Sandy Watson Email & Phone Number

Australia Wide

I am a part time self employed educator and consultant with expertise in presenting from a lived experience, consumer perspectives orientation to mental health service users, mental health workers, managers, community members and loved ones (carers). I design and deliver customised, high quality training for organisations in the mental health sector within Australia. My training is designed to be transformational and aims to create an environment where consumers, carers, managers, community members and mental health workers can engage in critical dialogue about important topics of interest in the sector today.I present at conferences, giving two keynote addresses in 2013, in Sydney for the South East Local Health District Recovery Symposium, and in Melbourne for the Centre of Excellence in Peer Support Conference.

Sydney

I took up the part time position of Consumer Education Coordinator in 2002 and chose to finish up at NSWIOP in June 2014 due to an organisational restructure. In my capacity as Consumer Education Coordinator I designed and delivered cutting edge, high quality education for consumers (and carers) of mental health services.The most well known course is the Consumer Advocacy Course, a 3 day course for consumers that built their confidence, knowledge and skills in the areas of advocacy and representation. All courses were positively evaluated, participants reporting feeling empowered, informed, and much clearer about how to function authentically in their roles as consumer service providers to mental health services. Many consumers in NSW have done this course over the years, and it had a reputation for quality. The Consumer Advocacy Course has also run in Queensland (1x) and South Australia (2x).

Sydney

I was a lecturer in the Post-Graduate Adult Mental Health Program, in two postgraduate units of study in the Graduate Certificate Course with a focus on Facilitating Recovery (GCA004) and Recovery Oriented Mental Health Services and Practices (GCA005). Both units of study were co-facilitated with Kath Thorburn. I lectured from a lived experience perspective, providing students with an insider's perspective on the experiences of mental distress and the many processes of recovery. I carried out all of the duties of a lecturer. In this context co-writing unit materials, lecturing in both classroom contexts and online through Moodle. I marked assignments, and met or talked with students when needed.