Late Wednesday morning, Sr Rose Mary and I were joined by Jane Sullis, another member of the JPCC, to make the 3-hour trek to Canberra (the capital of Australia- NOT Sydney, as the residents were quick to inform me!) to visit the Australian Catholic University at the Signadu campus. This was my first time venturing outside the main city of Sydney since arriving and it allowed me to see another side of Australia. As I watched the strikingly different landscape flash by my passenger window, it hit me that I was in a completely different country. Driving past farmlands and vineyards, I could see across the flat landscape for miles- something I am not used to in rocky, mountainous New England. We passed Lake George, aka the wide, flat expanse now covered with grass, shrubs, and the occasional herd of cattle due to the 10-year drought. Caution signs lined the highway warning drivers: “Wombats, next 12 km.” Not something you see while driving up I-95!
However, more shocking than the landscape were the freezing temperatures. Stepping out of the car upon arrival, I noticed frost on the ground and could see my breath in the air. Brrr! The retreat center we were staying in didn’t have central heating so I made good use of the electric blanket in my bed and the endless supply of tea.
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| A rather dry Lake George |
We ventured out to dinner at Zombaros, a stop-in Mexican storefront much like Chipotle. It’s a growing chain started by a local doctor based on the one-for-one business model: for every meal served, the founder donates a meal to a third-world country. (For those of you who know my obsession with TOMs shoes and this similar model, I was in full support!) I got to walk Sr Rose Mary through ordering her first (ever!) Mexican meal and greatly amused the man behind the counter by helping her order a burrito with all the fillings- go big or go home! (although we did skip the hot sauces…) I think she and Jane enjoyed this cuisine adventure, or at least they both finished their burritos!
Thursday morning (after a cheerful wake up call by a tree full of magpies outside my window) it was back to school for me- Sr Rose Mary made sure I had a hearty breakfast before dropping me off in front of the steps of ACU to meet my professor, Peter Humphries, who teaches the winter intensive course on social work and mental health for graduate students. Living in the same town all my life, I’ve never really experienced the anxious feeling of arriving as a brand new student in the middle of a semester- until today. However, in true Aussie fashion, their warm welcome made me comfortable right away. Peter put me on the spot right off the bat and asked me about an American perspective on health care organization and reform (thank goodness for my American Health Care course last year!). I was able to give a brief explanation of the individualistic and largely privatized approach to the American system; many of the students found this shocking compared to their universal health scheme, which seemed like the obvious answer to them.
During the lecture we also focused on mental health diagnosis and treatment within a social and cultural context –and in particular the implications of treating the Aboriginal population. Much of what Peter described as the physical, mental, social, and spiritual balance of Aboriginal health applies, too, to the Native American and African American approach to treatment in the U.S. Practitioners, he said, had to be able to also be able not only to recognize these cultural variances, but also be able to adjust treatment according to the “continuum of care,” depending on the severity of mental health challenges. Armed with this information, Peter broke us into groups to design the ideal Australian health care structure (“Maybe bring this back to America with you!” he joked). To judge our models, he brought in a consumer of the mental health care system, another one of his students who was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and OCD. Narrating her personal struggle, she was able to tell us her experiences in using the mental health care services. I found her extremely brave to be able to stand in front of her peers and expose this personal experience, but as I’ve learned through these various social justice programs, most of the time it is these personal narratives that have the biggest impact for helping others understand and change.
During the lecture we also focused on mental health diagnosis and treatment within a social and cultural context –and in particular the implications of treating the Aboriginal population. Much of what Peter described as the physical, mental, social, and spiritual balance of Aboriginal health applies, too, to the Native American and African American approach to treatment in the U.S. Practitioners, he said, had to be able to also be able not only to recognize these cultural variances, but also be able to adjust treatment according to the “continuum of care,” depending on the severity of mental health challenges. Armed with this information, Peter broke us into groups to design the ideal Australian health care structure (“Maybe bring this back to America with you!” he joked). To judge our models, he brought in a consumer of the mental health care system, another one of his students who was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and OCD. Narrating her personal struggle, she was able to tell us her experiences in using the mental health care services. I found her extremely brave to be able to stand in front of her peers and expose this personal experience, but as I’ve learned through these various social justice programs, most of the time it is these personal narratives that have the biggest impact for helping others understand and change.
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