Information for consumers, families and carers

We recognise that people on a recovery journey need to work in equal partnership with their treating team, family and carers. The recovery journey is about a positive mindset and a belief that people can live happy and meaningful lives despite mental illness. We strive to develop a culture where recovery is encouraged, promoted and nurtured.

Who is a consumer?

Consumers are people who use, or are potential users, of mental health services. We may also use terms like patient, client or resident.

Who is a carer?

Carers are people who support and nurture consumers. Carers may be relatives, friends or anyone else who provides support in an unpaid capacity.

Information for Families, Carers and Significant Others.

What is recovery?

“Recovery is not the same thing as being cured. Recovery is a process not an end point or a destination. Recovery is an attitude, a way of approaching the day and facing the challenges.”

Dr Patricia E. Deegan

A recovery approach is holistic, person centred, solution focused, strengths based and an ongoing journey rather than a fixed goal or endpoint. This is broader than clinical recovery. It incorporates the concept of personal recovery, which includes factors like hope, identity, empowerment, self-determination and living a meaningful life according to your goals.

Consumer and Carer Services

Metro North Mental Health has a well-established Consumer and Carer Service comprising of staff who have a lived experience of recovery from mental illness and those who have cared for people with mental illness. The consumer and carer services workforce relate, in a unique way, to consumer and carer personal experiences, needs, and concerns. Consumer and Carer Services support consumers and carers to be actively involved in recovery from mental illness. All inpatient and continuing care teams can access Consumer and Carer Services.

Consumer Consultants and Carer Coordinators promote consumer and carer participation and contribute a lived experience perspective at systems level to support the service in the planning, delivery and evaluation of a consumer and carer focused service.
Peer Workers use their experience of living with mental illness and recovery to provide peer support across various settings including inpatient, community and extended treatment.
Peer Assistants provide companionship and peer support and positive role modelling to consumers on the inpatient wards.

My ROLE – My Register of Lived Experience

My ROLE is a new model of engaging consumers, clients, carers and community members to have input into Metro North Mental Health service delivery and improvement. If you are interested in contributing to improving mental health and alcohol and other drug services in the Brisbane North area, we invite you to register in our innovative database. The purpose of registering is to learn a bit about your experience, interests, skills and preferences so that we can match you to activities. Examples of activities include reviewing policy documents, brochures for consumers, participating in workshops, presenting the lived experience perspective at workshops and training events and more. If you would like to find out more about My ROLE, you can contact Russell Hogarth (Tues, Weds, Thurs) on 07 3114 0812 or you can email myrole@health.qld.gov.au

The registration form for My ROLE is available here.

Conversations in Mental Health – video resources to support health literacy

Conversations in Mental Health are video resources, co-designed by and co-developed with persons with a lived experience of mental illness. The resources are aimed at promoting health literacy of both staff and consumers/carers and developing shared understanding of the lived experience of mental illness.