General News
26 April, 2022
The Junction Clubhouse Launches A Program On Lived Experience Of Mental Illness
ON April 12, registered NDIS provider The Junction Clubhouse released a report on the Phase 1 of their Lived Experience of Mental Illness peer support program (LEMI).
The program aims to facilitate and create opportunities in employment, education and more for people living with chronic and persistent mental illness.
LEMI began in June of 2020 to support and guide people with chronic mental illnesses into education and employment and to overcome learning barriers through skill development, application of new coping strategies and finding passions and areas of interest.
Participants of the LEMI program receive coaching and mentoring to help them go into further education if they so desire.
These mentors also negotiate with the training providers if the members need time out.
Coordinator of the LEMI program Jo Abbatangelo said the report showed that people with chronic mental conditions can still reach their full potential.
“The report demonstrates that people can reach their milestones through the right type of flexible support,” Ms Abbatangelo said.
“So if people become unwell during that period of study or employment, they can step back, look after their mental and physical health and come back into the fold when they’re ready.
“Flexibility around employment is very important to make sure that people feel included and valued.”
The LEMI report states that due to the cyclical nature of chronic and persistent mental illnesses, people find themselves stuck in countless setbacks; offering flexibility and unconditional support, individuals can move on from the challenges and focus on the recovery phase.
Ms Abbatangelo said that the program has a very positive impact on people’s lives, helping them navigate these complications.
“What’s important here is that they are not defined by their mental illness, every individual has the capacity to reach beyond their self-made limitations driven by stigma and diagnosis.”
“I’ve seen people flourish here, I’ve seen people come in quite broken, and I have see them embrace new and challenging experiences.”
The LEMI program focuses on mental health peer support where there is a mutual exchange of lived experiences.
Peer workers within the LEMI program are encouraged to deliver a group program based on an area of interest to promote dialogue while they also learn group facilitation skills.
Participants of the LEMI program have opportunities to run groups such as relaxation, art therapy, women’s group, Voices R Us, and Surviving Moods.
People interested in getting involved with the LEMI program can do so through the Junction Clubhouse.
“People who have chronic and persistent mental illness are sometimes referred to the Junction Clubhouse through the Mental Health Unit. Those people then engage with the clubhouse and become familiar with our program, more specifically,” Ms Abbatangelo said.
“We try not to rush people into the program; it has to be their choice.”
The LEMI program drifts away from the medical model, allowing people to go into opportunities like volunteering, exploring areas of interest, acquiring skills and even preparing to become peer workers within the program, which will lead them to share their experience further with other people.
Ms Abbatangelo aims to grow the LEMI program to include more people and help them reach their goals.
“The idea is to go beyond your limitations. The system (mental health system) is very geared towards a medical model, and we forget that there is a human being with potential beyond the medication,” she said.
“I hope that LEMI becomes a pilot project that will get picked up by other services and replicated in a very similar way.”
To learn more about the Junction Clubhouse and LEMI, visit the Junction Clubhouse Cairns’ website at: https://bit.ly/3rJI7ZZ
