geoffreyahern
geoffreyahern
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Aug 7, 2012 (13 years) |
7 years | 1 | 3 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Aug 7, 2012 (13 years)
- Last activity
- 7 years
- Topics created
- 1
- Replies created
- 3
Bio
Allow me to introduce myself. I'm a Senior Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse from Melbourne, Australia. I’m also (in no particular order) husband, student, educator, and dad to 2 kids who are home-educated and also 2 young men finding their way in this world. I work on a specialised mental health response team with Victorian Police where I attend mental health emergencies with police and try to facilitate care in the community for the client, or if needed, a seamless transfer from the community to the hospital avoiding chaotic emergency departments.
The rest of the time I do freelance mental health education for various organisations in both the public and private sectors. When I’m not working I like to potter around our suburban yard and think about ways that we can live which are more environmentally friendly. I’m also passionate about understanding how things like exercise, nutrition, community, meaning and purpose and practices like meditation, yoga and prayer can positively impact our mental and emotional health.
Over the years I have gained extensive experience in Emergency and Trauma nursing, Rural Nursing, Drug and Alcohol Counselling and Psychiatric nursing, having worked in both the public and private sectors and I hold a Masters Degree in Mental Health. As an educator I have been involved in one to one mentoring and staff inservices right through to full-time lecturing at a tertiary level. I am a passionate and creative teacher, bringing to my audience stories and experiences that give life and meaning to the subject areas that I teach which includes such diverse areas as Psychopathlogy, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anixety Management, Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Suicide Awareness and Prevention. Don’t expect a bland presentation loaded with theory if you attend my training. I like to tell stories, connect with my audience, have some fun, laugh a little and even pay out on you. I guarantee you’ll go away not depressed or disheartened about mental health, but optimistic and energised with new ideas for living well and helping others to do the same.
One of my major training ventures is running the Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid courses, of which I am accredited to teach both. In 2011 I was formally recognised by MHFA Australia as a Master Instructor.
If I had to choose an area I’m most passionate about it’s working with men. Our society is pretty much programmed to create men that are emotional and mental car wrecks. We are told to be strong and capable and then criticised for not showing emotion and compassion, but heaven forbid that we do, for then we are criticised for being too weak and pathetic. If you don’t think we’re pretty messed up, have a look at substance abuse rates and suicide rates in this country. Look at who’s in prison and who’s standing before a magistrate having an Apprehended Violence Order slapped on them. It’s mostly blokes; angry, sad, disheartended, confused and lost blokes.
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