Why We Exist
“Our system is not set up for people like me... people who don’t meet the standards of normalcy and whose emotions can’t be contained in a neat package of predictability”.
(Rachael Burns, CEO and Founder)
We would assume that in today’s world - and most certainly within a healthcare system as advanced and renowned as Australia’s - that mental health services would be a place of respite, safety and compassion.
All-too-often, mental health services and perceptions of mental health are indignifying and dehumanising. Stigma still seeps into every day settings and conversations (often unconsciously) and the result is a world in which despite best intentions, iatrogenic harm is often endured.
Our Values
Empowerment
“Empowerment is a gift - a gift of choice, of expression and of the ability to fail. It is gifting people the tools required to create change; to engage with what matters to them.”
Diversity
“Diversity extends beyond tokenism. It is all around us, yet rarely held. It is right beneath us, it is within us, yet we often believe it is hidden.”
Justice
“Justice is what precipitates freedom. It is a fundamental component of safety and equity which themselves form the basis of decency. It is assurance, righteousness, moral clarity and protection.”
Dignity
“It’s almost ineffable. It’s respect, but with more grace. It’s beyond just meeting a minimum”
Acceptance
“Humans exist messy and unpolished. We make mistakes, we get it wrong, and that is okay. In fact, it is what we call flaws that make humans unique”.
What does this look ike?
For people receiving care/ experiencing mental health challenges
Creation and delivery of Integrity Packages - personalised care packages that are created for people receiving inpatient care in psychiatric units across Australia. These packs contain a combination of comfort and personal care items, alongside tools and resources that inform people of their rights and how to protect these rights.
Resource development and distribution – the creation of resources by our team of Lived Experience advocates in collaboration with established mental health organisations. These will take the form of brochures and booklets that inform people receiving mental health treatment of their rights and responsibilities as patients. These will aim to improve patients’ mental health literacy.
For people providing care/ working within mental health spaces
Professional development, education, public speaking and other forms of outreach - including providing talks at seminars, professional learning opportunities and workshops for clinicians to gain Lived Experience insight. This will also be taken to national mental health conferences such as the WAPSN conference and the TheMHS conference.
Resources to help clinicians understand mental health challenges, informed by Lived Experience – this will take several forms, but perhaps most notably we propose creating resource folders for nurses, which will contain co-designed pamphlets, fact sheets and guidelines as to how to better support patients experiencing distress.
For communities (schools, community groups, universities, general practitioners etc.)
Community engagement events (such as quiz nights, mental health film screenings, a launch event, and information sessions) to raise awareness, raise funds, and contribute to the public’s understanding of mental health
Community safe spaces to create belonging, togetherness and a place to exist feree from judgement
Australia always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
We here at Integrity Initiative are honoured to live and breathe on Whjadjuk Noongar boodja, a part of the sacred, rich and diverse country in Boorloo, Western Australia.