LIFELINE MID COAST’S MENTAL HEALTH SAFARI

LIFELINE MID COAST AND ROTARY DISTRICT 9650 PARTNER PROJECT MARCH 2021

Lifeline Mid Coast recently delivered Accidental Counselling Workshops in Coonabarabran, Gunnedah, Narrabri, Lightening Ridge and Moree as part of funding raised through Rotary District 9650 District Governor 2019/2020 partner project.

Lifeline Mid Coast’s, CEO Catherine Vaara and Training Manager Di Bannister embarked on an outback journey bringing hope and new skills to remote communities through providing the Accidental Counsellor training.

First stop was Coonabarabran where they found families were still emotionally affected following the 2013 bushfires which saw 56 homes lost 28 firefighters injured and 100 people evacuated. The group were concerned about child abuse and youth suicide rates and reported the most important thing they learned from the training was to stop and listen when someone opens up.

Next stop was the town of Gunnedah where participants reported a shortage of doctors which meant referrals were hard to source. The group reported they learned great strategies around managing crisis and understanding behaviours and how important it was to have conversations around suicide.

Then came Narrabri, where one participant noted they knew ten people personally, in the community who had died by suicide. The group learned that negotiating barriers to open and listen with intent was the most likely thing they would take away.

The Lightning Ridge community found suicide a difficult subject to navigate reporting that 1st year placements in professional roles were feeling overwhelmed. The group reported to having more understanding and empathy for people with these feelings following the training.

The final stop was Moree where personal loss was hidden and bushfires and drought had left a terrible toll on local families. Participants reported that the workshop was really useful in gaining skills in asking people; “Are you suicidal?” and how listening lets the brain re-set and gives the person a change to re-set as well.

Di Bannister delivered the training saying “it was such an honour for these communities to allow us into their space and deliver important training around suicide awareness and prevention”.

CEO Catherine Vaara, thanked the Rotary District for allowing Lifeline the opportunity to talk to people in remote areas where services were hard to find.

Together Catherine and Di learned there were a number of common reactions from all five groups which included:

THE ICEBERG OF FEELINGS:

Learning that there are feelings that we have learned that are acceptable (that we can show) and feelings we have learned to hide – it is the hidden feelings or emotions that we don’t name, or sometimes can’t name it and therefore they are difficult for us to express.

BRAIN FUNCTION:

How the brain changes when someone is in crisis – frontal lobe versus our middle/ emotional brain. And the brain structure of teens and children, and how that differs in times of stress.

SHOCK

Shock at the number of Australians who die by suicide every day, which is eight to nine, every day. It is still the leading cause of suicide for men between the ages of 15-45.

SURPRISE

Surprise that asking someone if they are thinking of suicide, does not cause suicide and how hard it is, to say the words “are you thinking of suicide”.

How engaged and willing to learn every group was. Thank you for the trust in us and the work that you all did.

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