Gippsland Accommodation & Rehabilitation Support Service webpage

Core Business:-

GARSS aims to assist people with a major mental psychiatric illness and their families to develop independence, increase empowerment and self-esteem and to live a successful and satisfying life through the provision of education, support and friendship networks. GARSS Inc. offers a wide range of programs and services developed in direct response to needs and as a structured outcome of the Individual Program Plan process.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation:
Psychosocial rehabilitation is a key component of a PDRSS. The Standards for Psychiatric Disability Support Services define psychosocial rehabilitation as:

• the provision of ongoing support that assists the person with a psychiatric disability to experience an improved quality of life, learn or relearn the skills of daily living, participate to the maximum extent social, recreational, educational and vocational activities and live successfully at an optimal level of independent functioning in the community.

Psychosocial rehabilitation is informed by the belief that every individual has the potential to change and grow; it focuses on the individual’s strengths and abilities rather than their illness. The assessment of those skills and abilities and most of the work undertaken to relearn old skills and develop new ones, occurs in the settings of everyday life – the individuals home or community.
Psychosocial rehabilitation is delivered through a range of individual and/or group activities that respond to the needs and goals of individual participants. Activities may focus on:

• skill development, such as learning or relearning the skills required for activities for everyday life
• peer support
• exploring self and illness through creative pursuits.

(Department of Human Services)

What programs does GARSS offer?

There are several psychosocial rehabilitation programs that GARSS can offer depending on individual needs and program availability.

Home Based Outreach Program:
Home based outreach support aims to reduce isolation, assist with learning or re-learning the activities of daily living, develop social skills and enable access to community services.

This program is for people who need one-to-one support out in the community and is based on individualised needs aimed to develop social and living skills. This program is often delivered within the person’s own home or local community and focuses on activities of everyday living. These skills may include managing money and financial transactions, shopping, cooking, healthy living skills, caring for oneself, caring for ones home environment, parenting skills, making and keeping social and recreational contacts relating to friends, family and local community.

Day Program:
Day programs aim to create a sense of belonging to a community, provide peer support and an atmosphere where social and daily living skills can be learnt. A participant’s involvement in the day program can also be an important source of support and respite for families and other carers. Day programs can be structured or informal drop-in service (dependent on funding).

Day Programs provide a range of structured/planned activities for enrolled members. The focus of programs involves providing a supportive environment allowing participants to build on their strengths. The day program provides opportunities for skills and personal development in areas including living skills, pre-vocational activity and socialisation.

The day program also includes an open door philosophy allowing members to call in and enjoy the GARSS environment on other occasions. This allows members the opportunity to come in and catch up with others over a cuppa, play pool or just mingle with mates.

Zest Youth Program:
The Zest program has both the Home Based Outreach and Day Program components but it is specifically targeted towards young people between 16 –24 years old who may be experiencing the symptoms of mental illness.

The Zest program is acknowledged as a more intensive program in regard to Home Based Outreach and therefore resulting in either more complex clients and or increased hours of support each week for individuals.

Adult Education Program:
The Adult Education programs offered by GARSS allow people with a mental illness the opportunity to develop skills needed to enter or re-enter areas of the workforce or further education (e.g. TAFE, IGAIN, UNI etc).

The education programs offered by GARSS also aim to allow individuals to develop personal growth and increase self-confidence.

Accommodation Program:
GARSS has some limited opportunities for housing through GARSS accommodation (we sublet from the Office of Housing), as well as other housing agencies – of which GARSS can nominate tenants too. Support through the Home Based Outreach can be attached to these housing opportunities.

Community Education Program:
The Community Education Program involves members of the service working together with the support of a staff member to public speak to a variety of places talking about their experiences with mental illness, we also have a band self-named ‘It’s Only Paranoia’.

This program is a voluntary program for participants and has provided some extremely positive results in regard to informing general community about the effects of mental illness on individuals and families but it also has provided consumers with a forum to get their message out to people – this has proven to be an extremely powerful program.

Self Abuse Finally Ends Program (SAFE):
The SAFE program assists people who self harm to deal with issues relating to self-harm. This program has been developed by SAFE Canada and has been piloted by GARSS. When funding allows this program will be available. (Availability yet to be determined).

Planned Respite:
Funding is given to services to provide programs that allow families or carers to have respite from the person that they are supporting. Programs vary however GARSS often provides programs in the form of a camp/holiday. The person with the mental illness enrols in the camp/holiday program essentially allowing the carer or support person a well-deserved break.

GARSS believes in the ‘Recovery Process’ – what is that?

In the context of people who experience mental illness, ‘Recovery’ is a unique process of growth and development for individuals. The recovery process may involve changing attitudes, values and beliefs towards one’s self and the catastrophes of mental illness.

Recovery refers to a way of living a satisfying and hopeful life, despite the limitations caused by mental illness and associated stigma.

Recovery doesn’t necessarily mean cure – the symptoms of mental illness may remain. It reflects a process of the person regaining control of their life by learning to manage the illness and its impacts, rather than being managed by them.
Placement Details
Generally placements within GARSS involve opportunities for face-to-face group work and individual work based around the rehabilitation and support of individuals experiencing diagnosed mental illness. The placement will involve both work within the GARSS program centre as well as a lot of work done out within the community setting for example, individuals homes, hospital wards, Community Residential Care Units, shopping centres and general community environments

In general students that undertake placements within GARSS are looking for experience in working with people who are living with mental illness. GARSS works under principles of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Principles
Placement Parameters
Students work by shadowing staff members over a period of time. Depending on the nature and time of the placement we are able to either focus on one specific area of our service eg youth or allow students to gain an appreciation of an across the board look at our service and try to give some time allocated to most program areas. This is often negotiated and directed by the interest of the student and the ability of the program.
GARSS is open from 9.00am-4.30pm Monday to Friday and students generally nominate days of the week that they will be attending placement and it is expected that students arrive at 9.00am unless negotiated otherwise and generally finish at 4.30pm unless negotiated otherwise depending on the activity. For example some of our day program leisure activities are outside this timeline on occasion.

There are an abundance of skills that students that will develop whilst at GARSS. Feedback from previous nursing students have been that they gain an understanding of peoples lives outside of the clinical setting as their work is predominantly with individuals when they are unwell. They gain an understanding of what people deal with on a day to day basis when dealing with mental illness. Other skills will include:

• Knowledge and understanding of mental illness and the impact that it has on individual lives and that of family and friends.
• Knowledge of Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation Support Services and the role they play in the larger mental health system as well as the general health system.
• The need and importance of networking and liaising with community services.
• Ability to better understand interdisciplinary careplanning.
• Familiarisation with legislative requirements within community agencies.
• Knowledge and understanding around ethical policies and boundaries.

Selection Criteria
Students need to be able to be good communicators as the people that we work with often feel like they are being observed and it is important for students to present a level of comfort with consumers.

Location: Cnr Spry and McDonald Streets
Contact Person:
Phone: 5133 9237
Places Filled: 0/2