Jessica Frank

St Kilda Rd Clinic provides a range of specialist mental health support for adults aged 25-64 years . My work for this organisation has been split between two teams, the Brief Intervention Team and the Prevention and Recovery Care team with my responsibilities in each team as follows:

Brief intervention team

• Conducting psychological assessments and implementing evidence based strategies through a brief intervention model. This includes using a range of treatment modalities including CBT, ACT, DBT skills, Schema therapy and CFT.
• Evaluating patients' goals, as well as mental and practical conditions, to develop individualized courses of treatment.
• Conducting mental state examinations and risk assessments for participants with complex needs.
• Managing caseload of individual clients
• Conducting thorough psychological assessments using various testing methods to provide accurate diagnoses and inform treatment strategies.

Prevention and Recovery Care team:

• Leading group therapy sessions focusing on specific topics such as stress management, coping skills development, or relationship building techniques for improved interpersonal functioning.
• Contributing to team development by facilitating reflective practice sessions
• Developing customized treatment plans for individual clients, addressing their unique psychological needs and goals.

Star Health are a large community health organisation that provide a range of health services to the Southern Metropolitan area. I worked in the adult NDIS team which provides capacity building services to individuals with psychosocial disabilities. The team works with individuals with a diverse range of clinical presentations including depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. My work involved the following responsibilities:

• Conducting psychological assessments and implementing evidence based strategies to build capacity in individuals with a psycho-social disabilities using a range of treatment modalities including CBT, ACT, DBT skills, Schema therapy and CFT.
• Evaluating patients' goals, as well as mental and practical conditions, to develop individualized courses of treatment.
• Conducting mental state examinations and risk assessments for participants with complex needs.
• Conducting assessments for psycho social disability to support application to the NDIS
• Liaising with the multidisciplinary team and external organisations providing services to my clients to ensure optimal management
• Report writing to support optimal funding plans for NDIS participants

The Swinburne Well-being Clinic for Older Adults provides counselling and be-friending services to Older Adults in Residential Aged care settings across Australia. My role included the following responsibilities:

• Conducting psychological assessment of older adults experiencing a range mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, adjustment issues using several assessment tools such as the PHQ9 and the GDS
• Liaising with staff and families to ensure optimal patient centred care
• Providing evidence based interventions suitable to this client group both in a face-to-face format at the facility and online via telehealth
• This included reminiscence therapy, adapted
• CBT strategies and relaxation techniques
• Providing psycho educational workshops to staff and family members around depression and anxiety in older adults.

The Swinburne University Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring Group is a ten-session cognitive-behavioural therapy program aimed at assisting people struggling with compulsive hoarding disorder to develop a better understanding of the thoughts and behaviours that maintain this problem. My role included the following responsibilities

• Conducting extensive assessment interviews and writing psychological reports for highly complex clients using specialized tools such as the Hoarding Rating Scale and the Clutter Image Rating Scale
• Planning and adapting the group for online delivery
• Co-facilitating the group alongside another provisional psychologist under the guidance of a clinical supervisor.

Addiction Medicine Unit (TPAMU) provides medically managed inpatient withdrawal and stabilisation at the 1 East and Wellington House sites at Box Hill Hospital.

Clients also participate in therapeutic and psychoeducational groups facilitated by a diverse range of allied health professionals. As a provisional psychologist, my role included the following responsibilities:

• Establishing positive working relationships with a diverse range of clients
• Facilitating therapeutic and psycho educational groups covering a range of topics including
• DBT skills, relapse prevention planning and several other topics
• Conducting psychological assessments of complex clients
• Applying brief therapeutic interventions in one-on-one sessions with clients including cognitive-behavioural therapy and ACT.

The Swinburne Psychology Clinic is part of a large on-campus healthcare facility that provides low cost counselling, psychological assessment and group therapy to a diverse range of clients. My role included the following responsibilities:

• Delivering individual therapy to clients experiencing a range of mental health problems
• Conducting psychological assessment interviews and reports
• Monitoring client progress through several psychometric tools such as the DASS 21, K10, SPS and SIAS
• Administering, scoring, interpreting and writing up formal assessments of intelligence, memory and personality such as the WAIS-IV, WMS-IV, WISC-V and MMPI-2
• Conducting risk assessments and managing at-risk clients

Direct Chemist Outlet Ripponlea is a community pharmacy that services a diverse community in the Melbourne metropolitan Along with general health advice and promotion, the business is accredited to provide pharmacotherapy for people recovering from opioid addictions. My responsibilities as a community pharmacist include

• Providing primary healthcare advice on a range of issues, educating patients on possible drug interactions, potential side effects and optimal methods of administration as well as relevant lifestyle adjustments that will facilitate optimal treatment and promoting public health initiatives in general.

Mind Australia Partnership and Linkage Service (PALS) provides support to people in the community living with mental health issues. My responsibilities as a volunteer in this position included:

• Providing social support and company to an allocated "Pal" who is recovering from mental illness either in person or via phone/video phone during COVID-19 restrictions.

The Anxiety Recovery centre is a Victorian service that assists and provides support to people and families living with anxiety disorders. My responsibilities as a volunteer in this position involved:

• Facilitating the Social Anxiety Support group both online and in person as well as promoting the service to the general public.