Mental health administrators and policy makers
Administration and policy roles in mental health are key to shaping programs, supporting organisations, and ensuring services run smoothly. Discover how these roles impact the mental health landscape, the skills needed, and the opportunities available.
What is a mental health administration or policy role?
The mental health field in Australia is diverse and extensive, encompassing well-known roles like psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, and youth workers, as well as lesser-known positions like clinical and project coordinators or public health managers.
This field is growing, too, as people in Australia and around the world grapple with multiple complex challenges, both in their personal lives and on a societal level. Mental illness and poor health are common, with about one in five Australians aged 16 to 85 having experienced a mental health disorder in the previous 12 months to 2020-21, according to research.
One important, albeit lesser-known area of the mental health workforce that can help address these challenges is administration and policy.
Based in a range of fields from business to community services, mental health and admin policy workers help support individuals, groups and their wider communities through a range of programs and projects. They are generally not providing clinical services, but work hard to keep organisations running and to suggest better ways of doing things.
Become a Mental Health Administrator or Policy Maker in Queensland
What qualifications do I need?
Mental health administrators and policy workers tend to come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some study psychology or mental health straight after high school, while others arrive at the profession through other related industries, including counselling, nursing, public health, human resources, or law.
Others reach this field through unrelated jobs or professions. In many cases, they have lived experience that makes them well-suited to the work.
The jobs available in this area vary, and the required qualifications will too. However, a university qualification in mental health, such as a bachelor’s degree, graduate certificate or master’s degree, will provide the knowledge and skills needed to work across a range of mental health roles.
Administrative roles may require training and experience as an administrator or coordinator, as well as a range of IT/software skills. Policy roles may require tertiary qualifications or experience in policy writing, analysis and development.
Where you’ll work in administration and policy
As a mental health administration or policy worker, you may find yourself coming into contact with patients or clients in a range of clinical settings, like hospitals, healthcare centres or outpatient facilities. Alternatively, you may work in non-clinical settings in healthcare or other industries, including government, community services, education or private business.
The daily life of a mental health administrator or policy worker in Queensland
Both administrative and policy roles contribute to important technical, financial and organisational infrastructure or planning for mental health organisations or projects. However, these roles have some key differences.
Administrative roles often include reception or clerk duties, such as:
- meeting and greeting patients or clients
- answering telephones
- managing diaries and clinical records
- entering client or patient data into online databases
- organising and supporting meetings.
Policy workers and program managers or officers are often involved in shaping a range of policies or projects, either for a single organisation or on a wider scale. Their work may involve:
- project management and evaluation
- reviewing and developing policies and guidelines
- responding to issues or trends in mental health
- undertaking community consultation
- researching and submitting policy reports or submissions
- coordinating engagement activities like webinars and events
- advocacy and public awareness work
- meeting with local, state or national governments or councils
- liaising with key internal and external stakeholders, including other mental health organisations.
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