Careers in Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS)

I moved to Tasmania with my family for a lifestyle change, escaping the increasingly unbearable heat in Melbourne to live in a much more temperate climate. Our children have thrived and have explored outdoor activities and immersed themselves in the local community, which they would never have done in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The food, wine and cultural activities in Hobart are equal to those you will experience interstate. Hobart has everything you need and with MONA close by, you can experience world class art, architecture, and history.  CYMHS is growing exponentially, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the change and develop new services to make a real difference in the lives of children, youth, and their families. We wished we had come sooner!

Kent is a team leader in Child and Youth Mental Health Service. The young people and families trust him partly because he understands adversity. 

You really have to draw the story out of the family and the young person. You have to listen. You have to make them feel safe. I think you have to be interested, and you can’t fake that. You have knowledge. You are genuine.

Kent says his first role is to help parents bring up good young people, which is the core of his day job and as a coach and president of the Wynyard Football Club. He finds pathways for young people in North West Tasmania to be proud and confident, to work hard, to find fellowship and meaning in who they are and what they do. 

I think the most powerful thing is being a role model in this, and being curious about how other people are doing. If you want someone else to lead a healthy lifestyle, you'd better lead a healthy lifestyle yourself.

You can find out more information about Kent’s story here: Kent Jackson | Tasmanian 

I came from B.C Canada to Launceston Tasmania in 2007 to complete a Bachelor of Social Work at UTAS and experience the Tasmanian lifestyle. While completing my degree I worked in  Child Safety and Sexual Assault Services that led to my desire to work with young people and my interest in trauma informed therapeutic work and mental health.

Following university, I was grateful to gain a graduate position within mental health services which allowed me to experience the Social Work role within the Northside Mental Health Ward, CYMHS, and Crisis Assessment Team over a 18 month period. Since 2012 I I have worked with CYMHS-North where I have been expanding my knowledge and skills ever since.  I have had a lot of support and encouragement to pursue my specific areas of interest of trauma informed work and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT).In 2018 my keeshond dog Luna and myself completed Therapy dog and Handler team accreditation and have been able to develop an AAT program within the CYMHS-North service. 

As someone who moved to Tasmania without any connections, I have appreciated the close co-worker relationships and friendships made in our team environment. Northern Tasmania has always provided me with the relaxed mid-sized city lifestyle I wanted without having to sacrifice amenities. With easy to make community connections through dog sports and other hobbies, I've well and truly become a Tasmanian now!

I am a UK trained mental health nurse, I moved to Australia in 1999 to live and work in Western Australia (WA) and then in 2007 moved to Tasmania. I have worked in a variety of mental health settings in UK, WA and Tas.  In Tasmania I worked with CYMHS North for several years, and whilst there had the opportunity to work on some statewide projects which gave me really good insight into mental health services across Tasmania and allowed me to develop some amazing professional connections.  I transitioned into a Clinical Nurse Educator role for 4 years, and now have come “home” to CYMHS.

I have raised 3 amazing children here where schools, healthcare and anything else they have required is easily accessible.  We have been able to explore Tasmania with so many family-friendly activities to do. We are also only a short flight from the “mainland” if we feel the need for a big city fix, a change of scenery or to tick off something from our Aussie bucket list.

I have a Bachelor in Social Work and have undertaken post graduate study in developmental psychiatry (DPC) through Monash University. Currently I am in my final year of Masters of Clinical Family Therapy through Bouverie Centre- La Trobe University.  I specialise in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and working with young people with emotional dysregulation, I coordinate the Family therapy and SSFC (Single Session Family Consultation) clinic, and provide treatment for range mental health issues including OCD, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. The work here is challenging and inspiring at the same time!  Our focus is to work systemically with young people across a wide developmental range (0-18). We always (where possible) involve their family, and other relevant systems such as schools and services as part of the care management role. 

