Shows
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityForensic Disability Services with Dr Matt FrizeSend us a textOur guest for this episode is Dr Matt Frize, Director of Forensic Disability Services, which sits within The Victorian State Government's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).Co-host Karenza Louis-Smith and I were lucky to catch some time with Matt at the Complex Needs Conference earlier this year.The sold out conference was co-hosted by ermha365 and ACSO Australia and funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.We talk to Matt, a senior specialist psychologist, about how Forensic Disability Services...
2025-08-2723 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityNow the election is over, what’s in store for Australia’s mental health?Send us a textWe are a few weeks on from The 2025 Australian federal election (May 3) which resulted in a more than convincing victory for the incumbent Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. So, as the federal government begins its new term, and we await the Victorian Government's State Budget next week (May 20), ermha365 CEO Karenza Louis-Smith thought it was a good time to catch up with Mental Health Victoria's CEO Phillipa Thomas to talk about what mental health reform and investment will look like for Australia.Mental Health Victoria...
2025-05-1640 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityCreating stable bases for young people who commit serious youth-to-youth violence with Dr Lisa WarrenSend us a textermha365 CEO Karenza Louis-Smith has a thought-provoking conversation with Clinical Forensic Psychologist Dr Lisa Warren, Clinical Director of Code Black Psychology about the Stable Bases Model that the organisation developed to support young people involved in serious youth-to-youth violence to guide their developmental journey and foster long-term positive outcomes. This episode was recorded at the Complex Needs Conference in Melbourne co-hosted by ermha365 and ACSO Australia with support from Swinburne University's Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and funded by th...
2025-04-1729 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityWhy NDIS high intensity supports are essential for participants with challenging behavioursSend us a textParticipants, families and providers across Australia are trying to make sense of what the latest NDIS Price Guide means for them – and this is in addition to the changes slated in the Federal Government’s Getting the NDIS Back on Track Bill. ermha365 is right behind the #4aBetterNDIS campaign that’s in response to the latest NDIS Pricing Review. This campaign is a joint effort of peak bodies – National Disability Services, Disability Intermediaries Australia, CEO Collab and Allied Health Professions Australia and their member organisations.There are change...
2024-09-1028 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityPrevention and Recovery Care (PARCs): mental health support in a home-like settingSend us a textThis is an edited version of our 2020 two-part podcast Celebrating PARCs, hosted by Chief Marketing Officer Robyn Haydon.Prevention and Recovery Care services (PARCs) are short and extended residential and day programs that provides 24-hour support in a “home-like” environment to people experiencing mental ill health and whose recovery can be supported without hospital admission. PARCs also supports people discharged from hospital who are not quite ready to return home.ermha365 delivers PARCs in South Yarra, Barwon and Warrnambool for partners Alfred Health, Barwon Health and Southwest Healthcare.Guests: K...
2024-06-2520 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityAutism, connection and relationships with Jodi RodgersSend us a textOur first guest for 2024 is Jodi Rodgers. Jodi is a sexologist, counsellor and special education teacher and has a Masters in Sexual Health. For Jodi, connection, intimacy and relationships are a basic human right and this drives her work, in particular with autistic people to support developing their social skills and understanding their emotions. Jodi’s appeared on the series Love on the Spectrum Australia, working with some of the show’s participants. Her new book, Unique: What autism can teach us about difference, connection and belonging has just been released and...
2024-03-0549 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilitySelf care, mental health and parenting a neurodivergent child with Donna Markham OAMSend us a textThis is our final episode for 2023, and we thought it would be timely to talk about self-care, especially during Christmas and the New Year period with, as always, a focus on mental health. Donna Markham is our guest. Donna is a qualified occupational therapist, an adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University and also a member of our ermha365 board, and chairing the Practice Governance, Quality and Safety Committee. Donna is Victoria’s former Chief Allied Health Officer and is now focused on entrepreneurship, using her allied health leadership experience to coach pro...
2023-12-2233 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityCall us, definitely: crisis support with Lifeline Direct's Dr Jakqui BarnfieldSend us a textOur guest for this episode is Dr. Jakqui Barnfield, Lifeline Direct's Executive Director of Service Delivery.Jakqui is a registered nurse with a passion for mental health and suicide prevention. She tells us about the power of reaching out to Lifeline Australia's services and that you are not alone.Helplines:Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78 Suicide Call B...
