In this episode, a group of women psychiatrists working across rural and remote Australia and New Zealand talk about their experiences. The main points covered were: what attracted them to the work, the benefits and what have they gained from their experience, how their careers have developed, their family’s experience, the motivations to continue working rurally or moving back to urban settings, and finally their advice for other women interested in rural psychiatry.
Dr Selamawit Mulholland is a psychiatrist with a passion for remote and transcultural psychiatry. She has lived and worked in regional, rural and remote settings across Australia. Sela feels privileged to have worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people while learning about their experiences of wellbeing and culture, and is excited to continue her career in remote psychiatry.
Dr Katharine McAlpine is a fellow completing advanced training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in regional Victoria. She has trained and worked in regional and rural communities from internship onwards and has been an advocate for improving training opportunities in these settings. She is passionate about addressing inequalities within regional training and access to mental health services within regional and rural Australia. Her interests include legal frameworks around mental health and disability rights and improving the assessment and research of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dr Emma Crampin is Deputy Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia. Having trained in London and Melbourne, she moved with her young family to rural WA in 2012, and worked for WA’s Country Health Service for 10 years. She has set up and worked in a wide range of services, from home treatment and early intervention teams in inner city London, to emergency telehealth across the vast expanse of rural and remote WA. She is interested in access, equity, social justice, innovation and good governance.
Dr Nicola Lauterwein is a regional psychiatrist who has been living and working in the Kimberley for most part of the last 10 years. She is passionate about her work, especially working alongside Aboriginal colleagues and communities and she is grateful for the opportunity to share two-way knowledge. She maintains close connections to the Kimberley and is a strong advocate for training opportunities in rural and remote settings.
Dr Sue Mackersey is a graduate of the University of Otago Medical School and completed Fellowship training in Australia in 1994. Dr Mackersey’s work experience has been in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, public and private practice, metropolitan and rural settings and across a range of sub specialities. In the last 12 years she has been based in Tauranga and has been Clinical Director and Director of Area Mental Health Services for the Bay of Plenty and Hauora Tairawhiti.
Feedback:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: psychmatters.feedback@ranzcp.org
Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics. The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement. By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.