Workshop to develop local Mental Health Literacy activities

Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) will be hosting an online Mental Health Literacy workshop on Tuesday 13 July from 10am to 1pm. The workshop is open to those with lived experience, mental health advocates and health professionals and aims to examine and finalise focus areas and develop localised activities to address mental health service and support gaps.

Standing in as Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) Acting CEO, Narelle Mills said the workshop is the first activity in the Murrumbidgee region as part of the NSW Mental Health Commission’s Health Literacy Initiative.

“An important part of MPHN’s role is to support and empower health services and community organisations to responsively meet the needs of people experiencing mental health challenges, their families and communities,” Ms Mills said.

“The Mental Health Literacy workshop will be the first step in identifying and acting on the key areas of concern for the Murrumbidgee region in consultation with a diverse set of voices and perspectives.

The workshop will be delivered in partnership with locally commissioned mental health providers, community representatives, Murrumbidgee Local Health District and a representative of the SUNNY consortium, a group of scholars from Swinburne University of Technology, University of Newcastle and University of New South Wales.

MPHN’s Acting Senior Manager Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Maja Asmus said raising mental health literacy levels will benefit the entire community.

”Mental health literacy is critical to improving people’s knowledge of mental health and the confidence to use that knowledge to support the mental and physical well-being of both themselves and those they may care for,” Ms Asmus said.

“The Mental Health Literacy Initiative will improve opportunities for people to access services early and empower people with lived experience of mental health issues and their carers to understand, access and choose appropriate options that will improve their overall health.”

For further enquiries and to register for the online workshop contact MPHN Mental Health Project Officer Larah Harding on (02) 6923 3147 or email larah.harding@mphn.org.au