Denis has been a working as a mental health nurse for over 23 years. The majority of this time (22years) has been in the Northern Territory. He has had broad experience in the areas of acute inpatient, forensic, community mental health and for most of the last 15 years has been working in remote Indigenous mental health settings across the Top End.

This latter experience has fostered passion and frustration through the process of endeavouring to practice mental health nursing within an appropriate and effective context. Denis believes that the unique challenges in providing meaningful mental health service to Indigenous people are worthy of confronting and addressing through mental health nursing practice despite the occasional sense of frustration that can occur. For this reason it is worthy to note and promote the formation of the college’s new Indigenous Special Interest Group. This is a worthy new area for college members with which to be engaged and will allow for greater shared communication and elucidation of important and unique issues that prevail within Indigenous mental health care.

On broader, issues, Denis believes that the role of the mental health nurse is central to the progression of effective mental health reform. Mental health nurses are the bulk of the workforce in this specialty area and have potential implicit power and influence over this important process. We should be encouraged to harness this power through our peak body status to gain the attention of legislators and policy makers to ensure that any reform outcomes reflect the pivotal role and contribution of mental health nurses to the provision of mental health care across our community.

Denis has been an active member of the college with in the NT for over 16 years, holding the offices of Secretary and Treasurer in the past. He is currently Secretary of the NT Branch. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health and a Master of Public Health.