The majority of people living with a mental illness have experienced interpersonal trauma. Between 50-90% of women and at least 40% of men accessing clinical mental health services have experienced such abuse. The link between trauma and the development of mental health problems has also been well established. However it can be argued that mental health services in Australia have not adequately integrated this knowledge into practice through the provision of trauma-informed care that includes therapeutic approaches. This symposium presentation will discuss opportunities for opportunities for therapeutic interventions in settings that do not provide traditional psychotherapy. The symposium brings together lived experience, research, clinical and organisational practice in four presentations discussing:
– The personal experience of a woman living with schizophrenia, her experience of growing up in family violence and some of the missed opportunities by mental health providers to engage with her about trauma; – Feedback from research and work with at risk young people with trauma histories at the interface of community and public acute care support – lost opportunities and examples of successful therapeutic work; – Feedback from cross-sector work in the area of trauma and mental health opposing systems or possibilities for integration of therapeutic approaches; – Organisational reflections on opportunities about how to integrate therapeutic work into busy and challenging settings such as psychiatric inpatient units.
