REACHOUT PRO EDUCATIONAL
MODULE - CONNECTING OUR WORLDS
Foreword
For young people, technology is a part of life. It is not a
separate entity but a vital cog in their social cycle. It is who
they are and how they experience the world around them. Whilst as
healthcare professionals we accept this, we are still coming to
terms with the potential benefits of technology as a therapeutic
and clinical tool.
To be able to use technology in working with young people,
healthcare professionals need a basic understanding of this
relationship, of the current technologies, and of the ethical
parameters around technology use. Understanding the nature of young
people's relationship with technology; how they use it to
communicate, how they engage and relate through technology, and the
frequency of such use, is important in understanding how to
facilitate help seeking behaviour and connecting with those young
people in need.
The ReachOut Pro Educational Module - Connecting Our
Worlds, is an initiative to assist healthcare practitioners,
youth workers, and those working in health promotion to better
engage with young people through the use of technology. It is aimed
at providing a basic understanding of the benefits of technology
with some introductory "how to" exercises and practical
solutions.
Within this module, we recognise the increasing benefits of
using technology, but also the limits. In particular, the evidence
and guidelines supporting technology are still emerging and so we
also encourage clinical judgement and the use of existing ethical
and professional codes. However, we believe that healthcare
professionals who are aware of these issues and ready and willing
to manage these appropriately can successfully span the digital
divide and better engage with young people from all walks of
life.
Finally, the completion of these modules would not have been
possible without the existing partnership between the Inspire
Foundation, Orygen Youth Health and the Brain & Mind Research
Institute (BMRI). Additionally, I would also like to acknowledge
Psychologists Anna Sidis and Liesje Donkin for their significant
contribution in producing the content for this module and the
reference group for their guidance and advice. The reference group
members include;
- Emily May (Youth Action and Policy Association NSW Inc),
- Fiona Robards (NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent
Health),
- Professor Helen Herrman and Swagata Bapat (Orygen Youth Health
and the University of Melbourne),
- Jenna Denley and Rebecca Mollica (Inspire Youth
Ambassadors),
- Jill Michalski (Hume Regional Early Psychosis Service),
- Associate Professor Lena Sanci (The Department of General
Practice, The University of Melbourne),
- Dr Liz Scott, Jeannie Gehue and Liesje Donkin (headspace
Central Sydney and the Brain &Mind Research Institute, The
University of Sydney),
- Michael Emslie (Youth Work Program, RMIT University),
- Michelle Blanchard Cooperative Research Centre for Young
People, Technology and Wellbeing
- Nadine Finlay, Kellie Howe, and Anna Sidis, (ReachOut Pro Team,
Inspire Foundation).
- Patrick Hurley (Brain & Mind Research Institute)
We hope this module will compliment your current practice and
provide new ideas and options for supporting the young people you
work with.
The ReachOutPro.com.au team welcomes your feedback and new
ideas. Please use the comment feature at the bottom of each section
to send us your thoughts.
Warm regards
Professor Helen Herrman
Orygen Youth Health
Explore the Connecting Our
Worlds professional development resources
Use the left hand menu to
navigate the Education Module