How can psychologists help?
Hey everyone, I am new to this community but I am eager to learn more. I am a provisional psychologist in Melbourne interested in helping people cope with the emotional difficulties that come with ca...
Forum Discussion
@SarahS
I am very remote. I live 2,300kms from my closest treatment centre.
There are no psychologists/psychiatrists even remotely physically close to me. The best I was offered was 5 telephone consult sessions organised by my GP. If women in the cities have difficulty in accessing mental health services what hope have remote women?
From the end of June 2017 to the beginning of October 2017 I had 4 return flights from the closest airport to me to my treating centre.
My travel day begins at around 7:30am with a 3 hour road trip to the airport over bush roads, dodging cattle and crossing creeks and floodways, then a 3 hour flight to the city followed by an hour (ish) taxi trip to the accomodation centre. I leave home around 7:30 am and arrive at the accommodation venue at around 5pm. I am shattered ohysically and emotionally.
The 4 weeks I spent away from home were very difficult. I was homesick, not to mention everything with the city was unfamiliar. And I have no family in the city.
Just being away from home, away from all that is familiar, along with the cancer diagnosis just about did my head in.
Accessing mental health services is difficult and limited. Telephone counselling does not cut it. Good in theory but not in practice. Reasons. Limited band width for internet. To access mobile phone services, I need to sit on my front verandah on the right hand side to obtain a signal. Don't even bother during rain, thunderstorm or cyclone time.
Add to the distance factor is the fact that clinic staff rarely know exactly where I live and services available. Everyone rabbits on about Allied Health. What is Allied Health? The term does not exist let alone the service where I live.
The cost of accessing services in the city is tremendous and leads to financial stress.
Add to the fact that Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) in my state is cutting back on services. I had to go alone. And still do for followup monitoring. The cost of an airfare for my husband (nearly $1000 return) is not possible on an age pension.
All the above adds to stress levels. You may well ask why have I not relocated to the city (as has been suggested by the medical fraternity)?
This is my home.
I am very remote. I live 2,300kms from my closest treatment centre.
There are no psychologists/psychiatrists even remotely physically close to me. The best I was offered was 5 telephone consult sessions organised by my GP. If women in the cities have difficulty in accessing mental health services what hope have remote women?
From the end of June 2017 to the beginning of October 2017 I had 4 return flights from the closest airport to me to my treating centre.
My travel day begins at around 7:30am with a 3 hour road trip to the airport over bush roads, dodging cattle and crossing creeks and floodways, then a 3 hour flight to the city followed by an hour (ish) taxi trip to the accomodation centre. I leave home around 7:30 am and arrive at the accommodation venue at around 5pm. I am shattered ohysically and emotionally.
The 4 weeks I spent away from home were very difficult. I was homesick, not to mention everything with the city was unfamiliar. And I have no family in the city.
Just being away from home, away from all that is familiar, along with the cancer diagnosis just about did my head in.
Accessing mental health services is difficult and limited. Telephone counselling does not cut it. Good in theory but not in practice. Reasons. Limited band width for internet. To access mobile phone services, I need to sit on my front verandah on the right hand side to obtain a signal. Don't even bother during rain, thunderstorm or cyclone time.
Add to the distance factor is the fact that clinic staff rarely know exactly where I live and services available. Everyone rabbits on about Allied Health. What is Allied Health? The term does not exist let alone the service where I live.
The cost of accessing services in the city is tremendous and leads to financial stress.
Add to the fact that Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) in my state is cutting back on services. I had to go alone. And still do for followup monitoring. The cost of an airfare for my husband (nearly $1000 return) is not possible on an age pension.
All the above adds to stress levels. You may well ask why have I not relocated to the city (as has been suggested by the medical fraternity)?
This is my home.