Indigenous News

ADAA visits the Alice Springs

They may be just across the border line, but for the ADAA making it from base camp in Queensland to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory has been a huge accomplishment. Making their mark on the Territory by introducing communities to solutions for depression and stress related illnesses, the ADAA have local political aspirant Phil Walcott to thank for the invitation.

After his stay at Fountainhead Organic Health Retreat and learning the Fountainhead Method, Phil invited the ADAA to town to investigate where solutions for depression can be applied in the community. Bags packed and keen for what the experience would bring, it was an early start for ADAA chairman Wayne Parrott and The Stress Management Institute’s Carol on Thursday, February 25 – Jetting off to the Northern Territory at 3.30am.

Preparations had been made for a jampacked day meeting local identities and sharing the ADAA-supported Fountainhead Method. Famous aboriginal country music artist Warren Williams was one of the first to greet Wayne and Carol. Speaking about depression in aboriginal communities, Mr Williams provided a fascinating insight. According to Mr Williams, a key issue in the area surrounds the mislabelling of depression as other issues. The Territory, with its stunning desert landscapes, rich pioneering history and aboriginal culture has a clear presence
of depression and stress related illnesses within its community, making the ADAA’s visit one with significant opportunity.

“I believe the services of the ADAA can benefit the community of Alice
Springs,” Carol said. Wayne and Carol were happy to report that news director for CAAMA radio
news, who has two psychologists in his own family, was also interested in what the ADAA can offer.

“We are recommending an education program, as distinct from a therapeutic program. This is a key point,” Wayne explained of the ADAA approach. “The Fountainhead Method can be delivered effectively by a teacher, nurse, mother or father. It can be trained in 12 days and half a dozen practical applications and it provides major relief for the vast majority of people suffering stress-related illness,” Wayne said.

It was these sentiments they were able to share on air at CAAMA radio, during a studio interview. Also booked was an interesting meeting with Centralian Advocate Manager, Dallas Frakking. “Now what a passionate solutions focused man Dallas is,” Wayne said of the local media identity.

“Dallas is the kind of fellow who looks for real practical answers from a solid philosophical base,” Wayne said. And it’s practical answers the ADAA will be supporting at Alice Springs this year, with the Stress Management Institute commencement of workshops in the
community in April.

“There are a lot of issues out there in regards to people’s identity, beliefs and self worth and these workshops will present people with the tools they need to better understand and deal with situations,” Carol said.

“This is the beginning of a great relationship,” Carol said of the visit.

Stolen Generation Conference at Fountainhead Organic Retreat

Fountainhead Organic Health Retreat was privileged to recently facilitate a “Caring for the Carer” conference, organised by The Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council’s (QAIHC’s) Social & Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Workforce Support Unit (WSU) Gathering, in the beautiful surrounds in Maleny, QLD.

The conference was attended by 60 counsellors from right across Australia. This truly inspirational event marked the first step in providing support to the workforce of the SEWB. The focus was on providing staff with a clear understanding of the role of the WSU, to provide an opportunity to discuss best practice models and how SEWB staff and representatives of the various national Stolen Generation organisations were to get an accurate understanding of what is happening across the country in this sector.

Gerald Enjalran, General Manager of Fountainhead Retreat and Queensland State Manager for the Stress Management Institute, Carol McLoughlin provided professional staff to facilitate a number of concurrent professional development sessions, specifically on the Fountainhead Method™ which was developed over ten years at the retreat. The Fountainhead Method™ to date is one of the most effective therapies for treating stress related illness in the world. The keynote speakers, Dr. Stephen Lundin and Lorraine Peeters, set a tone of learning and inspiration at the beginning of each day with their motivational addresses. Dr. Lundin is a writer and filmmaker with a rich history in business, management and education. His best selling book, FISH! based on the world famous culture of the Seattle Fish markets has been a Wall Street Journal bestseller for more than seven years.

Lorraine Peeters, like many other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, suffered forcible removal from her family and was institutionalised at the age of four. In response to her life’s experiences she has developed a 5-day program to train Aboriginal counsellors to support survivors to heal from the specific types of trauma they suffered as a result of removal. It was a fantastic week of information exchange and learning about best practice models with fun activities and inspirational workshops. Congratulations to all and thank you to the organisers for choosing Maleny’s Fountainhead Organic Health Retreat as a major focal point. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the ADAA for its role in bringing the conference together.