Women AND MENTAL HEALTH
Peer support for women with mental health issues: The views of ACT women, September 2011
In 2007 the Women‘s Centre for Health Matters (WCHM) consulted women in the ACT living with mental health issues. They highlighted that they are seeking: to support each other at vulnerable times, access to social support at times when services are not available to them, and gender specific or women centred services. Given that peer support does not use a medical framework but a focus on relationships, it was hypothesised that peer support may be an appropriate model to address the needs of women and to address gaps in their support systems and recovery processes. It is for these reasons that research was commissioned by WCHM to carry out this research in 2009-11, with the involvement of a consortium of partners across the ACT. The aim of the research was to identify and document best practice peer support models internationally, nationally and locally; to identify and document the needs and experiences of women participating in peer support in the ACT; and to evaluate two peer support programs for women in the ACT. The research found a variety of good outcomes of peer support for women living with mental illness in the ACT, which included improving or maintaining mental wellbeing, rejecting the medical model and stigma, information sharing, building confidence and social connectedness, and benefits for the wider community through women‘s increased participation and independence. The way in which peer support provides increased wellbeing and social connectivity is significant because mental illness is becoming increasingly common in the ACT community. This research therefore shows that peer support is a viable, holistic alternative to the medical model of support for people with mental illness.
Peer support for women living with mental health issues (1022 KB)
Peer Support Evaluation Framework (336 KB)
Peer Support Evaluation Framework (479 KB)
It goes with the Territory! The Views of ACT Women who are Mental Health Carers about Health and Wellbeing Information (2011)
This companion report presents the findings and views of the
women who reported having caring responsibilities for a person with a
mental health issue and who participated in WCHM’s health and wellbeing
information research, and identifies the major themes and the barriers
facing them in accessing the health and wellbeing information they need.
The report It goes with the Territory! The views of Women Mental Health Carers about Health and Wellbeing Information
demonstrates that women mental health carers face a number of barriers
to accessing the health and wellbeing information they need, which
include but are not limited to: being shut off from information and
knowledge by mental health professionals and workers; not being
respected in their role by mental health professionals and workers;
being denied information on the premise of confidentiality and privacy;
not having a central source of ACT specific information on mental health
treatments and services; and not being able to afford many of the
options that do exist. Mental health carers are also greatly affected by
the level of discrimination and stigma that exists around mental
illness in the community, which can be very isolating and curb their
function as carers. Women who are mental health carers need access to
up-to-date and relevant information from trusted sources. This means
that local and trusted health and wellbeing information sources need to
be promoted over time to be visible and accessible to them.
It goes with the Territory! The Views of ACT Women who are Mental Health Carers about Health and Wel (385 KB)
It goes with the Territory! The Views of ACT Women who are Mental Health Carers about Health and Wel (11100 KB)
Women Mental Health Carers in the ACT - Preliminary Survey Findings, September 2010
Because of increasing evidence about the risks and difficulties associated with and specific to caring for individuals living with mental health issues, and due to the gendered nature of caring and its prevalence in our local community, the Women’s Centre for Health Matters (WCHM), in consultation with Carers ACT, commissioned research into ACT women mental health carer needs and experiences. This online publication, Women mental health carers in the ACT: Preliminary Survey Results, presents the preliminary findings of a survey, targeting women mental health carers in the ACT. The aim of the survey was to establish a quantitative and qualitative data set comprising of information related to women mental health carer health and wellbeing, their social and support networks and their involvement in their local community and decision making processes. This data will inform a more expansive report on ACT women mental health carers to be published in 2011.
Women Mental Health Carers in the ACT - Preliminary Survey Findings (166 KB)
Women Mental Health Carers in the ACT - Preliminary Survey Findings (6192 KB)
Out of Reach - Women living with mental health issues in the ACT: What hinders their access to legal services in the ACT (2010)
This report, commissioned by the Women’s Centre for Health Matters (WCHM) and the ACT Women and Mental Health Working Group (WMHWG), aims to identify and document the lived experience of women with mental health issues in accessing legal advice, support, representation and advocacy in the ACT. The report captures the personal stories of women living with mental health issues in the ACT, the personal barriers for the women and the barriers within the service system in the ACT, as well as the feedback from legal and non-legal service providers and community based organisations that provide support and/or advocacy.
Out of Reach - Women living with mental health issues in the ACT: What hinders their access to legal (275 KB)