Mental Health: Strengthening the voice of lived experience

The partnership will enable direct engagement between researchers, practitioners and educators and leverage collaboration opportunities across academic and clinical partner networks and philanthropy. This opportunity will focus on translating evidence-based research from the Monash School of Nursing and Midwifery into the Open Dialogue approach.

Professor Niels Buus of Monash Nursing and Midwifery has worked alongside Open Dialogue advocates at the Grant Family Charitable Trust and Relationships Australia, NSW, for many years and is leading an international research group exploring Open Dialogue practices, implementation, and adoption. "Open Dialogue is about working with families to mobilise psychosocial recourses when faced by a mental health crisis or adversity. It is a recovery-oriented and trauma-informed approach that acknowledges the voices of lived experience as equal to the professionals' voice," says Professor Buus.

The collaboration will also provide opportunities for highly experiential training in Open Dialogue methods for mental health nurses, clinicians and healthcare workers and drive much-needed change in the clinical service delivery of mental health and well-being. Open Dialogue trainees will learn about transformative dialogues by being placed "in" Dialogue through learning processes, fostering a high level of openness to understanding individuals and their family’s needs.

"Building a universal and sustainable national health system that supports mental well-being should be a key priority for all Australian governments and relevant health agencies. The global pandemic has accelerated the scale of this challenge with an urgent need for services to become more recovery-oriented, family inclusive and holistic. Open Dialogue's innovative approach supports Australians and closes the gap in our mental health system", says Keith Bryant, Executive Chair of the Open Dialogue Centre.

"Monash University is excited about the partnership with the Open Dialogue Centre as it strengthens our mental health nursing team in developing new educational resources and research. Also, I expect the partnership to bring new energy into dealing with the current mental health workforce crisis concerning recruitment and retention of specialist mental health nurses," says Professor Debra Griffiths, Head of Monash Nursing and Midwifery.

Open Dialogue Centre visits Monash University, May 2022

^{Back row, left to right: Paul Denborough, Keith Bryant, Niels Buus, John Grant AM, Elisabeth Shaw FAPS, Sally Green.
Front row, left to right: Tessa Jones, Debra Griffiths, Shubhangi Kaushik, Kathryn Greiner AO.}

About Open Dialogue Centre

The Open Dialogue Centre is a joint-venture partnership between the Grant Family Charitable Trust and Relationships Australia, NSW. The Centre provides the training, supervision and support needed to integrate Open Dialogue into any setting confidently, resulting in better connections between services, teams, individuals, and their families. The Centre aims to improve mental health services in Australia; involve families and community key partners to help provide care and support for those experiencing distress; and ensure services are responsive, accessible, and adapted to the needs of the individual.

For more information contact info@opendialoguecentre.org.au or visit opendialoguecentre.org.au