2023-12-0951 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityThe Homelessness Crisis in Melbourne's South East: ermha365 Pathways teamSend us a textThis is an episode recorded during Homelessness Week 2023, live from Harmony Square Dandenong in Melbourne's south east at an event on 8 August co-hosted by Wayss and City of Greater Dandenong.We speak with ermha365's Rosie Taylor, Practice Leader for Pathways and Dannie O'Leary, Mental Health Support Facilitator, Pathways.Rosie and Dannie work with people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne's south east who are referred to Pathways from Monash Health and Councils and assist clients with support.For more information on ermha365's Pathways program: ...
2023-08-1620 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityThe Impact of Stalking on Victim-Survivors with Nicole MadiganSend us a textOur guest for this episode is Nicole Madigan. Nicole is a writer, author and investigative journalist. Nicole has written her first non-fiction book called Obsession, which is an investigation into stalking and the psychology behind stalking behaviours and the impact on victim-survivors. Nicole was stalked for over three years. The relentless and debilitating experience wreaked havoc in her personal and professional life, leaving her trapped in a constant state of fear and anxiety.ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in V...
2023-07-2651 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityLife, as I knew it, was over: Traumatic Birth Injury and Pelvic Organ Prolapse with Stephanie ThompsonSend us a textImagine going through a traumatic childbirth injury, then finding out you have severe pelvic organ prolapse, an invisible and life-altering disability. How would you cope? Our guest for this episode is Stephanie Thompson, a courageous mother, teacher, athlete, and advocate for women's pelvic health. Stephanie shares her harrowing journey, the impact on her physical and mental well-being, and how she's found healing through her platform, Brave Mumma.Stephanie recounts her unexpected whirlwind of medical interventions during childbirth, which left her with little control over her own experience. We also explore the b...
2023-06-191h 14
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityMicro-aggressions, podcasting and the perils of being a people pleaser with Martha GatwechSend us a textOur guest for this episode is Martha Gatwech, a young women from Melbourne’s south east.Martha, who is South Sudanese Australian, is also a podcaster who talks about the realities of being a young woman, racism, mental health and finding your authentic self.Martha’s podcast is BROKEN RHYTHM.If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact:Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Stra...
2023-05-2230 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityMeet Mental Health Victoria CEO Marcelle MoggSend us a textMarcelle Mogg, CEO of Mental Health Victoria is our guest for this episode.Mental Health Victoria is the peak body for mental health and wellbeing in Victoria.Mental Health Victoria drives policy, advocacy, workforce training, best practice…and much more. Any organisation that operates within, or intersects with, the mental health system in Victoria - and ermha365 is one of these - can become members of Mental Health Victoria to connect with others, collaborate and contribute to policy development. MHV’s purpose is to ensure that p...
2023-05-0846 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilitySatellite Foundation: Supporting young people when a family member has mental ill-healthSend us a textSatellite Foundation is focused on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people where a family member, like a parent or sibling has a mental illness or mental health challenges and the youth they support are aged 8-25 and live in Victoria, Australia. CEO Rose Cuff and Youth Coordinator Mia Boonen are the guests for this episode.Find out more about Satellite Foundation online or or phone 1800 973 444You can follow Satellite Foundation on social media:Instagram - @s...
2023-04-0540 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityBurnt Out Chef: The Hospitality Industry and Mental Health with Alan TompkinsSend us a textOur guest for this episode is Alan Tomkins who is an ambassador for the Burn Chef Project, which was set up in the UK in 2019 to eradicate mental health stigma within hospitality.Alan was a chef for 22 years before finally leaving the industry he loved after he experienced significant impacts on his mental health. Now he’s using his living experience to work in mental health and recently started work at ermha365 as a Carer Respite Facilitator.MORE INFO:Alan's Facebook Page: Mental Health and th...
