As part of her Masters in Clinical Psychology, Tanu Joshi from Macquarie University completed a two-month placement through the Centre of Remote Health (CRH) in Alice Springs. On placement she worked with several mental health teams including the sub-acute facility, hospital inpatient unit and the remote mental health team.

Tanu had the opportunity to work with clients around their treatment, learn about their cultural and family life and their unique beliefs about mental health.

“Throughout my time in Alice Springs I developed a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances of working with Indigenous cultures”.

“For me, the most interesting aspect of this placement was visiting remote Indigenous communities and engaging in outreach”.

While working across the mental health departments Tanu also received ongoing supervision from staff within the teams, as well as weekly supervision with CRH clinical staff. This provided a great environment to support ongoing learning and reflection from supervisors who are well experienced in working in this field.

“This placement was definitely challenging, however if you are open minded, flexible and able to adapt to your surroundings there is a lot to be gained. Overall, my placement was a great unique experience that I couldn’t have had anywhere else but in Alice Springs.