The aim of Mental Health Week is to promote social and emotional wellbeing to the community, encouraging people to maximise their health potential, enhancing the coping capacity of communities, families and individuals, and increasing mental health recovery.
The objectives of Mental Health Week are to:
- increase mental health literacy in the general population
- decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness
- increase help-seeking or preventative behaviours
- celebrate the achievements of mental health consumers
- develop public and stakeholder awareness of the range of services available.
This year’s NT Mental Health Week painting (pictured below) is titled ‘Healing Your Thoughts’ by Leigh Fowlestone.
Healing your thoughts – Leigh’s story
In the old ways, we use to have gatherings. In these gatherings, the elders would speak about ways of healing the young and old. They would bring their own knowledge from their area (country) and share within the circle to teach their people.
This painting represents four characters coming together to share their knowledge and to represent a whole person combining mind (mental illness), speech (expression), courage (stomach) and strength (heart) to show the path to healing your thoughts.
Please visit https://ntmhc.org.au/mental-health-week/events-calendar/ to find out what events are happening throughout the Northern Territory during Mental Health Week.