Glossary: Our workforce, our future

care, support and treatment

We use this term to show that care, support and treatment are fully integrated, equal parts of the responses in the mental health and wellbeing system. This includes wellbeing supports, such as rehabilitation, wellbeing and community participation, that are a key part of supports and responses.

carer

This is a person, including a person under the age of 18 years, who provides care to another person with whom they are in a relationship of care.

compassion

Compassion refers to the feeling that arises when a person is confronted with another's suffering and feels motivated to relieve that suffering. Compassion literally means ‘to suffer together’. It is different from empathy or altruism, although the concepts are related.

consumer

This is a person who identifies as having a lived living or living experience of mental illness or psychological distress, irrespective of whether they have a formal diagnosis, who has used mental health services and/or received treatment.

empathy

Empathy is the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.

expert

An expert is a person who is known for their specialist knowledge and/or skills in a particular area.

family

This may refer to family of origin and/or family of choice.

family violence

Family violence is any violent, threatening, coercive or controlling behaviour that occurs in current or past family, domestic or intimate relationships.

holistic

This means viewing the person as a whole, taking into account things such as social determinants of health and wellbeing, and how these influence and interact with each other.

lived experience

People with lived experience identify either as someone who is living with (or has lived with) mental illness or psychological distress, or someone who is caring for or otherwise supporting (or has cared for or otherwise supported) a person who is living with (or has lived with) mental illness or psychological distress. People with lived experience are sometimes referred to as ‘consumers’ or ‘carers’, acknowledging that the experiences of consumers and carers are different.

lived experience workforce

The lived experience workforce is a broad term used to represent two distinct professional groups in roles focused on their lived expertise:

• people with personal lived experience of mental illness (‘consumers’)

• families and carers with lived experience of supporting a family member or friend who has experienced or is experiencing mental illness.

There are various paid roles among each discipline. This includes workers who provide support directly to consumers, families and carers through peer support or advocacy, or indirectly through leadership, consultation, system advocacy, education, training or research.

leadership role

A leadership role is one which sets direction for others, who manages or leads others, or who has influence and accountability over decision-making in relation to mental health and wellbeing supports, systems, practices and delivery.

mental health and wellbeing

This describes an optimal state of mental health, including as it relates to people with lived experience of mental illness or psychological distress. It can also be used to refer to the prevention, avoidance or absence of mental illness or psychological distress.

mental health and wellbeing system

The Royal Commission outlined a vision for the future mental health and wellbeing system, which will be designed over the short to medium term. As such, the definition of the mental health and wellbeing system will evolve alongside the reforms. However, it should include the strengths and needs that contribute to people’s wellbeing, alongside hospital-based and community care, support and treatment.

multidisciplinary teams

Multidisciplinary teams bring together the expertise and skills of different workforces, roles and professionals (including those with lived and living experience). For the purposes of this framework, a multidisciplinary team is one that involves diverse expertise, and in which all expertise is valued, in order to provide care, support and treatment collaboratively and compassionately.

peer

A peer is someone who shares the same status, skills or other attribute or position.

peer-support workers

Peer-support workers use their own recovery experiences to support others to navigate their recovery journeys.

professional cohorts

Professional cohorts refer to group/s that align based on professional accreditation, experiences and/or expertise.

recovery

Recovery is defined by the person and refers to an ongoing holistic process of personal growth, healing and self-determination. As an ongoing journey of personal growth and wellbeing, the notion of recovery does not equate with a particular model of care, phase of care or service setting.

reflective practice

Reflective practice is a process of learning through and from experience to gain new insights via:

• reflection on experiences of delivering care, treatment and support to consumers, families, carers and supporters

• examining and critically reflecting on assumptions underlying everyday practices

• reflecting on challenging interpersonal dynamics.

secondary consultation

Secondary consultation is a discussion between mental health clinicians about a particular consumer. This can enable different care providers to work collaboratively to discuss issues with the consumer’s care. Other models of secondary consultation focus on the needs of consumers more generally – for example, consumers with particular mental health needs or a specific diagnosis. This model focuses on sharing knowledge and expertise between different care providers.

self-determination

In a collective sense, this term is used to refer to the ‘ability of Aboriginal peoples to freely determine their own political, economic, social and cultural development as an essential approach to overcoming Indigenous disadvantage’.

This can be applied more broadly to any person’s ability to determine their own development.

social determinants of mental health

A person’s mental health and many common mental illnesses are shaped by social, economic, and physical environments, often termed the ‘social determinants of mental health’. Risk factors for many common mental illnesses are heavily associated with social inequalities, whereby the greater the inequality, the higher the inequality in risk.

social and emotional wellbeing

Social and emotional wellbeing refers to being resilient, being and feeling culturally safe and connected, having and realising aspirations, and being satisfied with life. This is consistent with Balit Murrup, Victoria’s Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing framework.

substance use, gambling and addictive behaviours

Substance use means the use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs (prescription or illicit). Substance use may become harmful to a person’s health and wellbeing or can have other impacts on someone’s life or that of their family and broader social network.

Addictive behaviours, including gambling, means compulsive behaviours outside of a person's control, even when it has harmful effects on that person or their family.

supported decision-making

This is the process that supports a person to make and communicate decisions with respect to personal or legal matters. This may be achieved by offering consumers access to a variety of tools and resources such as non-legal advocates and peer worker.

trauma-informed

Trauma-informed approaches recognise the possibility of the ongoing effects of past and current trauma in the lives of everyone seeking support and how this can affect the way people seek help.

victim survivor

Describes people – including adults, children and young people who have direct firsthand experience of family violence, as well as immediate family members of those who have lost their lives to family violence.

This term acknowledges the ongoing effects and harm caused by abuse and violence as well as honouring the strength and resilience of people with lived experience of family violence.