Including the prestigious TheMHS Medal
People from all parts of mental health services have been recognised for their vital contributions to mental health across Australia and New Zealand, in the TheMHS Mental Health Service Awards.
Seventeen awards across thirteen categories have been presented to individuals and organisations across the mental health sector, including clinicians, educators, researchers and service managers at this week’s Mental Health Services Conference in Sydney.
At a special Awards Ceremony, hosted by TheMHS Learning Network and attended by over 900 mental health professionals, winners were presented with their awards, which are sponsored by the Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian science journalist and broadcaster Natasha Mitchell, presided over the ceremony.
The Awards acknowledge and promote: best-practice in the delivery of mental health services; innovation, consumer-focus and lived-experience leadership; excellence in mental health research; as well as media and journalism that helps to decrease the stigma which can still be associated with mental distress.
The 2022 Awards include the awarding of a prestigious TheMHS Medal to Tū Whakaruruhau, The Auckland Wellbeing Collaborative, in New Zealand (the last TheMHS Medal awarded was in 2019).
Judges determined that Tū Whakaruruhau, The Auckland Wellbeing Collaborative, (thirty-five collaborating organisations) had successfully guided the implementation of a new model of primary mental health care in New Zealand.
The judges commented: ‘This is a great example of a systems change that was piloted and then scaled up in the primary care setting, to address mental distress. The easy access to early intervention has made a significant change to the service system and to the mental health outcomes of large numbers of people. The strong lived experience and Māori involvement in the design, implementation, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, is a key strength’.
The ‘Wellbeing in the Workplace’ Award which recognises strategy, intervention and systems that support organisational and workplace wellbeing was won by Coca Cola EuroPacific Partners for their Healthy@CCEP program. This Award has never been more relevant in an environment of increasing workplace pressures.
The Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, conveyed a message of congratulations to the winners at the Awards Ceremony.
The 17 Awards and their recipients are:
| Education, Training or Workforce Development Award |
Blueprint For Learning Blueprint for Learning – Mental health and addiction literacy workshops
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General Award
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Tandem Tandem – the trusted voice of family carers and supporters in mental health in Victoria
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Lived Experience Leadership Award
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Independent Community Living Australia e-Friend: National Online Peer Support Network
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Mental Health Promotion or Mental Illness Prevention Award
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The Oranges Toolkit Resilience and agility at work – The Oranges Toolkit workplace wellbeing programs
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Psychosocial and Support Category Award
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Walsh Trust He Kākano Ora – Perinatal Mental Health Respite and community-based support services
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Therapeutic and Clinical Services Award
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Keeping the Body In Mind(gardens) Keeping the Body In Mind: Lifestyle support for people experiencing severe mental illness
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Early Career Research Award
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Jin Han – Black Dog Institute/university Of New South Wales Innovative digital approach to support young people at risk of suicide
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Early Career Research Award
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Stephanie Kershaw – Matilda Centre For Research In Mental Health And Substance Use, University Of Sydney Challenging stigma and improving health outcomes through best practice in digital translation |
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The Tom Trauer Evaluation and Research Award
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Mario Alvarez-Jimenez – Orygen, The University Of Melbourne Harnessing Digital Technology to Transform Youth Mental Health Services
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The Tom Trauer Evaluation and Research Award
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Luis Salvador-Carulla – University Of Canberra The GLOCAL Project (Global and Local Observation and mapping of Care Levels) in Mental Health |
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Wellbeing in the Workplace Award
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Spire Workplace Health – Submitting for Coca Cola Europacific Partners Healthy@CCEP
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Text and Online Journalism Award
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Archer Magazine Archer Magazine – the DISABILITIES issue
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Sound/Vision Journalism Award
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Lune Media Australia Osher Günsberg: A Matter of Life and Death
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Special Journalism Award
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Anxiety Project – Broadcast
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Exceptional Contribution Award
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Professor Jeff Young |
| Exceptional Contribution Award | Professor Nick Titov |
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THEMHS MEDAL
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Tū Whakaruruhau The Auckland Wellbeing Collaborative |
TheMHS Awards/TheMHS Learning Network
The Mental Health Service Awards have been recognising excellence, innovation and best practice in mental health in Australia and New Zealand, for over 30 years.
TheMHS Learning Network is an international learning network for improving mental health services in Australia and New Zealand. TheMHS supports the knowledge access and professional development of people and organisations engaged in mental health treatment, promotion and research. TheMHS is a registered charity run by a volunteer board.
For further information
TheMHS office on: info@themhs.org or awards@themhs.org
T. +61 2 9810 8700 (Australia)