental health needs for fear of being criticized, shamed or ignored. Worse still, some people who experience mental health conditions also experience discrimination towards them in how they receive (or don't receive) services, employment, education, recreation, cultural and community opportunities. Sometimes already vulnerable people have their human rights ignored” (Alan Woodward, Linkedin, 2022).

Donna Stanley, Proud Gungarri Umby Woman; Acting Executive Director Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD).

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh chats with Donna Stanley, Indigenous Mental Health Clinician about her award and work in supporting people of aboriginal backgrounds and her passion for lowering suicide rates and improving social, emotional and mental health and well-being for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Donna has a personal lived experience of suicide losing her brother 30 years ago. The experience spurred her on to train as an Aboriginal mental health clinician working in a variety of settings including drug and alcohol, providing policy advice on culturally and clinically safe models of care for indigenous communities in national mental health forums; developing education and training packages specifically for people of Indigenous backgrounds; and working with western area local health district indigenous communities to create appropriate supports for people with complex mental health issues and in rural and remote communities.

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh chats with Broadcaster Gary Thorpe OAM, Manager of 4MBS Classic FM Brisbane, Silver Memories and MBS Light about his recent national mental health award for his work on Silver Memories Radio which is broadcast via satellite to over 200 nursing homes across Australia. Gary founded Silver Memories 15 years ago and travelled overseas, researching extensively on Reminiscence Music Therapy through a Churchill Fellowship grant.

Silver Memories is a special nostalgia radio service developed by the Music Broadcasting Society of Queensland Ltd.  It was designed specifically to address social isolation and depression in Aged Care through Reminiscence Music Therapy.  The service provides a non-pharmacological tool for the management of dementia and related issues. Silver Memories operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and plays cheerful and gentle music from the 1940s to the 1970s. The broadcast also includes cheerio greetings and birthday calls from our friendly announcers, and features old radio serials and comedies which people listened to before the advent of television.

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh chats with Scientia Professor Jill Bennett Director of the Big Anxiety REsearch Centre (BARC) UNSW founder of the Big Anxiety Festival about the upcoming launch of the BARC and their work that is transforming mental health through cultural innovation.  “The [BARC] is a unique transdisciplinary enterprise, dedicated to transforming thinking and practice in mental health through creative collaboration and cultural innovation”.

[The BARC] “research lived experience through a unique combination of trauma-informed, psychosocial research and creative practice, developing the rich communications and engagement practices we need to understand, connect with and support everyday experiences of mental health, trauma and suicidality”.

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh and Matt Pepar chat with Craig Anderson, father of three about his personal lived experiences of post-natal depression.

The need for perinatal mental health support at an all-time high, with one in five new mums and one in ten new dads experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety, equating to around 100,000 Aussie parents each.

Craig is a Gidget Angel and was diagnosed with post-natal anxiety after his son was born.  When his wife was experiencing post-natal depression, he made his best effort to ensure he was supporting her.  However, he had been experiencing anxiety about leaving the house with his newborn son and would make excuses not to go out.  His wife eventually booked him in to Gidget House and he was diagnosed with post-natal anxiety.  He now is an advocate for Gidget House and wants to empower others to seek help when they need it after their children are born.  Craig and his wife now also have 14 month old twins.

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh and Matt Pepar chat with Cathy Ngo, mother of two about her personal lived experiences of post-natal depression as a person from a culturally diverse background.

The need for perinatal mental health support at an all-time high, with one in five new mums and one in ten new dads experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety, equating to around 100,000 Aussie parents each.

"Cathy Ngo is a social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and writer based in Sydney. She’s known for pushing the boundaries and agenda for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Cathy’s continued advocacy work and thought leadership is featured across many publications, including the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, ABC, SBS, Women’s Agenda, and on radio.

Cathy has a five-year-old son, Hendrick. When he was born, she struggled with deep perinatal depression and anxiety which lasted for almost three years. While she felt prepared for childbirth and the possibility of perinatal depression, nothing prepared her for the cultural expectations with hormones on overdrive.  As an Australian-born to Vietnamese parents, she had a choice to honour this tradition, but instead decided to lead things her own way.  She didn’t find many resources at the time on the intersection of cultural heritage and PND. The demands of meeting both her Asian roots and navigating parenthood were overwhelming. Determined to help other culturally diverse families, Cathy is passionate about supporting programs that break down the stigma and barriers in reaching out for help and support.