2023-03-0833 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityWhen Christmas isn’t the most wonderful time of the yearSend us a textChristmas is considered as one of the six most stressful life events, along with divorce, moving house and changing jobs. Although Christmas is meant to be a happy and joyful time, this isn't how everyone feels at this time of the year. Christmas can be a stressful and depressing time for many people. Some people find that the “Christmas spirt and celebration” can be really hard. Our special guests for this episode are Belinda Ellis and Jackie Ashmore from ermha365.Belinda is a registered psychologist, specialising in forens...
2022-12-1342 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityLoss, grief and coping over Christmas with Funeral Director Kelly ScottSend us a textNOTE: This episode contains discussion of death, grief and stillbirth. Listener discretion is advised.There’s a lot of reasons why Christmas and the New Year can be difficult, stressful and affect our mental health. Our guest for this episode is Kelly Scott, the current Victorian President of the Australian Funeral Directors Association and also its National Senior Vice President.Kelly is the General Manager of T J Scott & Son Funeral Directors based in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria – it’s a family...
2022-11-2958 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityMy battle with PTSD and keeping hope with Vietnam Veteran and author Dave MorganSend us a textNOTE: This episode contains discussion of trauma, suicide and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. Dave Morgan a Vietnam Veteran who has written a book called The Invisible Trauma: Coping with PTSD.We know from some of the conversations we’ve had on this podcast that serving and veteran military members are particularly vulnerable to trauma. The Invisible Trauma is Dave’s journey and details the various treatments and studies that he’s been a part of in a quest to find w...
2022-11-1539 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityBeing unapologetically me! with Heidi AndersonSend us a textOur guest for this episode is a dynamo! Heidi Anderson’s got influence and as she’s on her personal journey of confidence and being her authentic self, she’s bringing others along on the ride. Heidi’s had a successful career in radio, including the breakfast show in Perth on HIT 92.9, was a contestent in Big Brother and is a podcaster. When she spoke vulnerably on air to listeners about her battle with hating herself and her anxiety, it sparked a reaction she never imagined. it’s changed her life and revealed her purpose...
2022-11-0142 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityThe living experience workforce and governance training for mental health consumersSend us a textThe Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council, known as VMIAC is running a pilot project giving consumers of mental health services the opportunity to get education, training and practical learning experience to participate in leadership and governance arrangements across Victoria's transforming mental health system. Our guests for this episode are Erandathie Jayakody and Jo Rasmussen.Both Erandathie and Jo have living experience of being consumers of mental health services and are heavily involved in consumer leadership and elevating...
2022-10-0543 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityExploring personal trauma through poetry with Anders VillaniSend us a textIn this episode we will have some discussion about childhood sexual abuse and trauma. So, please do keep this in mind and take care of yourselves when deciding to listen to this content. Anders Villani is a Melbourne-based poet, writer, teacher and PhD candidate in Creative Writing. Anders is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and lives with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His new collection of poetry is called Totality. In Anders own words, this collection is a crea...
2022-08-0939 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityAdvocacy for a strong and sustainable NDIS with Laurie Leigh, CEO National Disability ServicesSend us a textLaurie Leigh is the CEO of National Disability Services, also known as NDS. NDS is Australia's peak body for non-government disability service organisations, representing over 1200 non-government service providers, of which ermha365 is one.We caught up with Laurie to talk about a number of things, including the NDS-led national campaign Teamwork Works that ran in the lead-up to the recent Federal Election. This campaign communicated the importance of the partnership between people with a disability and the teams that supports them – AND was a call for all cand...
2022-07-2633 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityLiving through sexual and domestic violence and my bipolar diagnosis at age 42 with Jacqueline EllwoodSend us a textContent Note: We will be discussing childhood trauma, sexual assault and family violence during this conversation. If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode please contact:Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service)Jacqueline Ellwood is an artist and writer in Melbourne. Her intricate two-dimensional paper art has a focus on...
2022-06-2843 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityWorkplace violence and aggression - why training is crucialSend us a textFor this episode we talk about occupational violence and aggression – what it is, who it affects and how people can be educated and supported to manage situations where clients, the public, even co-workers, may become verbally or physically aggressive. According to Work Safe Victoria, occupational violence and aggression is when a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in a situation related to their work. It might come from anywhere – clients, customers, the public or even co-workers.It’s a challenging issue for workplaces and employees, more so since the COVID-19...
