Dr Christine Loft1
1University Of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Dr Chrissie Loft is a registered Clinical Psychologist, Lecturer and Course Coordinator at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Youth Mental Health and at Orygen, a world leading Research and Knowledge Translation organisation, specialising in teaching of Youth Mental Health.
Dr Loft has over 15 years of clinical experience working with young people and families experiencing mental ill health, alongside the supervision of training and registered mental health professionals. She currently holds a position in public mental health services in Victoria, with a focus on working with young people and families.
Abstract:
There have been increasing calls to incorporate lived experience into the design and delivery of health education (Scanlan et al., 2020). Consumer involvement in medical education has been found to improve empathy, understanding of mental ill-health, person-centred care, and communication with service users (Gordon et al., 2020).
Primary care practitioners are well placed to provide timely and effective care to young people experiencing mental ill-health, but the need for appropriate specialised training has been identified (RACGP, 2022). To address this gap, a suite of micro-credentials to enhance Primary Care Practitioners’ skills and knowledge in youth mental health care were developed collaboratively by academic and clinical experts from The University of Melbourne’s Centre for Youth Mental Health, Orygen, and the University’s Department of General Practice and Primary Care, alongside young people with lived experience of mental ill-health and their supporters.
We engaged young people who had sought mental health support from their primary care practitioner to critically evaluate the proposed curriculum, assessment tasks, and delivery methods, ensuring the programs effectively aligned with the needs of learners and those they serve. Importantly, young people with lived experience and supporters also produced core learning materials to share their expertise with students.
This collaborative approach aimed to deliver quality education and enhance primary care practitioners’ capacity to deliver appropriate, youth-friendly care. The design and outcomes of this initiative will be discussed, highlighting the meaningful impact of integrating lived experience into educational program design and the corresponding benefits for primary care practitioners.