1
00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,400
Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf. Join the conversation with Katie Wolf.

2
00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,360
Speaker 1: You are our eyes and ears in the Territory Mix

3
00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,360
Speaker 1: one oh four point nine. Matt Hepworth with you this morning.

4
00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,640
Speaker 1: Tomorrow is Close the Gap Day. It's held on the

5
00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,400
Speaker 1: third Tuesday in March each year and it's all about

6
00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,840
Speaker 1: embracing value. Health equality is a fundamental right for all

7
00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,720
Speaker 1: here in the territory. Well, joining me on the line now,

8
00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:25,760
Speaker 1: I should say, as a bloke who's just qualified as

9
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,080
Speaker 1: an Aboriginal health practitioner in mental health at the top

10
00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,760
Speaker 1: end Health Service, it's Illia Jacobs, a man I know

11
00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,560
Speaker 1: well from Hillsong on a Sunday evening early A good morning,

12
00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:40,760
Speaker 1: good mate. Good to chat to you on the radio

13
00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,040
Speaker 1: and not with a coffee at hand at church on

14
00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:43,840
Speaker 1: a Sunday morning.

15
00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,720
Speaker 2: Mate. I tell you what, I'm a little bit nervous, buddy.

16
00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,480
Speaker 1: Mate's all right, It's just it's you and me. There's

17
00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,640
Speaker 1: absolutely no one else listening. I promise maybe maybe just

18
00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:55,200
Speaker 1: a few.

19
00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:56,840
Speaker 2: Elia.

20
00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,880
Speaker 1: I saw this on Facebook the other week. You've recently

21
00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:05,200
Speaker 1: graduated as the first Aboriginal health practitioner in the mental

22
00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,840
Speaker 1: health forensic team at the top end Mental health Service,

23
00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,280
Speaker 1: And first of all, congratulations, Can you tell us a

24
00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:12,759
Speaker 1: little bit about your new role.

25
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:19,360
Speaker 2: Uh, I got to get it clear. I just got

26
00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:25,919
Speaker 2: my registration on in February as an Aboriginal health practitioner.

27
00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,880
Speaker 2: I am still holding a position as an Aboriginal mental

28
00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:36,920
Speaker 2: health worker. Yeah, but that's changing, suit, It's just the

29
00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:43,040
Speaker 2: position's got to change over. So yeah.

30
00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,360
Speaker 1: How important is it though? I mean we talk about

31
00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,120
Speaker 1: this qualification that you know you've received as the first

32
00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,400
Speaker 1: Aboriginal health practitioner that you know soon being the mental

33
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,880
Speaker 1: health forensic team. I mean, how important is it for you,

34
00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,200
Speaker 1: you know, as an Aboriginal man working in this area

35
00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:59,639
Speaker 1: with other Aboriginal people.

36
00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:05,160
Speaker 2: Yeah. I'll tell you what mate. Firstly, I'm so excited

37
00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:11,200
Speaker 2: about it. I I I'm so happy to be in

38
00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,840
Speaker 2: this role because mental health mate. It's you know, I've

39
00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,400
Speaker 2: been in this role as an Ariaginal mental health worker

40
00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,080
Speaker 2: for the last two years with the forensic team and

41
00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,600
Speaker 2: just being a part of that and and helping people

42
00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,240
Speaker 2: to get on track and get well. It really gives

43
00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:34,400
Speaker 2: me great joy and a feeling of pride when I'm

44
00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,280
Speaker 2: able to be a part of that that treating process

45
00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:44,200
Speaker 2: and and and making sure that Indigenous Indigenous culture obligation

46
00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:51,000
Speaker 2: and upbringing is always considered in in UH treatment and

47
00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,960
Speaker 2: assess assessing and reviews. So I'm so happy to be

48
00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,440
Speaker 2: in this role and now as coming into being a

49
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,040
Speaker 2: practitioner myself. Yeah, it's really good. It's a good feeling.

