Jeremy

After a stay at the Adult Mental Health Unit at Canberra Hospital and a Step-Up Step-Down service, Jeremy participated in a vocational program, receiving the supports he needed to undertake studies and enter the workforce.

Jeremy is 32 and lives with schizophrenia.  He has several experiences of hospitalisation. During his last stay at the Adult Mental Health Unit at Canberra Hospital, Jeremy and his discharge planner agreed that he would benefit from some time at the Step-Up Step-Down (SUSD) residential program with MI Fellowship. During his 12-weeks residency at the SUSD facility, Jeremy continued to receive clinical care from a community mental health team.

With the support of SUSD staff, Jeremy had commenced recovery planning very early during his stay at the residential facility.  When it was time to return home, Jeremy was linked into community services. He received tenancy support through Belconnen Community Service to help him manage his public housing unit. In addition to tenancy support, domestic assistance was provided over a six-week period to help Jeremy settle back into his unit.

One of Jeremy's early recovery goals was vocational participation. Two months after discharging from the SUSD facility, Jeremy found a placement in MI Fellowship's vocational programs. His 12 months of vocational training strengthened Jeremy's self-confidence and social skills. After exiting the program, he commenced a course of studies at Canberra Institute of Technology. Jeremy has also found part-time work in a social enterprise cafe.

From time to time, Jeremy drops in at the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network. He has undertaken some self-advocacy training with the Network and is considering whether he would like to do some more training to become a consumer representative.