Making the transition from a residential rehabilitation unit to home in the community - what have we learnt

Speaker: A/Prof Stephen Parker, Associate Professor and Director of Research at Metro North Mental Health, Brisbane.

Discussant: Dr Catherine Brasier, Lived Experience Strategic Lead Wellways and Post Doctoral Research Fellow, La Trobe University.

This presentation will explore what life is like for people living with mental illness after they leave clinically operated residential mental health rehabilitation services in Australia.

Stephen will present their reflections on the post-discharge experience 12-18 months after they left the rehabilitation service, including what has helped, what has not helped, and their ongoing psychosocial support needs. In addition to data on qualitative experience, quantitative data examining the impact of rehabilitation support on mental health, wellbeing, and service use will be presented.

Catherine will provide feedback and commentary about the findings from a lived experience perspective.

This presentation will assist psychosocial support providers and rehabilitation clinicians to better understand the experience and support needs of people with severe and persisting mental illness who return to community living following extended periods of residential rehabilitation support.