Recovery is not about a cure at TeamHEALTH

Catherine Kubiak, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Worker at TeamHEALTH said that often individuals with a mental illness lack confidence or have experienced some trauma in their lives that makes them reluctant to do things on their own, including seeking out help.

“It is important that people know that they are not alone and there are people who can help.”

“Many participants that I engage with are often unaware of the supports available to them through organisations such as ours, TeamHEALTH, and/or other similar services,” Ms Kubiak said.

“At TeamHEALTH we collaborate across our programs and services and with other community service providers to build connections that support our participants in recovery,” she said.

TeamHEALTH’s programs and services are provided within a model of recovery focussed psychosocial rehabilitation that is underpinned by the principles of recovery orientated mental health practices.

“At TeamHEALTH we recognise that recovery is not necessarily about a cure but is about providing our participants with the opportunity to make choices that allow them to live a meaningful, satisfying and purposeful life, as a valued member of the community,” Catherine said.

“We recognise that recovery outcomes are personal and unique for every individual,” she said.

Catherine works with participant’s to develop an Individual Recovery Plan, where the individual identifies their own goals and sets out a plan to achieve them.

The plan is a step by step blueprint for individuals to follow and provides the individual with ownership of their recovery.

“I think goal setting has proven to be very effective in the recovery process but it’s important for participant’s to be realistic and only take small steps at a time.”

“You can’t expect too much to happen at once or you’ll end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed, which will impact negatively on your mental health.”

“It’s is important to let recovery happen at its own pace,” Catherine said.

“Eventually the participant can regain their independence and work up the confidence to start making goals for themselves, that they initially didn’t think to be possible,” Ms Kubiak said.

“TeamHEALTH work with participants so that they are continually active with their Individual Recovery Plans, allowing the participant to be dynamic and to reflect their changing circumstances,” she said.

TeamHEALTH provides early intervention, education and mental health services to the Darwin region and the rural and remote communities of the Top End.

It is the goal of TeamHEALTH to build capacity within the Top End community to understand and better manage mental health issues.

TeamHEALTH’s programs are provided within a model of recovery focussed psychosocial rehabilitation and within the framework of the National Mental Health Plan and Standard.

TeamHEALTH works closely with other local specialist service providers such as Top End Mental Health Services (TEMHS), drug/alcohol services and other non-government organisations.