Trauma and the Mental Health Workforce – 2014 The MHS summer forum

2014 TheMHS SUMMER FORUM University of Technology, Sydney 20 – 21 February 2014 Trauma and the Mental Health Workforce A safe place to work. A safe place to recover. Workplace trauma is a reality in health care and a reality in mental health care. The mental health system continues to experience environments and practices that are traumatising for consumers, families and staff. High staff turnover, inadequate training and support plus limited time for collaboration and supervision can lead to increased stress, burnout and trauma. To provide truly collaborative care that supports recovery, those working in mental health services need to understand and address the impact of trauma in their own lives and in the systems in which they work. At the 2014 Summer Forum we will work together to understand the experience of trauma, workplace culture and systems of care that traumatise. We will discuss workplace health and safety issues. We will address psychological as well as physical safety for people working in mental health services, focussing on creating healthy organisations, building trust and using a trauma-informed framework to create workplaces which value mutual respect, creativity and good practice. Solutions will require a paradigm shift in mental health care and we have a collective responsibility to work towards this change. TheMHS 2014 Summer Forum will bring together experts from across the mental health system to seek solutions this complex issue. Featured Speakers: Professor Patrick (Pat) McGorry AO, Australian of the Year 2010, Executive Director, Orygen Youth Health, Emeritus Professor Kevin Gournay, Professor of Psychiatric Nursing, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London Cath Roper, Consumer Academic Centre for Psychiatric Nursing, The University of Melbourne Nichole Sullivan, Clinical Practice Leader, Mission Australia, NSW Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs Services