2022-06-1437 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disability40 years of ermha365 - reflections and celebrationsSend us a text2022 sees complex mental health and disability services provider ermha365 turn 40! ermha365 produces this podcast.We wanted to reflect on and recognise how ermha365 has grown over these four decades in Victoria and beyond, supporting people with complex mental health and disability.Our special guests are two of ermha’s long-standing employees who’ve witnessed – and experienced - how ermha has evolved and adapted, in particular over the past 20 years. Guests:Dennise Rossetti – who recently retired after 20 years at ermha365 as Assistant Finance M...
2022-05-0335 min
Get Real: Talking mental health & disabilityHealthcare professionals and mental health (Part 2) with Dr Kieran AllenSend us a textLISTENER NOTE: The conversations on this podcast contain discussions of trauma, post traumatic stress, mental health and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.For this episode we talk to Dr Kieran Allen. Kieran is a senior psychiatric registrar in Melbourne and he’s a passionate and prominent advocate for the mental health of healthcare professionals. Kieran’s passion in this space comes from his own experience with his mental health. Kieran first experienced challenges with his mental health during adolescence, and during his time at university studying medicine, his mental healt...
2022-04-0538 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityHealthcare professionals and mental health (Part 1) with Heather PickardSend us a textIn this episode we meet Heather Pickard. Heather is the Chief Executive Officer of SHARC - Self Help Addiction Resource Centre, based in Melbourne, which supports people with addiction to alcohol, other drugs and gambling. SHARC has been around for 25 years, founded on the belief that people are experts in their own recovery, and the lived experience of those affected by addiction is central to SHARC’s programs and services.Heather is a registered nurse and after working in various roles - and after a time away fro...
2022-03-2143 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 45: Pressures on mental health and support service helplines during COVID-19Send us a textWe’re continuing our conversations about the mental health system, both in Victoria and in other states and the organisations that form part of this essential health service. We know that the mental health system in Victoria, and in the other states and territories of Australia were already struggling to cope with demand, and that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly blown out those pressures. Mental health support organisations are seeing steep increases in the requests for support, in particular crisis helplines and support referral services. Joining host Robyn Haydon for...
2021-11-0949 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 38: LGBTQ+ mental health and reactions to the Royal CommissionSend us a textWe’re continuing our conversations about the findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. These findings will reshape mental health services, not just in Victoria but potentially across Australia. The focus of this episode is on the recommendations for reform specific to LGBTQ+ mental health services. For the LGBTQ+ community, there’s “diversity within diversity” – also called intersectionality – for example First Nations queer people, queer people with a disability, and those from culturally diverse backgrounds. To provide genuine help, services need to understand and support this diversity. ...
2021-08-0457 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 29: Why are there so many people with disabilities in prison?Send us a textPeople with a disability are chronically over-represented in the criminal justice system in Australia, making up 29% of the prison population, despite being only 18% the general population.This is a situation that has to change, something that the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is hearing very clearly.Today Karenza Louis-Smith from ermha365 talks to Patrick McGee, national manager for policy, advocacy and research at the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, and Eileen Baldry AO, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Equity Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of...
2021-03-3153 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 27: The outlook for people with a disability in 2021Send us a text2020 was a tough year all round. And for people with a disability, and those that support them, it was a year of constant stress and anxiety, scrambling to provide disability support safely, while PPE and specific guidance for the disability sector were often in short supply. Will 2021 be any better for people with a disability, and if so, how? Today, GET REAL listeners have the rare opportunity to be a fly on the wall of our ‘virtual boardroom’, as four CEOs of disability support and advocacy organisations come together to tal...
2021-03-0347 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityGET REAL Summer Series, Episode 5 – Peer Workers, lived experience and mental health recoverySend us a textOver summer, we’re revisiting some of our favourite GET REAL episodes of 2020. It’s February 2021, and not long now until we will see the final report from the Royal Commission into Mental Health in Victoria. The interim report, published in November last year, reflects the Commission’s desire to incorporate lived experience in all aspects of the mental health system, including the delivery of mental health services. In practice, this is likely to mean many more opportunities for peer support workers; people who help others with their mental health i...
