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Fay Jackson B.Crea.Vis. Arts, Dip. Ed.
Fay Jackson is the director of Vision In Mind. She offers consultancy in Mental Health in the work place, corporate sector, public services, Non Government Organizations, community, federal and state governments.

Fay is a multi award winning national motivational speaker, educator, advocate and voice for mental health. She is regularly engaged to advise the NSW and federal governments, and Non Government Organizations (NGOs), on the state and conditions of mental illness and mental health in the community, services, and workplace.

Fay also is proud to be a person with mental illness. She has bipolar disorder and refers to herself, with tongue in cheek, as a Psychologically Diverse Citizen or PDC. She also refers to people without mental illness as Psychologically Ordinary Citizens or POCs and laughs at the number of people who come out of the wood work and honestly declare themselves as PDCs if the alternative is to be called a POC.

Previous to starting Vision In Mind Fay was in a top management position as the Director of Consumer, Carer and Community Affairs, Mental Health, for a large area health service. In that time she designed and implemented many unique strategies including the creative Communications Strategy which lead to her and the Illawarra Area Health Service winning many awards at a state level.

Fay tours Australia as a motivational speaker and educator and while her aim is to impart knowledge, her addresses are emotional and humorous. Her audiences laugh and cry as she breaks down myths and empowers them. She believes that professionalism should not be void of emotions and laughter.

She is a national media representative consulting to Rotary Health Research Fund, SANE Australia, Beyondblue, and the NSW Centre for Mental Health. Her aim is to destigmatise Mental Health in the workplace and community and to ensure that it is seen as an integral part of OH&S and performance outcomes in the workforce, services, education etc.

She has been invited to speak at Parliament on a number of occasions. Fay is passionate about leading employers, employees and the community to be proactive in the mental health of our nation. She has been honored with several awards for advocacy and consultancy at state and national levels including the prestigious national Rotary Meritorious Service to the Australian Community medal.

Fay is also an accomplished artist and writer. She has had several successful exhibitions and has had both short stories and poetry published. She has worked as a stand up comic and clown and has a background in secondary education and the building industry. Diverse… yes! Knowledgeable, absolutely! Engaging… definitely.

She has an incredible story to tell of overcoming great hardships but she loves a good challenge. Fay lives by two mottos, ‘A life lived in fear is a life half lived’ and ‘Make your mark but don’t leave a stain’.

Professional Associations

NSW State Government Mental Health Task Force
Centre for Mental Health
Mental Health Council of Australia
CAN, Consumer Activity Network (Mental Health) Inc.
National Consumer and Carer Forum, auspiced out of the Mental Health Council of Australia
Schizophrenia Fellowship of Australia
National Coalition Advisory Council of Mental Health
Beyondblue, National Depression Initiative
Rotary Health Research Fund
NSW CAG (Consumer Advocacy Group)
NHMRC Project into Early Detection and Intervention in Psychosis
NSW, Art Gallery

Professional Contributions

Consultancy to many state, federal and private bodies.
Award winning presentations and keynote speeches of papers at conferences throughout Australia 2002-current.
Consultancy to NSW State Government Mental Health Task Force.
Board Member CAN, Consumer Activity Network, 2006
National Motivational speaker and consultant for the Rotary Health Research Fund, 2000-current.
National Consumer Media Representative for SANE Australia, 2003-current.
National radio and television interviews as Consumer Consultant and Advocate (city, urban and regional stations, e.g., Radio National, JJJ HAC, ABC Local Radio, several commercial stations, Today Tonight, etc.), 2001-2005
State Consumer Representative Center for Mental Health, 2003-2006.
Appointed as the NSW representative for the National Coalition Advocacy Advisory Council for Mental Health, 2002
Committee member of the National Consumer and Carer Forum, 2002-2004
Delivered paper at the THEMES Conference, 2002-2003
Regular Guest Speaker, Wollongong University, 2000-current.
Consumer Advocate and Consultant, NSW Parliament, 2001-2004
Consultancy documentation to Beyondblue, 2001-current.
Multicultural Consultant for NSW Dept. of Education, 1995-1996
Invited to speak for International Women’s Day, Shoalhaven, 1997
Invited to contribute both short stories and poems on women’s issues, Women in Focus, 1997
Designed and directed the Port Folio, Émigré’, Multicultural Arts Festival at Port Kembla, 1984
Board Member for the establishment of the Birthing Clinic at the Bowral Hospital 1980’s.
Councilor, consultant, program designer, Young Life Australia, 1981-1983

Accredited Qualifications

Mental Health First Aid, ANU, Canberra, 2003
Graduate Diploma of Education, Wollongong University, 1998
Bachelor of Creative Arts, Wollongong University, 1993-95.
Art Therapy Unit, Wollongong University, 1994
Cert IV Frontline Management
Cert IV IAP2 Public Participation

Other Qualifications

Recruitment and Selection Training, IH, 2003
Performance Management, (90007), NSW Health, 2003
Budget Management Training, NSW Health, Illawarra Health 2004
Aggression Minimization, 2004, VETAB
Consumer Advocacy Training, New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry, 2002
Suicide Intervention, Living Works, 1998
Conferencing Under the Young Offenders Act (NSW) 1997- A course for Conveners, NSW Department of Juvenile Justice

Employment

Director of Consumer, Carer and Community Affairs, Illawarra Mental Health, 2003-2005
Senior Consumer Consultant, Illawarra Area Health, Shellharbour Hospital, 2002-2003
Teacher, Illawarra secondary schools, Art and Drama, 1999-2002

The following positions were/are on a contract, casual, or consultancy basis.

NSW Representative, National Consumer and Carer Forum, 2002-2003
NSW Representative for the National Coalition Advocacy Advisory Council for Mental Health, 2002-03
Consultant, Beyondblue, National Depression Initiative, 2001-current
Consultant Rotary Health Research Fund, 2001-current
National Motivational speaker for The Rotary Mental Health Research Fund, 2001-current
Dept. of Education, Jamberoo Public School, Illaroo Road, Nowra Public School, Berry Public School, Cambewarra Public School, Art-I-Culture Multicultural Program.1997
Art Teacher, Kiama Adult Education, 1997
Self-Employed Artist, 1996-97
Art/Drama Teacher, Southern Highland Home Schooling Association, 1992-93 (permanent, part time)
Curator and Supervisor for Port Kembla Arts Festival, 1994
Established “That Special Effect”, painting commissions, murals painted finishes, etc. 1991-96
Art Teacher, Bowral Studios, The Paper Place Bowral, 1991
Actor/Clown, contract basis 1990- yes I still dabble a little bit.
Drawing Teacher, Adult Education Bowral, 1990
Art/ Drama Coordinator/ Teacher, Southern Highlands Christian High School, Bowral, 1986-89
Nurses Aid, Aged Care, 1980

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