50
00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,200
Speaker 1: You mentioned you've only been, you know, in this role

51
00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:09,720
Speaker 1: for the last couple of years. What made you decide

52
00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:11,120
Speaker 1: to get into this line of work.

53
00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,480
Speaker 2: Well, prior to coming into the forensic team, I was doing.

54
00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,880
Speaker 2: I was a security officer at a mental health facility.

55
00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,960
Speaker 2: I was in there for about five years and and

56
00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,760
Speaker 2: I guess when the new manager come in, she's seen

57
00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,280
Speaker 2: some qualities in me with how I how I, I

58
00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:38,440
Speaker 2: guess communicated and worked with the Indigenous clients that was there,

59
00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,240
Speaker 2: and she encouraged me to apply for the average and

60
00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,000
Speaker 2: mental health position that was then It was available at

61
00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,280
Speaker 2: that time, and I applied for it and I wanted

62
00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:53,360
Speaker 2: you know, So, yeah, that's how I got into this.

63
00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,400
Speaker 1: Was there a bit of like study or training involved

64
00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,560
Speaker 1: to get from that transition of you know, being security

65
00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,000
Speaker 1: on the front doors are now working inside the building.

66
00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:08,640
Speaker 2: I'll tell you what. I got a background in youth

67
00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:15,360
Speaker 2: work so I've worked in territory and families, and I

68
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,520
Speaker 2: worked with Mission Australia as a youth worker as well,

69
00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:24,279
Speaker 2: and I gained some skills and worked with some mental

70
00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,560
Speaker 2: health clients back then, which helped me and got me

71
00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,440
Speaker 2: over to line into the role that I won, you know,

72
00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,360
Speaker 2: but as a practitioner, I went to Bachelor and did

73
00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,240
Speaker 2: a two year study down there to achieve that one.

74
00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,320
Speaker 1: You've obviously, as you mentioned, you know, you've been a

75
00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,919
Speaker 1: youth worker and you've been working in this space for

76
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,159
Speaker 1: a long time. Now twenty years I've got here. How

77
00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,520
Speaker 1: do you think we're getting better in addressing the stigma

78
00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:56,600
Speaker 1: around mental health? I mean, you know, twenty years ago,

79
00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,599
Speaker 1: the words mental health is probably not even something that

80
00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,120
Speaker 1: we would have spoken about on the radio. Do you

81
00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,960
Speaker 1: think it's something that the conversations that people are starting

82
00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:04,680
Speaker 1: to find easier.

83
00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:12,320
Speaker 2: I think I think that just within like within my

84
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:19,160
Speaker 2: team and the space that I work in, especially the

85
00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:25,400
Speaker 2: doctors and the psychologists and the mental health nurses and

86
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:34,479
Speaker 2: the I guess that those guys they really they consider

87
00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:41,560
Speaker 2: the cultural the cultural I guess cultural obligations in the

88
00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:47,359
Speaker 2: way that they look at mental health within the Indigenous community.

89
00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:50,799
Speaker 2: So just like with the medical with the medical side

90
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:56,440
Speaker 2: of things, I see that it's more it's more seen.

91
00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,680
Speaker 2: I guess through the medical side. I guess there's a

92
00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:07,440
Speaker 2: lot of people that they've experienced mental health personally or

93
00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:14,200
Speaker 2: they know someone. I guess there's a I think like

94
00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,240
Speaker 2: even on Facebook, you know, people people are always sending

95
00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:21,200
Speaker 2: things out regarding mental health. I think it is something

96
00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:26,560
Speaker 2: that is it's starting to be more knowing in the community.

97
00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:32,960
Speaker 2: But it's really good when that when the people that

98
00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:38,480
Speaker 2: I work with accept cultural ways because you know, Indigenous

99
00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,240
Speaker 2: more but very spiritual, you know, and there's a lot

100
00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:45,640
Speaker 2: of things that they believe that other people don't believe,

101
00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:52,640
Speaker 2: you know. So I guess it's I'm coming more from

102
00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:58,960
Speaker 2: the space that I work in, and and I kind

103
00:06:58,960 --> 00:06:59,880
Speaker 2: of get a lot of words.