I feel like my family and I are lucky to live in beautiful Tassie ! I live only 10 mins from my office, however we live on the edge of bushland in the foothills of mount Wellington/Kunanyi…this kind of urban living with easy access to natural environment is one of the best things about living here! You can be eating delicious food or having a fabulous cocktail one minute, then be strolling a sparsely populated beach the next. Hobart is a pretty unique place.

Born and bred in Tassie I am thankful and inspired to be back living and working here with the Child and Youth Mental Health Service. The ease and convenience of living in such a naturally beautiful place was a major attraction and hasn’t disappointed. The major bonus is the wide-ranging and progressive CYMHS service enhancement and change program I am part of.

After starting my professional career in Tasmania as a psychologist, I have worked in clinical and mental health reform and strategic roles in New South Wales and Queensland. This included over twenty-two years’ experience in policy, strategy, and service and system enhancement roles directly shaping cross sectorial planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of key priorities under state and national mental health and suicide prevention reform agendas.

This has given me a deep understanding of, and extensive experience in strategic influence, systemic leadership, and change management. I also have strong professional interest and commitment to strengthening individual and community capability and effectiveness for enhanced mental health, wellbeing, and social justice. I am finding many opportunities to apply my skills and likeminded people to professionally collaborate and partner with.

I returned to Tasmania to complete my social work degree at the University of Tasmania after 10 years living interstate. I was eager to return for the relaxed lifestyle that Tasmania offers and it hasn’t disappointed.

The challenging and interesting work with CYMHS has inspired me to return to university to complete a Master of Mental Health Science with a focus on child psychotherapy. The Tasmanian Health Service encourages further study with not only financial incentive, but they the flexibility of study days.  I also regularly undertake training funded by the service so as to maintain an evidence informed approach.  What I appreciate most about CYMHS North is the supportive team and the many opportunities for growth.

When I’m not at work I’m making the most of Tassie’s world class mountain bike tracks, hiking tracks, restaurants and wineries. There’s always something to do!

 

I was lucky enough to grow up in Tasmania, and after a decade away to study and train, have now returned with my own young family.  The lifestyle and opportunities here are incredible; all the amenities of a big city, without the headaches of a big population. 

I am a consultation-liaison psychiatrist with a particular interest in perinatal and infant mental health.  Prior to returning to Tasmania, I worked at the Alfred Hospital and then the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.  I completed my Masters in Psychological Medicine in 2013, and subspecialty consultation-liaison psychiatry training in 2018.  I’ve also completed Circle of Security Parent Facilitator training and Newborn Behaviour Observation training.

I’ve worked within the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Team since 2017 and have seen it develop and grow over that time.  I am so proud of the work we do and have the best colleagues – working with such a dedicated, caring, respectful team is an absolute pleasure.

Our team is passionate about improving the mental health of Tasmanian parents and their infants. Working with this population is a privilege – we understand the importance of this time period on infants’ subsequent physical and emotional development and have the opportunity to support families and infants to make meaningful differences to their relationships, mental health and well-being across the lifespan.

 

I was raised in a small town on the east-coast of Tasmania. It was a 40 minute bus ride (there and back!) to the nearest district high school. I headed to Launceston to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology and Psychology followed by a Bachelor of Social Work at the Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie.

I was fortunate enough to have my first placement at CYMHS as a Social Work student and remember thinking that one day I would like to work here. I found the work to be interesting, challenging and meaningful. After working as a Child and Safety Officer I travelled and worked as a hospital Social Worker in Brisbane.

After that memorable and positive learning curve I returned home and I had some time out of the work force, doing arguably one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs- being a mum.

Things came full circle and I returned to CYMHS, even better this time as a paid employee! The scope or practice is vast and the learning never stops. You end up knowing a bit of everything at the same time can specialise in an area you’re passionate about. Days off is spent enjoying family adventures….and housework. There are challenges that test your resilience, dedication and sanity- It comes with the territory of social work. However, it’s never boring, the place is beautiful and the connections and the opportunities I’ve been so grateful to experience far outweighs the challenges and is well worth checking out for yourself.