Qld dietitian helps teen face food fears
Wednesday, 07 July, 2021
A Brisbane dietitian who helped a 17-year-old face her phobia of food has been recognised for supporting young people with mental health challenges through some of their hardest days.
Children鈥檚 Health Queensland Senior Dietitian Ashleigh Hamilton is the latest winner of the , supported by , after being nominated by her patient, Lily.
The awards shine a light on medical and support staff 鈥� the doctors, nurses, volunteers and others 鈥� who selflessly dedicate themselves to the wellbeing of others.
Lily, who is leaving after 10 months of care, and her aunt, Amy, said Ashleigh put in the effort to establish trust from the beginning.
鈥淭hey would work together on food and eating food. It would be as simple as Ashleigh would say 鈥榳e are going to tackle an apple today鈥� and they would work through it,鈥� Amy said.
鈥淪he gave her the understanding about nutrition and why she needs to have this sort of food.
鈥淭he trust between them meant Lily felt she could tell Ashleigh anything and she would really listen and understand. This is what helped Lily reach her goals. Ashleigh gave her the tools. That鈥檚 why she was nominated. She just went above and beyond.
鈥淚 feel the future for Lily is bright. She feels like a different person.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really valuable what QSuper are doing, especially for the healthcare people who are doing things that are not so obvious,鈥� Amy said.
Based in Chermside, Jacaranda Place opened in May last year to provide extended treatment for young people facing severe or complex mental health issues.
Through support from professionals like Ashleigh, the Australian-first centre provides a safe and structured environment for young people, with a focus on improving their overall function, and increasing their capacity and confidence to transition back to their community.
鈥淲hen Lily first came to Jacaranda Place, she had some goals to work on to increase the variety of foods that she was eating,鈥� Ashleigh said.
鈥淔or someone like Lily, there were some ups and downs during the journey. Following the downs, we were able to see Lily find her way back on her own. For us, that鈥檚 a really good sign she can be independent.
鈥淓veryone here at Jacaranda Place is really proud of what she鈥檚 achieved. She鈥檚 a very resilient young woman. She鈥檚 put so much of herself into her recovery,鈥� she said.
Ashleigh, who has worked in the industry for five years and has been at Jacaranda Place since it opened, was humbled by the nomination.
鈥淵ou see so many good stories 鈥� you can see the positives and good things that come out of it,鈥� she said.
鈥淲hen you see some of our young people and the changes they鈥檝e made and how far they鈥檝e progressed, that kind of outweighs the stress of it.
鈥淚n this kind of setting, we鈥檙e helping the young people so early in their journey. The goal is to prevent long-term chronic mental health issues. It鈥檚 nice to be able to see the change happening early on.鈥�
QSuper CEO Michael Pennisi said he was proud to support Juiced TV and the awards program that celebrates the superheroes of the healthcare sector who put others鈥� best interests first.
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