Auckland health graduates face big challenge

MEDIA RELEASE
February 2009

Auckland health graduates face personal and professional challenge

A new class of Alcohol & Drug and Counselling professionals graduated at Auckland’s Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday, 12 February when Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) held its annual graduation for Addiction Studies and Counselling students studying at the Auckland Campus.

WelTec graduates with newly conferred qualifications including Bachelor in Alcohol and Drug Studies, Bachelor in Counselling, Graduate Diploma in Addiction Studies and other specialist programmes of study will enlarge a stretched workforce challenged to meet a significant area of need in New Zealand.

The often reported binge drinking culture in New Zealand adds weight to the need for an increased labour supply of qualified alcohol and drug practitioners and correlated counselling professionals. The average rate of consumption over the age of 15 in 2005 was 9.38 litres per head of the population, up 3.2 percent from the previous year (NZ Statistics).
Chair of the Mental Health Commission, Dr Peter McGeorge was guest speaker at the event, where he congratulated WelTec graduates and spoke about the opportunities and challenges facing those entering the mental health and addictions sector.
“The extent of mental distress in New Zealand is significant with estimates based on studies ranging from 20-35% of the population. In a short time, if you are not already working in your professional role, you will be confronting and taking responsibility for working with people in a more direct way. This is a huge challenge. Mental distress and the human condition can take a toll on us and sometimes when we don’t expect it. ”

“Another issue has to do with the sheer numbers of people that will seek your services and the range of problems and personality types you will encounter. Some of you will manage this within individual practices while others will work for agencies but demand will always exceed supply in our business”.
Dr McGeorge is a general, child and adolescent psychiatrist with extensive experience in the development and delivery of mental health services in Australasia including roles such as Director of Mental Health Services in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney. During the past 20 years he has been involved in national policy development, reviews of mental health services, and the establishment of systems of integrated community and hospital-based mental health care.

Despite the alarming statistics the future looks positive. While new graduates provide a fresh supply of specialised Alcohol, Drug and Addictions practitioners, New Zealanders also are increasingly recognising and proactively seeking treatment for alcohol and drug misuse. The Alcohol and Drug Helpline reported a significant 5% increase in calls for the year 2006 to 2007 in contrast to the preceding year.

Julia Hennessey Executive Dean at Wellington Institute of Technology, previously Manager of Mental Health Services at Hutt Valley District Health Board, states “we need more than an adequate supply of Counsellors and Alcohol and Drug practitioners, New Zealand’s health sector needs qualified professionals with both experience and a theoretical understanding of the issues facing those struggling to overcome substance abuse and other impulse control disorders.”

“The combination of the two, theory and applied learning that we provide at WelTec is a positive step forward toward addressing an issue so very pertinent to the lives of New Zealanders from all walks of life.”

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