“We need to build the next generation of the mental health workforce and provide urgent care to the young people falling through the cracks of our mental health system,” Professor Patrick McGorry.
With a diluted workforce, a fragmented mental health system and the ongoing mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a more important time for Australian education and healthcare professionals to specialise in youth mental health, Orygen’s executive director Professor Patrick McGorry has said.
“Young people have always borne the major burden of onset of mental ill-health. Three in four young people will experience mental ill-health before they turn 25,” he said.
“Even prior to the pandemic, Australia’s mental health system was fragile, fragmented and not built to scale. Now it is overrun, and its workforce diluted and exhausted. We want to support regeneration of this workforce with new skillsets and support.”
Orygen’s graduate courses can equip professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to expertly identify, assess and support young people at risk of self-harm, suicide and mental ill-health.
Ranging from a Graduate Certificate in Managing Youth Self-Harm and Suicide to a Master of Youth Mental Health, Orygen’s Associate Director of Graduate Education, Dr Paul Badcock, said the courses have been developed with professionals already working in education and healthcare settings in mind.
“The courses are delivered part-time and fully online in partnership with The University of Melbourne, so that our students are able to study when and where it suits them,” he said.
“All of our programs have been developed in collaboration with world leading experts in youth mental health, including researchers and clinicians from Orygen, Australia and across the globe. This way, we have ensured that students have access to the latest theory, research and evidence-based practice guidelines for working with young people experiencing mental ill-health.”
Patricia Taylor, a nurse who completed the Master of Youth Mental Health in 2020, said that after completing the course she felt confident that she was able to able to provide young people with the highest level of care.
“I really enjoyed the level of expertise of the presenters and lecturers,” she said.
“If you’re thinking of enrolling, go for it! You won’t look back!”
Applications for commencement in 2022 are now open. You can learn more about the courses on our graduate education page.