Strong Kids - Strong Community

I'm an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and I have extensive experience of working with children, young people and adults. I commenced university study as an adult when I found that in order to advocate for young people within government systems, a qualification was necessary. As I had not completed Year 12, I commenced with studying a Certificate of Youth Work, which then extended to be a Bachelor of Community Welfare, then a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours). My thesis was entitled, "The challenge of promoting social and emotional wellbeing in high schools - the perspective of teachers". My research in this area was prompted by my concern for the number of young people self-harming at that age.

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After completing my degree, I worked for Rural and Remote Youth Justice in a number of the Cape Communities. In doing this work, particularly in Aurukun I became very concerned about the number of my clients who had attempted suicide or had witness someone else's attempted or completed suicide. I felt my training was totally inadequate for me to manage such high risk and be helpful - and so commenced studying a Masters of Suicidology.

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I returned to  Normanton employed as a Team Leader for North West Queensland Primary Health Care. I progressed to Senior Team Leader for the Gulf Region of Medicare Local, predominantly looking after the Mental Health and Wellbeing Teams in Normanton, Doomadgee and Mornington Island.

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