| Our Ambassadors |
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The ACMHN is proud to introduce you to our Ambassadors
ACTJenny Fothergill
Donna Hodgson is a credentialed Mental Health Nurse (MHN) who was awarded the National Mental Health Nurse of the Year in 2009 by the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) for her outstanding contribution to the educating and mentoring of undergraduate and postgraduate nurses in the field of mental health. Donna is passionate about ensuring the connection between the theory and practice of mental health nursing. When Donna was an RN working in the Isolation (infection) ward of Royal Canberra Hospital, she often found herself discussing life and grief issues with young people diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. She decided to gain further mental health education to better address these issues in young people. However, since commencing work in the field of mental health in 1991, Donna hasn't returned to her previous role, and has instead worked in a variety of roles including establishing the Clozapine co-ordination role under the first National Mental Health Plan at both public hospitals in Canberra, and the NSW Eurobodalla Region. She has been the Clinical Nurse Consultant of the acute adult inpatient unit in the ACT, and worked as a clinical manager in the community. Donna is the co-author of Australian longitudinal research on the neuroleptic Clozapine. Donna also has a strong focus on consumer rights, and promotion and prevention of mental illness in the community. Some of this advocacy for consumers stems from her personal experience after acquiring a permanent disability following a car accident in 2000. Donna has worked for ACT Health as the Coordinator of Mental Health Nursing Education Programs for ten years. She has additionally spent one year as an academic teaching Mental Health units at The University of Canberra in 2010, and maintains an adjunct position there. Qualifications
NSW
Anabel de la Riva is a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse (MHN) and is also a Fellow of the ACMHN, since 2009. She started working in the field of mental health in 1993 and has worked in a number of mental health settings including acute inpatient, acute crisis teams and case management teams. Currently Anabel works as Clinical Nurse Consultant on the Consultation Liaison Team at Westmead Hospital. Her areas of focus in the hospital include: renal and transplant patients, aged care, orthopaedics and neurology and the effects of physical illness on patients and their families. Stigma has always been an issue for those with a mental illness and a large component of work that she does in the general hospital is in education for general nursing staff, medical teams and allied health on mental illness. Breaking down the barriers and attitudes has been an important component of the work done in the general hospital. Anabel has been involved in the NSW branch of the ACMHN since 2003 and more recently as secretary of the Consultation Liaison Special Interest Group (CLSIG).
NTMarty Musco
QLDChristine Palmer Gareth Daniels Micheline Batcheler
Kim Archer trained as a General Nurse at Tamworth Base Hospital and was registered as a General Nurse in 1987. She continued to work in in various areas both in NSW and Brisbane in General Nursing and had some experience in Psychiatric Nursing . Kim regular joined the mental health team at Belmont Private Hospital in 2001 where she was encouraged to develop her skills as a Mental Health Nurse. Kim gained her Masters Degree in Mental Health Nursing in 2005 and became Credentialed soon after. While continuing in her education role at Belmont, Kim also held education roles with Griffith University, Australian Catholic University and was appointed Head of Department at Shafston College for 2 years. In 2009 Kim set up her own consultancy, KIMAR Consulting, under the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program. KIMAR Consultancy has recently added an additional nurse to the service to support the mental health needs of the community, working in collaboration with the General Practices and Allied Health Services of Redlands City. Kim volunteered for 2 years as a coordinator for the Redlands Mental Health Professionals Network to support and increase the profile of mental health nurses in her area. Kim was appointed Ambassador for ACMHN in 2011 to promote Mental Health Nursing and Credentialing. Kim regularly attends the Brisbane ACMHN meetings in Spring Hill each month . the excellent conferences held by the ACMHN and is enthusiastic about supporting mental health in areas of research, development and training. Kim currently works as:
SACate Rowlands
TASKathy Gregory
VICTessa Moriarty Pieta Shakes Tan Kan Ku
James Houghton was born in England, grew up in New Zealand and now chooses to live in Australia. He completed his Psychopaedic Nursing (aka to Victorians as Div IV) from 1980-1983, went on to do his Psychiatric Nursing bridging programme from 1986-1988 and has worked in some form of mental health work since then. It’s suggested that his brief sojourns into the travel industry, lured by the glamour and perks were as much mental health as anything else he’s done! From 1989 to 1999 he worked at the Ambury Park Centre for Riding Therapy, working with young people with behavioural, psychological and mental health difficulties, using horses as the therapeutic medium for change. He would describe this as one of the most amazing periods in his career to date. This position encompassed his love of horses and equestrian sport with his passion for working with young people struggling through incredibly difficult times. In 1999 he commenced a further bridging programme, this time through the Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) which cemented his enthusiasm for learning (and sharing!) In 2002 he completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Child & Family Health Nursing (with a particular focus on mental health). For this period of time James worked in various Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) throughout New Zealand, from Auckland to Hastings, including a period of time as a team leader for the Hamilton Richmond Fellowship Youth Service. James was a member of the then Australia & New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses for most of this time and remembers the angst when NZ members opted to go their own way and became Te Ao Maramatanga. In 2005 James moved to Melbourne and joined the team at Orygen Youth Health in Footscray, working on the IPU before moving on to become the Senior Nurse on the Recovery And Prevention of Psychosis (RAPPS) – Early Intervention team in Dandenong. In 2009 a secondment to the education team at Southern Health allowed James to continue to pursue his passion for learning (and sharing!) issues of contemporary mental health practice. It was from this position in 2011 that he moved to his current role as Clinical Nurse Educator at the John Cade Adult Mental Health Unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. James is in his second term as Co-Professional Development Co-ordinator for the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN), a role he says has significantly helped him develop local networks and further improve the depth of his knowledge. James frequently tells nursing students that he is more excited about being a nurse now than he was 30 years ago, when he started and has come to clearly identify the influence of Dr. Jean Watson on the development of his nursing practice framework. This and the proverbial ‘eclectic mix’ of therapeutic skills, predominantly using Solution-Focused Nursing ,Transactional Analysis, and a Family Systems approach allow him to continue to work on the goal he personally sees as paramount to all good clinical work – that of “unconditional positive regard” for the people we work for… never the easiest of goals, but one well worth working on.
WASoula Doukakis Deborah Nelson |
Donna Hodgson
Anabel De La Riva
Kim Archer
James Houghton
