The Story of Outreach Devonport

Rural communities, especially in Tasmania, suffer from a paucity of resources, especially in the area of mental health and wellbeing support. High unemployment, complex youth issues including high suicide rates, challenges for families, especially young parents, isolation and loneliness, and a host of other poverty-related issues, only serve to exaggerate the gaps.

The Sisters of Charity Outreach in Devonport commenced operation on 1 st February 2000 as a direct response to requests from people in NW Tasmania for specialised grief and trauma counselling services. There are no funded grief and trauma support services in the region. In fact, Outreach's policy of making available high quality support from registered psychologists to any person, regardless of their capacity to pay, is unique in Tasmania. Accordingly, the demands for our services are constant and high.

Outreach is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity. We believe that as people who are hurting seek to adjust to their changed circumstances they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, offered non-judgmental support and receive the very best professional care available. In time they will, most likely, lead their own healing.

Outreach has gained in standing in North-West Tasmania as a place where a high standard of professional service is maintained alongside a warm, personal, and caring approach to all who visit. Further, Outreach is now widely recognised, in Tasmania and further afield, as a provider of a high standard of education and training.

Counselling and Support for those experiencing grief or trauma is offered from a small, homely cottage in Devonport. People continually tell us that they value the warm welcome they receive on arrival from our secretary, Mrs Kathy Nesham. They value the homely, relaxed and non-clinical atmosphere of Outreach - the kids (including the big ones!) love the puzzles and toys in our waiting area and everyone appreciates the offer of a cuppa. And especially, they value the healing that comes with working through their grief and trauma issues with one of our psychologists, Sr Colleen Jackson rsc or Dr Johan Hattingh.

Referrals are received from a wide range of individuals, professionals and organisations, including: medical practitioners (mostly GP's and psychiatrists), public mental health facilities, welfare organisations, hospitals, psychologists and social workers, schools, police, workplaces, churches, and frequently, by word of mouth. We are frequently greeted with "My mother/friend/boss told me you were really good, so....".

Grief counselling is provided for those who have suffered a major loss, mostly involving a bereavement, but also including other distressing losses such as health and mobility, job, marriage and other relationships, property (e.g. by fire). Trauma counselling is provided for those who have experienced an overwhelming threatening event involving threat, injury or death to themselves or someone close to them. Examples of traumatic events addressed at Outreach include involvement in, or witness to, a car accident, incest and sexual assault, physical assault, finding the body of a murdered person, death of a family member in a house fire, destruction of family home by arson, finding a family member who died by suicide, a parent finding a child dead, exposure to workplace traumas (e.g. staff from a hospital casualty department who witness a particularly distressing admission).

Grief Companion training

Many referrals concern long term unresolved grief or trauma issues that have become complicating factors in, or even a major contributor to, currently presenting mental health or medical problems such as clinical depression or anxiety, psychoses, phobias, physical illness, family violence, addictions, behaviour disorders, and relationship issues, to name a few. So our work is interesting, rewarding, and always, challenging!

Requests for counselling come from more remote areas too - it is always difficult to have to convey that we do not have the resources to cater for the needs, for example, of west coast of Tasmania . Some people choose to travel the 3 or 4 hours it takes for them to reach us.

In the three years to date, of Outreach's operation in Devonport, over 300 people have received support through over 1800 counselling sessions.

Outreach was based, from the beginning, on a community model of support, where the local people are supported in mobilising their own talents and resources for the benefit of their community. To this end, the provision of Education and Training opportunities is also a crucial element of Outreach. We conduct workshops and seminars that provide education and training intended to enhance participants' capacity to be present to those who are hurting, in respectful and compassionate ways. Seminars and conference papers have been delivered to a wide range of professional groups, including doctors, nurses, police, fire and ambulance personnel, psychologists, social workers, schools, hospital chaplains, pastoral carers, rehabilitation providers, clergy, mental health and community workers, and youth workers in Tasmania, Victoria, ACT and South Australia. Other programs have been conducted in city and rural areas around Tasmania, to community groups such as Lifeline; Nursing Mother's Association; Rotaract; Palliative Care Volunteers, Church groups, parent groups, health support group eg cancer support .

In the last 4 years over 3500 people have attended one of nearly 350 education and training events.

We are prayerfully grateful for the generous funding of the Sisters of Charity Foundation, without whom this service would not be possible. The Catholic parish of Devonport provides our premises rent free, and we continue to be beneficiaries of the generosity of some local people who have provided practical expertise and time in maintaining our premises. Patches to a leaking roof, a little repair job here and there, a paint patch up, a carpentry job, the mowing of lawn, a beautiful garden, and more, all come cheerfully ... and without the bill!

The year 2000 ... a call ... simple beginnings ... one Sister of Charity ... one room in a shared house ... 125 counselling sessions in that first year. 2003 ... two psychologists and a secretary ... our own homely cottage ... a busy, thriving service ... 1260 counselling sessions and lots of training programs! 2004 ... three psychologists and more counseling and training. There is no doubt that we are meeting a great need. With sleeves rolled up, and trust in the graciousness of our God, we will continue to serve the people of the North-West coast of Tasmania and contribute to the development of the wider community's understanding of the grief and trauma processes and of their capacity to support those in need.