2021-02-0339 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 17: Lived Experience series (Part 4), Peer Workers and Mental Health RecoverySend us a textPeer workers with lived experience provide an important complement to the psychosocial support teams delivering mental health services. They improve the recovery orientation of mental health services, by offering genuine and authentic engagement with the people who use these services. This results in a reduction in hospital admissions and reduced load on other practitioners. For many people, peer workers with lived experience offer an improved experience of mental health treatment, care or support because they bring their own stories to their work. Their depth of understanding of the challenges of mental ill...
2020-11-1039 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 16: Lived Experience series (Part 3), Graeme Alford: Never Give UpSend us a textIn the third conversation in our Lived Experience series, Karenza Louis-Smith talks to Graeme Alford: a lawyer, ex-prisoner, and author of the bestselling book Never Give Up – the power of mental toughness. Growing up in Melbourne, Graeme had the world at his feet. He went to private school, won a Commonwealth Scholarship, excelled at Melbourne University and breezed his way into a city law firm. But Graeme was a heavy punter and drinker, and it wasn’t long before he went from defending criminals – to being one. Jailed not once but three t...
2020-10-2845 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 15: Lived Experience series (Part 2), Steve Cain – Nothing Is ImpossibleSend us a textImagine for a minute that you’re a young boy in the late ‘60s growing up in country Victoria. Yours is a typical childhood in many ways, but you are a little too fond of getting into trouble. On your twelfth birthday, you are made a Ward of the State and find yourself in Turana Youth Training Centre, starting your apprenticeship for a career of crime, drug addiction, mental illness and homelessness. What happens next? What kind of life will you have? And how do you survive and thr...
2020-10-1441 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 13: The Royal Commission on the Mental Health System in Victoria – where are we at and where are we heading?Send us a textIn February 2019, the Victorian Government established a Royal Commission on the Mental Health System in Victoria, the first of its kind in Australia. This is a “once in a generation opportunity” to accelerate improvements in mental health services, service navigation and models of care. Nearly 18 months later, the Royal Commission has made interim recommendations and is due to hand down its final report in February 2021. What are these recommendations? What will they mean for people living with mental health challenges, for their carers and loved ones, and for the service system that...
2020-09-1543 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 11: Why is a model of practice so important when supporting people with high & complex needs?Send us a textThis week on GET REAL, we look at what makes support successful when working with people with high and complex needs associated with mental health and disability.At ermha365, where we specialise in delivering this kind of support, we have seen that having a shared approach and a common language – used consistently across our organisation – is the key to supporting people safely and well. This model of practice is known to us as “the ermha way”.The ermha way model of practice stems from Positive Behaviour Support frameworks, which acknowled...
2020-08-2641 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 7: Mental health, disability, and the criminal justice systemSend us a textPeople with complex mental health conditions, along with a range of physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, face additional challenges and hardships within the criminal justice system; a system that is difficult for any of us to negotiate. So, when the Royal Commission on Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Discrimination against People with Disabilities released a Paper on Criminal Justice issues, the team at ermha365 – which has long been a lifeline for people who are challenged with complex mental health and disability issues – believed it was particularly important to respond.This week...
2020-06-1744 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 5: Getting help for your mental health during COVID-19Send us a textThis week, GET REAL asks a very practical question: Where do you go to get help for your mental health – particularly if it is something you’ve struggled with even before COVID-19, or you have an underlying mental health condition, or the advice that’s available online, and to everyone, just doesn’t seem to make a difference for you?On this episode, guests include: Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO of ermha365 and Board Member of Mental Health Victoria; Lynne and Cassie, Practice Leaders in ermha365’s Psychosocial Support Progr...
2020-05-2045 minGet Real: Talking mental health & disabilityEpisode 2: The disability sector response to COVID-19Send us a textPeople with disabilities are highly vulnerable in the COVID-19 pandemic. Is our government doing enough to help them? What more do people with disabilities - and the organisations that support them - need to get them through this crisis safely? GET REAL talks to the CEOs of three disability support organisations that have banded together with more than 30 others to lobby the government for the help that the sector desperately needs. Together, this non-affiliated coalition, as part of the NDIS, supports more than 300,000 people with disabilities across Australia, employing thousands of A...
2020-04-0730 min