A Season of Momentum: VMHPAA’s Winter e-Newsletter Is Here
- Shane Warren
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 18
This winter, it’s not just the temperature dropping but also the rising energy, advocacy, and action from vocational mental health professionals that’s heating up the national conversation.
The VMHPAA Winter Edition 2025 Newsletter is packed with powerful updates, reflections, and resources for anyone passionate about a fairer, more inclusive mental health system in Australia.
🔹 From the Chair: Shane Warren opens this edition with a heartfelt message of gratitude, and a rallying cry. He highlights how our collective voice is getting louder and more focused, especially in light of the draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists. It’s a moment to unite, not retreat.
🔹 Petition Success & Policy Push: Our recent petition opposing unjust exclusions in the draft standards gathered over 1,400 signatures in just 11 days. That momentum opened doors in Canberra and we’re not done yet. Read the update and find out how to keep the pressure on.
🔹 Raising the Bar: Self-Regulation with Purpose: CEO Philip Armstrong outlines the VMHPAA’s commitment to creating self-regulated national standards, crafted by vocational practitioners, for vocational practitioners. This isn’t gatekeeping. It’s growth. It’s ownership. And it’s long overdue.
🔹 The Case for Recognition: General Counsel Martin Taylor delivers a sharp legal and strategic argument for why the National Standards must include diploma-qualified mental health workers. Equity. Evidence. Urgency. This is more than professional dignity, it’s a public health imperative.
🔹 Seasonal Health & Self-Care: As the winter blues set in, Dr. Gaye Cameron offers practical advice for navigating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), while Dr. Brooklyn Storme encourages practitioners to embrace winter slow-downs as a time for reflection, strategy, and self-renewal.
Whether you’re a frontline worker, a policymaker, or someone seeking to understand the full spectrum of Australia’s mental health workforce this newsletter is your winter read.
Let’s keep building a system that values skill, compassion, and community above all else.
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