Healthcare professionals and mental health (Part 1) with Heather Pickard

Get Real: Talking mental health & disability

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In this episode we meet Heather Pickard. Heather is the Chief Executive Officer of SHARC - Self Help Addiction Resource Centre, based in Melbourne, which supports people with addiction to alcohol, other drugs and gambling.
SHARC has been around for 25 years, founded on the belief that people are experts in their own recovery, and the lived experience of those affected by addiction is central to SHARC’s programs and services.

Heather is a registered nurse and after working in various roles - and after a time away from the profession, which she’ll tell us about - she moved into in to the alcohol and other drugs sector.
Heather has lived experience with addiction and long-tern recovery and founded the Nursing and Midwifery Health Program of Victoria which meets a need to address sensitive health issues around drug and alcohol use experienced by nurses and midwives.
Heather brings to her work a mixture of clinical skills, governance expertise, and her own personal lived experience of long-term recovery.

She’s currently the NMHPV’s Chair of the Board, and a Board Director at Ballarat Health Services.
Episode hosted by ermha365 CEO Karenza Louis-Smith and Emily Webb, Advocacy and External Communications Advisor.
For more information on SHARC visit https://www.sharc.org.au/ or phone [phone]
For more information on the Nursing and Midwifery Health Program of Victoria visit https://www.nmhp.org.au/ or phone [phone].
If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode, you can call:

Lifeline on 13 11 14 or go to https://www.lifeline.org.au/

ermha365 provides a range of mental health services designed to help people experiencing mental health challenges to thrive in the community.

ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory. Find out more about our services at our website.
Helplines (Australia):
Lifeline 13 11 14
QLIFE 1800 184 527
13 YARN 13 92 76
Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467
ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.
We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Luvut

1. Healthcare professionals and mental health (Part 1) with Heather Pickard (00:00:00)

2. Current landscape of the drug and alcohol sector (00:03:26)

3. Elevation of lived experience in Royal Commission into Victoria's mental health system (00:08:46)

4. Heather's lived experience with use of substances and long-term recovery (00:13:06)

5. Helping nurses and health professionals who have mental health and substance misuse concerns (00:21:58)

6. The signifcant connection between drug addiction and mental health (00:32:50)