Mental health, occupational stress and psychology specialists have professional training and experience in working with people who have a mental illness, problems with stress at work or behavioural issues.
Mental health, occupational stress and psychology specialists include social workers, psychiatric nurses, psychiatrist medical officers, occupational therapists and psychologists.
Public specialist mental health services are available to assess and treat people with serious mental illness, including those experiencing a psychiatric crisis. People who have a serious mental illness or disorder will usually have a significant disturbance in thought, mood, or behaviour. Specialist psychiatric assessment is required to diagnose a serious mental illness/disorder (Better Health Channel 2007).
Services provided
Mental health, occupational stress and psychology specialists are able to assist people to manage work. Mental health, occupational stress and psychology specialists include:
Psychologists
A psychologist is specialist in the science that studies the functioning of the brain and the reasons for the ways people think and act. Psychologists are usually categorised under a number of different fields, some of which include the following.
Neuropsychologists
Neuropsychologists carry out assessments if a person:
- has altered reasoning ability.
- has altered behaviour.
- has rehabilitation goals which may be influenced by their reasoning ability
- has had a brain injury and wishes to return to driving (CRS Australia 2007).
Clinical psychologists
Clinical psychologists have specialist training in the assessment of behaviour and mental functioning, and in a range of interventions aimed at changing how people think, feel and act towards themselves and others (Victorian Government Health Information 2007).
Organisational psychologists
Organisational psychologists are concerned with the performance of people at work and in training, with developing an understanding of how organisations function and how individuals and groups behave at work. Their aim is to increase effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction at work (Wikipedia 2007).
Social workers
Social workers in the area of mental health assess and support, and sometimes diagnose and treat, individuals with mental health (particularly psychosocial) problems (Wikipedia 2007).
Psychiatric nurses
Psychiatric nurses or mental health nurse practitioners work with people with a large variety of mental health problems, often at the time of highest distress, and usually within hospital settings (Wikipedia 2007).
Psychiatrists
A psychiatrist is a doctor who specialises in psychiatry and is certified in treating mental illness. As part of their evaluation of the patient, psychiatrists are one of only a few mental health professionals who may prescribe psychiatric medication, conduct physical examinations and order and interpret laboratory tests (Wikipedia 2007)
Occupational therapists
Occupational therapists are health professionals trained to assist people to overcome various limitations in order to live more independent lives. People may need assistance due to injury or illness, psychological or emotional difficulties, developmental delay or the effects of ageing. Occupational therapists work in many different environments including workplaces. Their goal is to maximise skills for living which enhance personal productivity, well-being and quality of life (Better Health Channel 2007).
Panel of workplace assessors
The workplace assessors listed in the Workplace Adjustment Tool are part of a panel of assessors formed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations as part of the Workplace Modifications Scheme.The Workplace Modifications Scheme pays for the costs involved in modifying the workplace or purchasing special or adaptive equipment for eligible employees with disability. Under the Scheme, the JobAccess Advisers will assess the need for a workplace assessment and organise the assessment, at no cost to the employer or employee, with one of the professionals listed in the panel.
Alternatively, an employer can approach a panel member independently for a paid assessment.
For more information about workplace assessments under the Workplace Modifications Scheme,
