Family Healing & Wellbeing Services

The Family Healing Service is a mental health service for mild to moderate mental health and wellbeing presentations.

Gurriny employs three to four mental clinicians  including mental health accredited social workers, mental health psychologists, mental health nurse and an Aboriginal crisis counsellor. The clinicians use MBS approved psychological assessments and therapeutic interventions and work closely with Gurriny’s GPs to support GP Mental Health Care Plan patients.

The service is built upon an  intake, triage and assessment model that uses psychological interventions, yarning, psychometric testing, structured parenting programs and psycho-educative/social and emotional wellbeing groups to improve the life and wellbeing of Yarrabah people . Clients can self-refer or be referred by other internal  Gurriny services or external Yarrabah services.  

More severe mental health presentations, that is those patients who have a diagnosed psychosis are supported by a visiting CHHHS acute MH service to community, consisting of a MH Nurse /MH Social Worker  and two local Aboriginal MH Workers.  

The Family Wellbeing program is an early prevention program for children and families who are at risk.
The service is funded by Wuchopperen’s and is part of a regional Indigenous sector prevention program. The service is staffed by a Team leader and three Wellbeing Workers.  

The service undertakes:

• an assessment of each client family’s need s to assist in building capacity to care for their children safely in their home and in their community
• Provision of practical support to address specific needs of families
•  Provision of emotional support and healing practices within a cultural context
• Referral and advocacy for families to access, medical, clinical and therapeutic supports to address each family’s specific needs
• Case management and review of each client family’s engagement with the service

Parents Under Pressure  
The Parents Under Pressure program assists parents understand the diverse problems families may be facing and help parents understand how these may be impacting on their parenting.

• It helps parents find the believe in evidence of their parental competency
• It teaches and encourage the use of emotional regulations, positive thinking, and self-soothing skills
• It promotes positive-child relationship through encouraging sensitive and responsive parenting to provide the maximum opportunity for the development of a nurturing and loving relationship
• It helps parents manage their child’s difficult behaviour.  using specific non-punitive child management techniques, and emphasises the importance of being in the right state of mind and discipline to be fair and effective.
• It teaches parents practical skills where these do not exist, including budgeting, nutrition, health care, obtaining housing etc

Referrals to all Wellbeing Services can be made by individuals, families or through other services.