Welcome!

This year feels like it is flying!  Somehow, we are already at the end of March.  The NSW Western Region Branch committee met for our second meeting of 2019 on the 14^th of March.  We are very excited about our upcoming PD over the next two years.  If there is any PD you would like to see in the WRAPS area, please e-mail Alicia on [email protected]

SAVE THE DATES:

• Clinician masterclasses facilitated by Birchtree are planned to be held in Orange and Dubbo on the 2^nd and 3^rd of May.  More details will follow.
• Parent Capacity Assessments presented by Chris Lenning to be held in Bathurst on the 9^th and 10^th of August.  We are currently exploring appropriate venues for the workshop.
• Emotion Focused Therapy Level 1 training facilitated by Dr Leslie Greenberg in Bathurst 16^th to 19^th of May 2020.  More details will follow.  For any questions please contact Debby Krahe on [email protected]
• Birtchtree Clinician masterclasses: Orange and Dubbo 2^nd and 3^rd of May
• Parent Capacity Assessments: held in Bathurst 9^th and 10^th of August

NETWORK MEETING:

• The NSW Western Region Branch committee are wondering whether members may be interested in attending a dinner network event to be held in July.  This would be a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues, eat yummy food and have a drink (of whatever you fancy) and have a great time with wonderful people.  If this is of interest to you, please e-mail Alicia on [email protected].  If we have enough interest, we will organise an event.
• Each year the NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) administers bursaries and scholarships to allied health professionals. Check out the following link for more details: https://www.nswrdn.com.au/site/rdn-scholarships

Library Spot by Gary Black NSW Western Region Branch Committee Librarian blackgk@aapt

Man Up documentary (free on Movember website) 

• Globally, every minute, a man dies by suicide.
• In Australia, 75% of suicides are men.
• Suicide is now the leading cause of death for Australian men aged 15-44.
• Men experience worse longer-term health than women and die on average six years earlier. 

Man Up is a three-part documentary series and social awareness campaign funded by the Movember Foundation and hosted by Triple M radio personality Gus Worland. It aims to get to the bottom of the male suicide crisis, effect real social change and hopefully save lives. 

InPsych June 2018 article by Assoc Prof Andrea Phelps reported the outcome of a Uni of Melbourne team study of 354 men to determine if this documentary really works. The research found that Man Up was well-received and increased men’s attitudes and intentions to seek help for personal and emotional problems. (The article is worth reading.) 

In her practice, Andrea Phelps (Clin Psych) has recommended viewing of Man Up to clients such as:

• Men who expressed embarrassment about coming to see a psychologist.
• Partners and parents concerned about a loved one refusing to seek help.
• Men worried about a mate who cut himself off from friends.
• Men already in treatment but struggling with self-esteem or distressed because they don’t fit their stereotype of masculinity. A useful adjunct to therapy.

She wrote:

• “Without exception, my clients have valued the documentary and thanked me for introducing them to it.”
• “Man Up will also benefit boys in transition to adulthood. For clients who are parents of adolescent boys and psychologists working in schools, Tom Harkin’s on-screen workshop with teenage boys in particular, will be moving and instructive.”
• “I urge all psychologists and other MH practitioners to view the documentary themselves and, where appropriate, recommend it to their clients (both men and women).”