Hilton Gruis

Senior Lecturer

I am currently Senior lecturer in the Monash university department of Rural and Indigenous Health.  I have completed a Bachelor Social Welfare and Bachelor of Psychology and Grad. Dip. Business (Human Service Management) and is undertaking a Master of Biomedical Science with a view to conversion into a PhD. Previously employed as the Gippsland Regional Social Emotional Wellbeing and Stolen Generations coordinator for Ramahyuck District Aboriginal Corporation and more recently, as the Latrobe Site coordinator responsible for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services within the Central, West, South and South Eastern areas under the management of that same organisation.

I am also a  trained instructor of both Mental Health First Aid and Indigenous Mental Health First Aid and continue to provide education and training to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and support agency personnel throughout the rural and Metropolitan areas of Victoria.
I have a broad spectrum of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support services and an extensive personal knowledge of the local communities and their representative bodies at local, state and national levels.

'What Care and Protective factors influence suicide and self harming behaviour in Far East Gippsland Aboriginal communities.' 
Gippsland communities have the highest incidence of suicide in Victoria and of these, Indigenous people are the majority. Two Indigenous communities in Far East Gippsland sharing similar demographics and geographical location but which have significantly differing rates of suicide and self harming behaviour are reviewed through group discussion, self reports and individual interviews to determine which factors are present or absent in each which influence these behaviours. This project is conducted in collaboration and partnership with Indigenous community people of Orbost and Lake Tyers (Moogji and Bung Yarnda).

Dr Anton Isaacs (MD). 'Factors that facilitate and inhibit utilisation of mental health services by indigenous men in Gippsland: A case study.'