Anthony Woodruff

“I have primarily been working in public mental health services, both in Queensland and most recently as an inpatient social worker at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria. I have worked as part of multi-disciplinary teams providing support and advocacy to clients and families with complex mental health issues. I really enjoyed working in the community based teams, especially with CATT on the Sunshine Coast. I think what kept me going in that work was the chance to get out of the office and visit a huge variety of diverse people in their own homes. I enjoyed the dynamic nature of meeting people for the first time and trying to provide a calm and supportive presence to people when they were obviously experiencing stress due to the crisis of their loved ones mental illness. It was rewarding to be able to provide support to families and help them navigate the often complex hospital system, which as we all know can be very confronting and frustrating.

Currently I am about to begin my Masters of Clinical Family Therapy, with Bouverie Centre in Melbourne. I think my interest in family work has naturally led me to this point, as I am now the Intake Coordinator with Moreland Community Health Service. I enjoy the challenge of meeting a family for the first time, conducting an assessment of the issues and then always trying to maintain a systemic approach to the presenting issues. It is very different to one on one client work, and requires a more holistic approach. I guess part of what keeps me going in this work is trying to maintain a practice position that accommodates each person’s unique perspective. Perhaps it’s my natural sense of equity and fairness to allow each family member a voice, to see each side of their story. In fact it’s the variety of perspectives that makes family work so rich, so that’s part of what keeps me going….and I’m still going…”

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