In this episode, Diane Cass, a social worker and doctoral candidate with Charles Stuart University, discusses the different ways she uses digital mental health tools and services to help her clients connect with other people’s stories and journeys through mental health challenges.
“It’s that aha moment sometimes, because I don’t have all the answers. None of us have all the answers and we need these [digital mental health] resources as a wrap around, as part of our toolbox”
Diane Cass is a social worker; she mostly works with adults and she also works with veterans experiencing PTSD. But in 2019 when Diane and her children were diagnosed with mitochondrial disease – a rare, genetic and life-limiting condition – she found that there was little mental health support for families dealing with the complex grief that a diagnosis affecting multiple family members can bring.
Committed to changing that experience for other families, Diane is also currently a doctoral candidate with Charles Sturt University and, through her research, she hopes to develop resources that could improve the mental health of families struggling with chronic and life limiting conditions.
Through her own lived experience and her research in the genetic disease space, Diane understands the significant impact that a lack of social connection, peer support and opportunities to hear about other people’s experiences can have on mental health and wellbeing. It’s different in the mental health space, she says, where digital mental health can help to extend the therapeutic toolkit to include broader networks.
In this episode of Digital Mental Health Musings, Diane discusses the different ways she uses digital mental health tools and services to help her clients connect with other people’s stories and journeys through mental health challenges.
Diane explains how she is able to help clients feel less alone and more supported as she talks to them about the case studies and personal stories that sites like Black Dog Institute and Beyond Blue offer.
“We all like to learn that we’re not the only person dealing with this. It’s ok for me to say you’re not the only person dealing with this, but when [a client] actually hears stories of other people and how they’ve overcome certain situations, I think it’s incredibly powerful.”
– Diane Cass
With a focus on older clients, Diane also talks about considering practical features like design and layout when it comes to what tools you recommend – how easily will clients be able to read information, are bullet lists and imagery used instead of text heavy layouts, and finding out if clients have a preference for using mobile or desktop digital tools.
Who is Diane Cass?
Diane began her career in England as a lawyer and after migrating to Australia, became an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. Diane established a thriving private practice working with the federal government, among others. As part of her success, Diane has been able to incorporate multiple online platforms. Diane continues to manage these online platforms, including providing case note training for individuals and organisations alike. In her spare time, Diane is a writer and artist, enjoying the ability to work on a part-time basis.
Check out some of the resources we discussed in this episode:
Black Dog Institute: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Reach Out: https://au.reachout.com/
Beyond Blue online forums: https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/
Grief Australia: https://www.grief.org.au/
Listen to the full conversation below. You can also access Digital Mental Health Musings on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Deezer.
Comments are closed.