Simone Ruddle

This placement required a combination of Assessment, Brief Intervention and Treatment/Intervention primarily over two locations; Spinal Rehabilitation Unit and Older Persons Mental Health.

- Working in a multidisciplinary team environment.

- Completed a ten-week Cognitive Behavioural Therapy-based intervention for Depression and Anxiety

- Implemented a battery of psychometric measures for cognitive decline, interpreted results and communicated with supporting empirical evidence.

This placement provided the opportunity for the development of basic clinical skills, including clinical interviewing, assessment, psychological formulation, psychometric assessment, and the implementation of basic interventions.

All work was undertaken independently with close supervisory support primarily via video recording review.

This role involved coordinating the transition process for our tanagata whaiora (service users) out of inpatient or residential accommodation and reintegrating into the local community for individuals with complex mental health backgrounds.

Key tasks in this role:

• Contributing to the Residential Options Group (ROG) at Te Whatu Ora to triage and create opportunities for individuals who feel they are able to live indepndently in the community bit feel “stuck” in higher-level care.
• Undertaking assessment of functioning, risk, motivation and wellbeing to identify support plans and accommodation opportunities.
• Supporting clients to mitigate psychosocial barriers and challenges to their wellbeing.
• Negotiating and coordinating integrated support packages for complex clients within multi-disciplinary teams in the community.

Te Poutama Arahi Rangitahi is a secure residence for high-risk rangitahi who have caused sexual harm in their community.

Key tasks/achievements in this role included:

• Establishing safe therapeutic relationships to empower behavioural change.
• Supporting our rangitahi through significant distress, aggression, often violent behaviour through a trauma-informed, restorative approach. Modelling 'rupture and repair' of healthy relationships and emotional regulation.
• Working alongside young men with extremely complex behavioural and psychological needs, including severe early-life trauma, oppositional defiance and conduct disorder, sexual offending against children, foetal alcohol syndrome, and dissociative identity disorder.
• Facilitating supervised outings into the community while actively managing the related physical, sexual and absconding risk.
• When required, assuming the Shift Team Lead role to ensure the smooth running of the theraputic residence.