Flick Grey, researcher and mental health consultant, was awarded the 2015 Hocking Fellowship to investigate a model known as 'Open Dialogue'.
This model overcomes problems that occur when someone experiencing a mental health crisis is left out of the conversations about their health. It emphasises dialogue between the person at the centre of the crisis and their ‘network’ – be they their friends, family or other support people – with the assistance of clinical professionals such as psychiatrists.
Through the Fellowship Ms Grey explored international experiences with a focus on relevance to the Australian context and the integration of peer workers into Open Dialogue.
She visited key sites including Kerapoudas Hospital in Finland, the Parachute Project in New York, the Institute for Dialogic Practice in Massachusetts, as well as projects in the UK and Germany.