A Hunter-based organisation has been honoured with a statewide mental health award for encouraging survivors of child abuse and trauma to help others heal.
Heal For Life Foundation – based at Quorrobolong – has been awarded a Mental Health Matters Award for Consumer Involvement and Engagement.
The awards are an initiative of the Mental Health Association of NSW and the NSW Mental Health Commission.
Heal For Life CEO and founder Liz Mullinar said it was rewarding to see the foundation’s peer
support model recognised for the role it played in improving survivors’ mental health.
“Research shows that the vast majority of people with a mental illness have experienced some form of childhood trauma,” Ms Mullinar said.
“Our model is a cost-effective way of helping people to heal from their mental illness rather than just manage or medicate it.”
In her acceptance speech, Ms Mullinar called for the word healing to be placed into the debate about how to best support people coming forward through the various royal commissions into childhood and institutional abuse.
The foundation has helped more than 5500 people since it was established in 1999.
October is Mental Health Month.
