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What’s the Difference? Mental Health Professionals Explained

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Navigating mental health support can be overwhelming. Many start with their GP, who can create a mental health care plan and refer you to a Psychologist. However, finding the right support might require additional effort. At A Path To Follow, we guide you through understanding various mental health professions to help you make informed decisions. Here’s a brief overview of the key roles:   Psychologist 🧠 Psychologists assess and provide therapy for mental health issues. They are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and must complete at least 6 years of training. They focus on talking therapy and don’t usually extend beyond session-based interactions. Psychiatrist 🩺 Psychiatrists are medical doctors with additional training in Psychiatry. They can manage medication and complex cases. They often work with Psychologists as part of a care team. Social Worker 🌍 Social Workers provide counselling and help with advocacy and service coordination. They are not regulated in Australia, but the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) sets standards. Verify if your Social Worker is AASW-eligible. Mental Health Social Worker 💬 Mental Health Social Workers have additional qualifications and can assess and diagnose mental health issues. They are accredited through AASW. Counsellor 💡 Counsellors enhance mental health through talking therapy. While registration is not mandatory, postgraduate qualifications and membership with organisations like PACFA are recommended. Youth Worker 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Youth Workers support young people with practical needs and service connections. They often hold diplomas and may be registered with the Youth Workers Association. Hypnotist 🌀 Hypnotherapy involves inducing a trance to address issues like smoking cessation. Check if your Hypnotherapist is registered with the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia. Mental Health Nurse 🩺 Mental Health Nurses are registered nurses with specialised training in mental health, working in various settings to manage comprehensive care. Mental Health Peer Worker or Mentor 💬 Peer Workers use their personal mental health experiences to support others. While not regulated, reputable organisations ensure proper training and supervision.   We hope this guide helps you understand different mental health professions and choose the right support. Click here to make a time with A Path To Follow to help assistant you with finding a reputable mental health specialist. By Kirstie Edwards Stay informed! Sign up for our newsletter at http://eepurl.com/iPwnew

Unpacking the Complexity: A Guide to My Multifaceted Life and Work

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What, why and how I do “A Path To Follow” is complicated apparently (ah, yes it is).  This is largely due to our commitment to the customisation of wellbeing services to meet the needs of our peers. But I do get it, I need community to understand what we do, if we are to truly provide positive impact for those who need it most. This means I need to know how to simplify our key messages. Here is my attempt at a describing what really is a niche, pivotal and unique service in a simple way that also still captures the true essence of our service for those who really need it right now. Here goes… Please let me know your feedback. I am Kirstie; Founder of A Path To Follow (APTF), (Volunteer) Secretary of South Eastern Suicide Prevention Network, Mental Health Service User and Carer, Professional, Mum, Wife and Human Being (the order of which does not reflect my priorities nor preferences). I have over 25 years of professional experience in wellbeing related sectors, inclusive of practice within education, family, community and mental health systems.   I also have well over 25 years of combined mental health lived experience as a mental health service user and/or as a carer to a young person experiencing mental health related challenges.   It is that lived experience that grounds my professional practice, enabling authentic engagement and personalised support of young people and families in their wellbeing journeys.    It is those combined Lived and Professional experiences that saw APTF arrive as an alternative method of care in our “broken” mental health service system; out of the the raw, personal, chaotic, traumatic and grief laden journey within the system arose something so important, so ingrained in my being that I knew professionally young people and families need. Three years old as an official business, (9 years into a venture that began with a small but important volunteer community awareness and fundraising focus) my commitment to young people and family wellbeing has not changed; in fact, it has grown and consolidated my commitment and passion. I will continue to practice within my values and vision according to the missions set to proudly provide this unique model of service, growing our professional and lived experience workforce as we go. Our mental health peer youth, family and sporting programs for are a product of my combined mental health experiences and current best practice evidence, with each embedded in principles of prevention, early intervention and personalised response.  Both Australian and International research backs the role of lived experience working collaboratively alongside professional care to help communities bring about their own best outcomes in wellbeing. Just look at our RCMH recommendations for evidence in support of lived experience and peer support in our trying to save our mental health system. Very rarely is my life simple or my mind uncomplicated. I hope I have untangled the tangles and simplified the complexities enough for those of you needing a light at the end of your tunnel today. Kirstie Descriptions of Youth, Family and Sporting Peer Programs can be found on our website. Further information on our  Model Of Peer Support, can be found here:

Understanding Lived Experience Mental Health Peer Support

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Lived Experience Mental Health Peer Support   A Mental Health Peer Worker is employed based on their personal lived/living experience of mental health challenges and recovery. They are commonly being employed in hospital and community settings, often alongside the employment of Carer Peers, who tend to support the families of those experiencing challenges. A Path To Follow’s Model Of Peer Support APTF uses a model of Lived Experience Peer Support, where APTF Peers use their living/lived and professional experiences to support the peer journey. Inherent to this model are the foundational principles of Intentional Peer Support’s Framework: From Helping to Learning Together – we don’t see peers as needing to be fixed or us as the experts, Individual to Relationship – we see our work together as a partnership where both peers have a responsibility and From Fear to Hope and Possibility we don’t subscribe to a traditional risk based model, rather we use one that sees the meaning behind risks as a source of opportunity to learn and grow, in a safe and supportive manner. We acknowledge this system is quite different from the medicalised model we have all grown up with; you as a patient/client seeing an expert. We are all experts within our own lives and APTF was founded, and is directed by Kirstie, with substantial knowledge and experience of the system as a consumer, carer and professional. APTF Peers use a mix of perspectives and experiences to advocate and walk beside young people and their families, enabling participation in supports while remaining connected to their communities. This model of service is not a crisis service but does offer a flexibility outside what many mainstream services are able to offer. Support is customised according to needs; including various session locations and contact times, who is included in the service, referrals to other services, shared care with other services and so on… Sometimes we just want to be heard. That is a great place to start with us. Reach out for your FREE consultation to see how we can assist.

A Path To Follow’s Peer Support Framework

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APTF uses a model of Lived Experience Peer Support, where APTF Peers use their lived and professional experiences to support their peer’s journey. Inherent to this model are the foundational principles of Intentional Peer Support’s Framework: From Helping to Learning Together – we don’t see peers as needing to be fixed or us as the experts, Individual to Relationship – we see our work together as a partnership and From Fear to Hope and Possibility we don’t subscribe to a traditional risk based model, rather we use one that sees the meaning behind risks as a source of opportunity to learn and grow, in a safe and supportive manner. We acknowledge this system is quite different from the medicalised model we have all grown up with; you as a patient/client seeing an expert. APTF believes we are all experts within our own lives and APTF was founded and is directed by Kirstie, who has substantial knowledge and experience of the system as a consumer, carer and professional. We use all of those perspectives to advocate and walk beside you, enabling you to participate in the supports you require and remain connected to the community that is important to you.

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