title: Improving the utilisation of bilingual counsellors within a public sector mental health service.
abstract: An urban, public sector Area Mental Health Program reviewed its own bilingual counsellor program as part of an Area-wide quality improvement project, and found that the counsellors' roles needed to be better defined; that mainstream staff needed to have more access to their expertise as cultural consultants; and that their function as an Area team, rather than as service based staff, needed to be encouraged. The bilingual counsellors decided to take up this challenge, and with the support of the Area Director of Mental Health, worked together to redefine their roles.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tobin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D003144:Communication Barriers; D003376:Counseling / Q000592:standards; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007587:Job Description; D007802:Language; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards; D009517:New South Wales; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011361:Professional Competence; D011635:Public Health Administration; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D017749:Total Quality Management; D000078329:Workforce