Amelia Walker works on the Clinical team reviewing, implementing, and managing timely intake, effective triage, and appropriate care for clients and to provide support for Gidget Clinicians. Accompanying her 12 years of clinical management experience and inception of clinics in London, Amelia is a Registered Counsellor. This dual focus of clinical management and Counselling ensures her role as Program Clinician is focussed on the client experience. Connecting with their needs and those of our Clinicians is the driving focus of her work with Gidget. Beyond the doors of Gidget Foundation Australia, Amelia fills her cup with the simple pleasures of Sydney life: expansive skies, saltwater, family and friends.
In another turbulent year, the nation’s mental health has taken a collective hit, and it’s more important than ever for Australians who are struggling to be seen and heard. Expectant and new parents have had it especially tough, with pregnancy and parenting being a 24/7 role and the demands of work, home and school life colliding as the pandemic took hold. In 2020, the Productivity Commission’s report into mental health highlighted that more needs to be done to reduce barriers preventing people from seeking help, including reducing the stigma associated with perinatal mental illness.
To address this, an impressive 40+ organisations from across Australia, the highest number of participating organisations to date, are uniting for Perinatal Mental Health Week, (7 – 13 November) to raise awareness and de-stigmatise the mental health of expectant and new parents.
Multicultural families face their own set of challenges too. First Nations infants have poorer birth outcomes on average than non-Indigenous infants while sadly, preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal death rates are 2-3 times higher for infants with First Nations mothers than those with non-Indigenous mothers.
To help expectant and new parents start their journey managing their mental health, the organisations involved have developed a dedicated website with tips on how to ask your daughter or son, partner, friend or even yourself, how are you going? Visit pmhweek.org.au to find out more.