Nicole Craig

I am currently working as a Community Mental Health Practitioner at Austin PARC. Key responsibilities in this role include providing short term therapeutic interventions within a recovery framework in a community setting.

I am responsible for key working clients, supporting clients to identify and work towards recovery goals and develop skills to cope with ongoing difficulties. A major area of my role is facilitating Ironbark group sessions and 1:1 sessions, developed using a combination of DBT, CBT and mentalization approaches to assist clients in understanding their mental health and equip with skills to help reduce emotional distress and support recovery.

I work in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team at PARC and alongside clients families and carers to provide holistic support. Further, I work with services within the community to ensure relevant linkages and follow on supports are in place for clients prior to discharge.

I have worked as a CMHP with Mind Australia since August 2020. Initially working in Melbourne Inner North at Supported Independent Living (SIL) until January 2022, I then moved to QLD to work at a Youth Step Up Step Down (YSUSD).

During my time at YSUSD, I spend 8 months filling the role of Lead Practitioner. My primary responsibilities included providing short term therapeutic interventions to young people, aged between 16-25 in a sub-acute setting. I delivered tailored programmes structured around a youth DBT framework, along with facilitating psychoeducational groups created by Mind Recovery College.

During this time I worked within a diverse team and developed my skills in organisation and leadership. Primary responsibilities included completing assessments, incident response and management and collaborative safety planning with consumers.

Within this setting I have gained experience working closely in a dual diagnosis framework and deliver practice using a harm minimisation, trauma informed approach.

Through the role I have developed close working relationships with external community organisations and completed extensive training within the organisation.

I am currently working part time as a Research Assistant with the Health Systems and Behavioural Research team for Cancer Council Queenland.

My work focuses on Survivorship Care for cancer patients and caregivers throughout a cancer diagnosis. Primary duties of the role include data and transcript analysis, reviewing literature, infographic design and report writing.

The role includes involvement with external health providers and participants to deliver evidence-based outcomes with the aim of promoting health behaviours in the community.

Through my role I have been involved in publishing work focused on supporting rural patients and caregivers and I'm currently working on a project to develop communication to improve survivorship care for patients and primary care providers.

I am proficient in use of online software including Excel, Qualtrics, Zotero and NVivo.

Primary duties of the role involved providing support within a community setting to individuals aged 18-65 living with ongoing mental health difficulties.

Primary responsibilities included 1:1 key working sessions to identify and achieve personal recovery goals, group facilitation and assistance with activities of daily living while promoting independence and encouraging healthy relationships with others.

Through the role I deepened my understanding, knowledge and practice of dual diagnosis support, AOD interventions, risk assessment and crisis management.

Primary duties included supporting individuals experiencing homelessness in Melbourne through providing access to shelter, clothes and books.

My role involved creating a safe environment to encourage connection, promote well-being and provide a listening ear along with emotional support.

Primary responsibilities involved the set up of stalls, liaison with members of the community in need of support and when possible linking with relevant services.