Team Leader of Housing and Client Support
When Rod first came to Australia 20 years ago from Chile, he spoke no English. Three days after he arrived in Australia he met a Portuguese man while dropping off a letter. He asked Rod if he wanted a cleaning job and told him to come in at 4.30am the next day. Since then Rod has worked in the windows industry, completed a welfare diploma at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), and is currently studying for a community development degree - majoring in counselling - at the University of Canberra. Needless to say, he’s come a long way.
I asked Rod a few other questions:
Why did you decide to work in the mental health field?
I have a personal interest and I think it’s a good thing to do. I want to be able to achieve a lot for people.
A lot of the reason is I like human relations, talking to people and laughing with people.
How long have you worked with the Foundation?
This is my ninth year working with the Foundation.
What programs do you work on?
I work with Friendship House, Outreach and Respite.
Can you give an example of a success story that has come out of one of your programs?
We had a client with on-going self harm issues. So we taught her to use her hands in a different way- by doing craft and making jewellery. Eventually she gained confidence in her abilities, and decided to sell her jewellery to family and friends. From here she approached a company about working for them part-time. She’s currently a full-time manager now with the same company and no longer a client of ours. This shows a lot of personal progress.
What do you think makes the Mental Health Foundation different from other Mental Health services?
I think what makes us different is that we have an integrated approach. Some of my co-workers who I work with in a professional capacity are consumers, and our teams work closely with consumers. Consumers working with consumers means there’s less division and we can understand our clients’ issues better.
What are your interests?
Soccer! I love the game. I’m a big sports buff, I like the cricket, I go and see the Raiders etc. the happiest day of the year is when Queensland wins the State of Origin!
What’s your favourite fish?
Dolphins, they’re intelligent.
What would you like to achieve in the future?
I’d like to see Mental Health Foundation provide services outside the ACT as we have great programs that could grow.