104
00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,440
Speaker 1: No, no, I can I can see what you're saying,

105
00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,479
Speaker 1: and you know, from what you're saying, it sounds like

106
00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:09,000
Speaker 1: the complexities about you know, dealing with mental health issues

107
00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,360
Speaker 1: within the indigenous community is so different and far more

108
00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,440
Speaker 1: complex than what it is in our non Indigenous communities.

109
00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:23,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so, and it's it's also the indigenous mob

110
00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:28,640
Speaker 2: being able to sit down and talking to a doctor

111
00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:35,080
Speaker 2: you know, and understanding what's been said, and understanding their

112
00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:42,920
Speaker 2: treatment and especially their diagnosis, and is that all plays

113
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,720
Speaker 2: a big part, you know, them having the education around

114
00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,160
Speaker 2: what's going on with them.

115
00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:52,480
Speaker 1: You know, well, you've done done the hard yards. You're

116
00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,200
Speaker 1: you know, you're on the inside there now. As an

117
00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:59,120
Speaker 1: Aboriginal health practitioner, what would you say to other Indigenous

118
00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,360
Speaker 1: people listening the small warning that want to pursue a

119
00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:02,440
Speaker 1: career in this field.

120
00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,760
Speaker 2: I would say that I would encourage them. I would

121
00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:13,679
Speaker 2: encourage them to to to do this training. And because

122
00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,680
Speaker 2: you know, it starts with ourselves mate, as the individual.

123
00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:23,720
Speaker 2: You know that where we can bring about change, and

124
00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,520
Speaker 2: and when family mobs starts seeing us really caring and

125
00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,120
Speaker 2: making the effort to bring change, you know, then you

126
00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,320
Speaker 2: develop that role model and you know, and people want

127
00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,679
Speaker 2: to I guess they look up to their leaders, or

128
00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:40,520
Speaker 2: they look up to the people that are doing good

129
00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,040
Speaker 2: and want to help, you know, and hopefully that influences

130
00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,680
Speaker 2: people to to want to do the same. I guess. Yeah.

131
00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,040
Speaker 1: So important, not just you know, within the health space,

132
00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,920
Speaker 1: but you know within some of the issues in our

133
00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:55,920
Speaker 1: community that we talk about at the moment as well,

134
00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:57,719
Speaker 1: whether it be youth crime, some of the stuff we've

135
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,600
Speaker 1: seen in Alice Springs. You know, it is so important

136
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:01,960
Speaker 1: to have these role models.

137
00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, role models are very important, you know, to have

138
00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:11,160
Speaker 2: that mental ship and the guidance and someone to pull

139
00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,040
Speaker 2: you up every now and again when you step out.

140
00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,640
Speaker 1: You know, I guess we all need it.

141
00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:16,840
Speaker 2: Well.

142
00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,960
Speaker 1: Ilia Jacobs, congratulations once again on this new role that

143
00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:25,400
Speaker 1: you've secured. It's a wonderful achievement. And coffee's on me

144
00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:27,319
Speaker 1: next time I see you at church, mate.

145
00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:31,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, thanks, Mattie, mate. I appreciate it having good

146
00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:31,959
Speaker 2: on you. Ilia.

147
00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,000
Speaker 1: That's Ilia Jacob's there. He's just qualified as an Aboriginal

148
00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,720
Speaker 1: health practitioner in mental health at the top end health

149
00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:39,840
Speaker 1: service there. And that transition that he was talking about

150
00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,640
Speaker 1: in his career amazing. I worked as a security guard

151
00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,280
Speaker 1: on the outside there and now he's in there helping

152
00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,120
Speaker 1: Indigenous people, you know, within that mental health space. And

153
00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,040
Speaker 1: he spoke about those complexities of how different it is,

154
00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,520
Speaker 1: whether that be language barriers, cultural barriers, and the delivery

155
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,040
Speaker 1: of those services and the complexities of it. So big

156
00:09:58,080 --> 00:09:59,400
Speaker 1: congratulations to Ilia there