2022 Looking Back & Looking Ahead
Reflections by our CEO Denise
What a year! Like all mental health organisations Australia, we are exhausted, and the Haven Team is on a well-deserved and much needed break. We will be back on Monday 9 January 2023, but looking back, what did 2022 bring?
• Supported approximately 425 clients through their journey to better mental health
• Provided over 3,300 hours of individual, relationship, and NDIS therapy, and a growing suite of assessments
• Increased clinical staff from 4 to 7 clinicians, farewelled to Ingrid, and saying hello to Mel, Tiarna, Kylie, and Dae, bringing our total staff to 10
• Presented at conferences and panels, provided webinars, training and supervision
• And of course, the February floods which saw our practice surrounded by flood water (see the pics!) and the team providing telehealth to all clients during this period.
Achievements
Our reputation developed such that we gained international clients in both our clinical space, as well as our consultancy side. Denise provided two presentations in Melbourne at the Australian Psychological Society College of Counselling Psychologists Conference Themed Complex Mental Health and Diversity and completed their first term as the Queensland Chair. Denise also provided trauma-informed diversity, equity, and inclusion training to mental health business owners and clinicians across Australia and Asia. Haven was nominated as Service Provider of the Year, and Denise was nominated as Health Professional of the Year in the Trans Community Awards. The Awards Ceremony was postponed to March 2023 due to Covid-19.
We also had many personal professional achievements to celebrate in 2022. Denise completed her Masters in Sexual and Reproductive Health, Kylie passed her National Psychology Exam, Carla successfully completed her first year as a Provisional Psychologist, Owen completed his Counselling Psychologist Registrar programme, and Mel and Tiarna both successfully completed their first year as Clinical Psychologist Registrars.
Over the year, we’ve had medical practices, hospital departments, lawyers, community organisations and families ask us to open in Rockhampton, the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, Perth, Melbourne, Tasmania, and Sydney. We were humbled by the honour and recognised the need. We’ve listened and heard you all – BIG news in 2023!
As we approached the end of 2022, our hearts were broken for our fellow Australians with the announced reduction of Medicare funded sessions from 20 to 10. This will have an immeasurable impact on our most vulnerable citizens and their families. At Haven, around 25% of clients had more than 10 hours of therapy, and many of them will be severely impacted by Minister Butler’s poor decisions of ceasing this support.
But looking ahead to 2023, Carla and Dae have created Haven’s first group programme called Glisten: Reclaiming Sexuality after sexual trauma. We are looking forward to working with Lydia who will be joining us at the end of 2023 for a year-long placement, and we will be hiring more staff in the New Year to add to our ever-growing team both in Brisbane and …WATCH THIS SPACE
