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To support those assisting patients and clients impacted by natural disasters and critical events, we recently offered funding for training and education through the Disaster Response and Mental Health Training Subsidy.
This initiative provides financial support to enhance peoples’ professional skills and build workforce resilience.
Here’s the story of one Gold Coast start-up making the most of this opportunity, using the subsidy to enhance their ability to support clients facing significant challenges.
And, as you’ll read, the two business partners started a key course at the time of our most recent severe weather event – Cyclone Alfred.
Launching a new business is never easy, but for Linda Callender and Carmen Thomson of PathStart, their journey has been particularly challenging.
Just months after opening, an unprecedented cyclone event turned their premises upside down – literally.
Yet, their determination to help individuals with acquired disabilities, including acquired brain injuries, transition into employment is stronger than ever.
“PathStart lets us draw on our many years of combined experience in human resources, vocational training, retail, trades, and disability support,” Linda said.
“We focus on empowerment, helping people who aren’t quite ready for employment by first equipping them with essential life skills.
“After all, if your home life isn’t stable, it’s much harder to succeed in the workplace.”
Despite their promising start, the business faced a major setback when Cyclone Alfred damaged their Southport premises in mid-May.
“We had spent the first couple of months setting up our space, refining our services, and building our client base, then the cyclone literally brought the ceiling down on us,” Linda said.
Even while searching for a new location, Linda and Carmen remained committed to enhancing their skills to better serve their clients.
That’s where the Disaster Response and Mental Health Training Subsidy comes in.
Linda enrolled in an online Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) course, designed to provide valuable tools for supporting her clients.
“We’re currently working with one client who sustained an acquired brain injury in a car accident,” Linda said.
“We saw the CFT course as a great way to expand our approach and offer her even better support to her and future clients caught up in other unexpected life changing events.”
The 8-hour online CFT course, presented by leading experts Paul Gilbert and Dennis Tirch, introduces participants to the science of compassion.
It explores the innate human capacity to be sensitive to suffering and the courage needed to respond with care and commitment to people such as those impacted by Cyclone Alfred in March.
“For us, any course that enhances our ability to serve our clients with greater compassion, empathy, and understanding is invaluable,” Linda said.
For further information on the Gold Coast Primary Health Network disaster support services, visit Disaster Resilience – Gold Coast Primary Health Network
For more information on Compassion Focused Therapy, visit Psychwire: psychwire.com
To learn more about PathStart, visit www.pathstart.com.au.
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