30 January 2020
Dr Jocelyn Kernot
Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy)
Doctorate by Research Health Sciences
Occupational Therapist and Lecturer, Dr Jocelyn Kernot, is spearheading a mental wellbeing program for young men in rural communities in partnership with community-based male mental health support groups and regional South Australian football clubs.
Men in rural communities have been found to experience more apprehension about seeking help for mental health issues and providing opportunities for men to have a safe conversation about mental health is essential to address this stigma.
“Death by suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians and for men in rural areas the incidence is twice as high than that of their urban counterparts,” Dr Kernot says.
“This alarming statistic is one which we particularly wanted to try and address. Having lived rurally and being in a family who are heavily involved in sport, I understand how important clubs are in providing social support to their players and members.”
The mental wellbeing program will bring together community groups I'm Not Afraid To Talk (INATT) and Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT), and UniSA staff and students to assist community clubs in the Greater Flinders and Eastern Eyre Football leagues.
They will together deliver mental wellbeing strategies to men at risk in these rural areas guided by evidence-based principles – the program will include community workshops, speaking engagements, and a specialised toolkit to assist clubs to implement the program.
Funded by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) – the $19,900 grant will enable UniSA, INATT and HALT to deliver a series of targeted workshops and follow up sessions through the football clubs located in Kimba, Cleve and Tumby Bay to improve mental health and reduce suicide risk.
The funds will support the delivery of the workshops, UniSA program support and evaluation, accommodation and local venue hire, with UniSA also providing significant in-kind expertise.
“We have developed a relationship with INATT and HALT over the last two years through our UniSA Occupational Therapy students’ Participatory Community Practice projects,” says Dr Kernot.
“During these projects, students have worked with the South Whyalla Football Club and the general community to explore their mental wellbeing needs and have worked with the community to come up with strategies and recommendations to address these needs.”
“This project will build on these relationships and the capacity of local football leagues to support the mental wellbeing needs of their communities through workshops, resources and ongoing support.”
The hope is to eventually enable the team to refine a model and resource that could be adopted by community clubs (sporting and other social clubs) across regional Australia, reaching as many people as possible to make a real difference in people’s lives and combat those shocking suicide statistics.
“We felt that teaming up with local Eyre Peninsula men’s support group I am Not Afraid to Talk (INATT) in delivering workshops to local Eyre Peninsula football clubs may be a good means of starting up a conversation about mental health,” says Dr Kernot.
“Helping men to identify supports available and to come up with their own strategies for managing mental wellbeing is also important. These workshops will also help to support clubs in coming up with ongoing strategies to support their communities.”
Before transitioning into an academic teaching role, Dr Kernot worked as an Occupational Therapy clinician for 17 years in community, hospital and private settings, specialising in neurological rehabilitation for children and adults.
She also held senior positions including Deputy Head of the Occupational Therapy Department and Head Paediatric Occupational Therapist at East Surrey Hospital, which has influenced her research now as a proponent of lifelong learning.
“My work as an occupational therapist has helped me understand that all communities are different and that a one-size fits all program is not going to work for everyone,” Dr Kernot says.
“For this project to be successful it needs to be driven by the community and delivered by people that they already have a relationship with and trust, in this case local support groups like INATT.”
“Our workshop model that we are developing can be adapted to address the specific needs of each community.”
“We hope that this project will provide the support that participating clubs and communities need to develop and implement ongoing strategies to promote mental wellbeing and to reduce the stigma in relation to mental health issues.”
