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130 ACQ Volume 11, Number 3 2009 ACQuiring knowledge in speech, language and hearing
Mental health
striving to deliver excellent, ethical, evidence based services
to our clients, to advocate for the rights of people with
communication and swallowing disorders, and to meet the
demands of employers, it may be that our own mental health
and wellbeing are challenged from time to time. It is easy to
take on more and more, often at some cost to ourselves. Is
it ethical to focus on our aspirations for working with others,
and to neglect our own wellbeing? Will neglecting our own
well-being ultimately impact on the delivery of excellent
services to our clients? The organisation Managing Work
Life Balance International .
au/) sees work–life balance as a “bottom-line business issue”
which, when achieved, has potential benefits in terms of
employee satisfaction, retention and productivity. Perhaps
it is also a bottom-line professional issue which impacts on
satisfaction, retention and productivity in our professional
lives. The issues of responsibility to ourselves will be
considered in the review of the Code of Ethics – but we may
all need to consider them from a personal viewpoint.
Work–life balance is dynamic, not static. We may find that
getting the balance right can help us to achieve at higher
levels. Finding the balance is the challenge. Hilary Clinton
said, “Our lives are a mixture of different roles. Most of us are
doing the best we can to find whatever the right balance is
… For me, that balance is family, work, and service”. What is
the right balance for you?
I sat down to start writing this column – late
again, and, feeling uninspired, procrastinated by deciding to
complete a (necessary) task for my day job. Some 90
minutes (not five, which is all it should have taken) later I
have achieved that task, but at some expense to my mental
health. Perhaps I should have written the column first –
procrastination seldom reaps rewards!
Mental health is certainly an issue of which we should
all be aware. In particular, we need to be aware of the role
that language and communication play in mental health.
The links between behaviour disorders and communication
impairment are clearly established, and addressed in a
number of papers in this issue. The personal experiences
of clinicians working in this area promise to be fascinating.
Is awareness enough though? As we strive to increase the
influence of the profession, perhaps we need to include
mental health as one of the areas in which we advocate
for the needs of our clients. It is fitting that the Association
is embarking on a review of the position paper Speech
pathology in child and adolescent mental health . Once
completed, this will provide members with information which
may be used in advocacy.
We also need to be aware of our own mental health.
This necessity was raised at the forum on the Association
Code of Ethics, held at the 2009 National Conference in
Adelaide. As professionals working in a caring profession,
From the president
Musing on mental health
Cori Williams
Cori Williams
Mentoring
Program
Share and Develop Skills –
Surprise Yourself with New Insights
Looking to maximise your learning and build on professional and personal capacities in 2009? –
then Speech Pathology Australia’s Mentoring Program is just the thing for you. Providing an
opportunity for reflective practice, development of new skills and increased knowledge and
networks for both mentees and mentors.
Anyone with two or more years experience in their work role can register as a mentor – you do
not need to be an expert! With many new graduates now registering for the program, mentors are
in high demand. We’d love to hear from mentors to match with these keen members.
On the other hand, if you are a new graduate recently employed, changing your field of practice,
new to an area, embarking on a research project, new to management or isolated in a sole
position, why not register as a mentee to gain some extra support.
The Association is please announce it now has a new brochure about the Mentoring Program.
This brochure is now available via the Association website or by contacting the Association
directly.
For more detailed information and registration forms please check out the Mentoring Program
information on the website.