Consumer Consultant Training - Session 3 & 4

By consumer workers, for consumer workers.

This is a free event designed for Consumer Consultants working in public mental health in Victoria (eg. Area Mental Health Services, Forensicare or consumer mental health staff from RCH).

Consumer Consultants outside of public clinical services (MHCSSs, AOD, ACCHOs etc.) or other partner organisations may also attend.

Note: This training follows on from a Consumer Consultant forum held in 2020, during which collective professional development needs were explored and examined. Six learning topics were identified and further consultation was sought from the workforce and the Statewide Consumer Consultant Council (SCCC) on which areas of priority should be developed as part of the first two sessions.

All courses will be interactive, learner focussed and based on adult learning principles. We believe that Consumer workers approach learning with a wealth of knowledge and experience to contribute. This approach recognises the constant interweaving of theory and practice cultivating critical thinking and reflection, appreciating the contested nature of ideas and world views, and perspective taking through adopting ethical, human rights and social justice lenses.

Consumer workers do not need to have attended earlier sessions to be eligible to participate (including the morning session)

Through this interactive training, you will have opportunities to share experiences, ideas, skills and strategies related to Consumer Consultant work. Topics covered in this training will include:

Session 3: Building Leadership Skills (9.30am-12.30pm)

• How do you define leadership? Consultancy as leadership
• What supports leadership & what gets in the way? (supervision, mentorship, co-reflection, attachment to the consumer/survivor movement)
• How to be influential without referent power/authority/status (relational influence; change culture) Different priorities re: Service wants us in these meetings and we want to be in the other meetings - learning how to negotiate where we are best placed to have voice and influence)
• How do you think organisations should support your leadership? (the responsibility of the organisation to ensure that you know and understand eg: reporting; how to provide useful feedback; governance and hospital requirements; understanding data NSQHS Standards and accreditation)

Session 4: Partnerships/working with allies/coproducing/the role of power (1pm-4pm)

• Who are our partners and allies and what does it mean to be in partnership, is real partnership possible? [sharing stories of this]. In what ways are allies and partners important to the success of your work?
• Where might the pitfalls be in trying to develop & sustain partnerships? Eg managing different worldviews, respect for the other person, power disparities
• What would support the ‘grooming’ of allies where you work? What would that look like? eg networking opportunities, training for staff on allyship, time so you can build relationships; teaching others about systemic advocacy; educate managers & others about the roles
• What are some of the skills that assist you to work with allies? Eg unpacking ‘relational skills’ and being confident relationally; what is the value of working in a relational way?; being aware of the background culture of dominance and power and the impacts of this; training in understanding these power structures and how to make things more inclusive and egalitarian; unlearning the traditional hierarchical structures; conflict resolution; how we work with the executive; how to manage micro-aggressions without risking the relationship; how to manage your manager; how to “Step up to the plate”; communication skills – how to have difficult conversations; managing priorities and also navigating the service’s resistance to engage
• How do you get the support you need from management/your manager? Eg Service education for managers who are clinical: how to respond to a LE staff member who is distressed; ensuring trust and respect for the LE staff members' LE journeys and not expecting "recovered"; reasonable adjustments (Leading the Change research)
• What is the organisation’s role in assisting the development of coproduction and partnerships? Eg structures where open conversations can happen

Delivery Mode – 9.30am to 4pm online

A Zoom link with be sent to registrants prior to the event, along with some resources for pre-reading.

Facilitators:

Cath Roper

Cath was one of the first four mental health consumer consultants in Victoria and went on to pioneer the multi-award winning consumer Academic program, at the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing, University of Melbourne. Cath is a consumer perspective educational specialist and is also highly regarded locally, nationally and internationally for her research scholarship. Cath was consumer advisor to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system CEO.

Wanda Bennetts

I have background in education and have a lived experience of mental health services. I have worked in a variety of consumer perspective roles since 2000, mostly at a systemic level.

The roles have included Consumer Consultant, consumer researcher, educator, senior advisor, freelance worker and Senior Policy Advisor - consumer portfolio holder at DHHS.

Passionate about:

• Wanting to positively influence mental health systems
• Consumer perspective education & training for clinicians, professionals and consumers
• Advance Directives
• Progressing and supporting the consumer workforce

My current roles are Senior Consumer Consultant for Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) casual consumer academic for the CPN.

But, my favourite role is that of grandmother.

David Barclay, Consumer Workforce Development Coordinator - Centre for Mental Health Learning (CMHL)

David is the Consumer Workforce Development Coordinator at CMHL, supporting the growing consumer workforce in embedding the lived experience voice across the public mental health sector. Previous to this they worked as a consumer consultant for four years at Inner West Area Mental Health Service, and was a consumer educator at VMIAC supporting consumers to navigate the NDIS. Passions include transparency, the recovery model, trauma informed care, supported decision making, dual diagnosis, de-stigmatising & normalising mental health matters, and will happily monologue at length on the power of diversity, storytelling and hope.