Jenny Wong

Advisory Board Member

Having worked with a diverse range of workers including those from the emergency response sector over the past 15 years, Jenny sees many who become unwell due to psychological distress and burnout.

Jenny has an enduring passion to learn about mental health and mental illness. She is committed to protecting and improving mental health outcomes for all workers and aims to help not only those people struggling, but also to prevent stigma and bring a better understanding to families, friends, and the wider community.

“The range of psychopathology that one deals with on a daily basis in the mental health field can be broad and often difficult. However, if we tend to focus on mental illness, few will move beyond this as their major way of conceptualizing the world. Shifting the focus to mental health allows for growth, change and a general acceptance that it is the power of the individual and not necessarily the provider that fosters change and psychological well-being. Being aware of your mental health is important because it affects every single other facet of your daily living and functioning. Without awareness, it is difficult to pinpoint why you are so stressed or having problems with daily life. When you take a moment to stop and think about how you feel, it can be overwhelming sometimes, so we often ignore our mental health. Only when you acknowledge mental health issues are you able to seek treatment and function normally again. ‘Treatment’ can be something as simple as 5 minutes of meditation, getting a relaxing massage or sharing your feelings with someone who cares about you.” says Jenny

Jenny is determined to work in the mental health field until the day comes when a person with depression or anxiety or other mental health condition is treated with the same respect and equality as someone being treated for diabetes or the flu.