How we see our self, who we are attracted to & how we negotiate relationships all impact on our wellbeing. This session will explore gender, sexuality & wellbeing. on Tuesday June 5th from 7.00 till 9.00 p.m. To register call reception on 9093 5977 or register via the website.

Lantern Wellbeing Series A4 flyer June 2012

It is estimated that over 200,000 Australians currently have dementia.

As the population continues to age the proportion of Australians who have

dementia will continue to grow.

Do you care for a person with dementia?

People often feel isolated and unable to connect or continue their connections with their community. What can you do?

At this session you will hear information to support people with dementia and their carers to be better connected within their community. Carers and suffers are welcome to this free event.

This event is on Wednesday 9th May from 10.30 to 12.30 pm  at Longbeach Place, 15 Chelsea Road, Chelsea. To register click here or call Lantern Reception on 9093 5977

Dementia in the Community 9 May flyer

Heather has under graduate qualifications in Welfare, Criminology and a Masters in Social Science –Policy and Management.

For those of you who don’t know me, I have been at Lantern for a little over 2 years managing the Recovery Services, namely Outreach and more recently overseeing the Resource Centre. Prior to this I spent over 20 years working in the UK in the social care industry. Starting off in residential care for older people and disabilities, then after 5 years at university, I worked as a statutory social worker and team manager.

I am thrilled and excited at this wonderful opportunity, although a little sad that Janet Hopkins, our current CEO, will be off to pastures new in due course. I thank her for all her hard work and commitment to Lantern, and this merger with MIND.  I wish her well as she starts a new and exciting chapter in her career. She’s surely a hard act to follow but I feel she won’t be too much of a stranger.

As Area Manager I will have overall responsibility in managing the services in our sector under MIND’s policies and procedures.  This includes all the services Lantern currently offers, and also Nette Court, an established residential unit for younger people.

Working at Lantern these past couple of years has been great. This merger with MIND truly starts a new and exciting chapter for Lantern, and I am proud and honoured to be part of this journey and in taking Lantern, it’s participants and staff, into a very optimistic future.

See you all soon

John

And so the next part of the Lantern journey begins.

As we move into the merged organisation programs will continue as normal, in this respect you will notice very little will change. What you might notice though is some changes to our structure, to how things are organised. Naturally there will no longer be a CEO role here and so this will be my final message to you as CEO.

I am delighted to announce that as from today,  April 2, 2012 John Weaver will take over the reins here as the Area Manager for the Middle South Area of Mind Australia – which will remain known to you all as Lantern. Congratulations to John. I know you will offer John your encouragement and support as he moves into this exciting new role.

As I write this I have now moved out of the CEO role. What a fantastic three years it has been! As I reflect on our achievements I can honestly say I could not be more proud of where we are today.

• We are consistently meeting/or exceeding our funding targets
• We have grown our outreach support program, recently receiving a significant funding boost allowing us to expand it further
• With the support and encouragement of Southern Health we have implemented innovative in-reach programs with the Springboard program at Monash and in-reach provided at the Bentleigh CCU.
• In rebranding as Lantern and moving to Moorabbin we have affirmed and clearly expressed our vision and values. Lantern is considered a progressive, active, impactful
• organisation that has become synonymous with innovation and community spirit
• We have achieved a successful internet footprint with a vibrant fresh website which is constantly updated. We have a strong social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Delicious
• We have become known as leaders in the use of technology and social media in the PDRSS sector
• We have established a successful, and award winning Mental Health and Technology Unconference
• We have created Blossomproject from ground up and funded it through support of partners Alfred Health, MLC Community Foundation and the Department of Health, among others. Blossom is now moving into pilot phase in schools in the Southern Region
• Our training program has expanded, despite ceasing our accreditation as an RTO
• Our partnerships and alliances continue and successful events such as the monthly Wellbeing Series and the Annual Celebrate Mental Health Walk have continued in the community
• And finally after a couple of challenging financial years we have taken the difficult decisions that were required and turned around the finances. Our budget for this year was a balanced one and so far our results are tracking better than budget. We are now ‘back in the black’.

