Jane has overcome mental health challenges and was inspired to become a Mental Health clinician, supporting other families in the bush. This new career was made possible by the life-changing experience of counselling support that you made possible.
Jane began to struggle with her mental health after her youngest son left for boarding school. She felt very isolated, living hundreds of kilometres from family and close friends on remote Tandou Station. At first, she suffered in silence.
However, after realising she needed help, Jane went to her GP, who referred her to one of our mental health clinicians, Glynis Thorp. With Glynis’s support, “everything changed.”
Jane became interested in supporting other women like her and took an ‘Accidental Counselling’ course. It was the start of what Jane calls a ‘reinvention.’ She studied clinical hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, and mental health first aid training, and is now completing more counselling studies.
“I thought, this is something I would love to do, to help other people, because I understand. Knowing there’s someone to help you get through a hard time, like drought and isolation, it’s so important. Now I help run the type of clinic that helped me.”
Jane says our community loves the dedicated mental health clinic days. “When you arrive, when the aircraft lands, they're just so excited and thankful to have us there. A lot of them do morning tea for us. There are formal and informal conversations. It’s great for people to say they’ve had a rough week… to get it out rather than store it inside.”
From her own struggle and recovery, Jane has become a champion for mental health, with a whole new purpose and drive to help others. She’s incredibly proud to be giving back to her community and she’s so thankful for your support.
Jane’s experience with isolation is not unusual for people in the bush, and it is why your continued generosity is so incredibly important. Thank you for caring so much.