This could not have been achieved without a lot of hard work and a great team effort. I would personally like to thank our wonderful staff, managers and co-ordinators, our Board, our members, our participants and you the reader for your encouragement and support. I would also like to thank our partners and friends. Together we can be proud of where Lantern stands today and reassured that moving forward into Mind, Lantern is in very safe hands. Every step along the merger journey has only confirmed this for me.

So it is now time for me to say my goodbyes. You will still see me around for some time yet though so don’t get too excited! Over the next few months I will be working behind the scenes finalising the merger details.

As you might expect after 17 years here, Southern Mental Health Association and Lantern mean a lot to me and during the period of negotiating this merger I have had time to reflect and begin the process of letting go and entrusting this organisation’s future to others. As such, I have decided that after the transition period is complete and everything is finalised it will be time for me to move on to other opportunities. I wish you all the best in the future. I hope you share my excitement for what it might hold for us all.

Lantern Newsletter April 2012

Professor David Castle, Chair of Psychiatry at St Vincent’s Hospital began by talking about Body Image and Teen Mental Health. He was followed by Ali Halkic who shared his personal grief with the audience.

In my presentation I focused on how we can help loved ones who have mental health issues.

Depression and anxiety are very common problems affecting as many as 1 in 5 young people. Yet studies have found that only 18-34% of young people with high levels of depression and anxiety seek professional help. (Gulliver A, Griffiths K, Christensen H, 2010)

Asking for help can be difficult for many people. There are many barriers that get in the way. These include; cost, fear, not sure who to ask and how, not sure it will help, compassion, confidentiality and convenience.

Talking about mental health and mental illness at forums such as this one helps to break down some of these barriers to help seeking. Mental Illness is common and it is important to seek help early as this limits the impact the illness may have on the life of the young person.

Headspace has some fantastic fact sheets available that detail how you can help someone close to you who seems to be struggling with a mental health issue. Two in particular that I would like to highlight are:

• Want to help a friend?
• Information for Parents and Carers

Good information is easy to find these days and alongside information there are also many new e-health programs, including sms counselling now becoming available. Nonetheless it is still enormously challenging when some-one you love is struggling with a mental illness.

One of the most important things you can do for your loved one is to be available and able to talk to them…and listen. Actively listen. Listening will help a young person to work through their feelings. As a parent myself I know it is really hard to practice this well – I am always tempted to ‘solve’ or ‘fix’ the problem. I have found reading up about active listening skills and the importance of validation really helpful. Remember too the importance of taking care of yourself. There are good carer supports and resources available now. At Lantern we also offer Carer Support programs .

As with any physical illness or injury, mental illness often requires a blend of treatments, rest and rehabilitation or recovery focused supports. Please remember that sometimes you will need to be persistent in seeking the right help for you or your loved one. It may take time to find the right services or people. There are many different approaches that will support recovery from mental illness, including giving attention to diet and exercise. as such it is often good to build a ‘team’ of services and support around you, including family and friends. A good place to start for help is your trusted GP, your local Headspace Centre, your teacher or school counselor, trusted friend or family member and local youth services. If you need it lifeline and kids helpline and Careline are available 24/7.

There are many great resources available on-line. Here are just a few links that I mentioned tonight in my talk:

Beacon – which reviews and rates the latest web resources for mental health

Headspace

Cyber[smart]

Staying in control on social networking sites by Headspace

Reachout.com

Bite Back

Youth Beyond Blue and Beyond Blue

Young and Well

Sane

For the boys – WorkOut

And of course our Blossomproject

Finally don’t forget to check back at this Lantern website and keep up with the latest information and news via our twitter stream, Facebook, YouTube and delicious.

Thanks again to Beaumaris Rotary for organising this evening’s forum.

Janet Hopkins, Lantern CEO.

In my work here with Lantern I am familiar with the great work of Reach and have been hugely impressed by the young people I have met who are involved with their programs.

Jim Stynes was clearly a truly remarkable and inspiring  man. In The Reach Foundation he has helped create a powerful legacy that will continue to change the lives of young people for the better.

We send our heartfelt condolences to Jim’s family and friends at this very sad time.

Janet Hopkins and the Lantern team

Lantern Unconference 2012 from HelloMedical on Vimeo.