Victoria is building the best public mental health and wellbeing system in the world for everyone who needs treatment, care and support, and for the mental health and wellbeing workforce.
Over the last two years, Victoria has been creating a mental health and wellbeing system that will provide holistic treatment, care, and support for all Victorians.
The Victorian Government has invested a record amount into the public mental health system. In addition to building state of the art facilities and establishing new services for the community, we’re also boosting the workforce to build on our diverse, skilled, and passionate people who are essential to the success of our mental health system.
In the last year alone, the Victorian Government invested $372 million into supports for the mental health workforce, creating new job opportunities and developing training and wellbeing programs as well as critical infrastructure to ensure the people who provide mental health and wellbeing support to our state are themselves also supported.
Job opportunities are available now across a range of disciplines, roles, and levels.
Our system needs more mental health nurses, psychiatrists, allied health and lived experience workers, amongst other professions. There’s no better time to bring your skills and experience to these exciting new career opportunities and become part of this growing team.
Testimonial: Paul, Occupational Therapist
Working in public mental health
There are many diverse settings for mental health professionals to work in Victoria’s public system.
From living and working in metropolitan Melbourne to regional Victoria, from community-based services to critical care, there are so many opportunities to support people to achieve their best mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health professionals working in Victoria can choose a range of different career pathways, including:
- area-based services: provide acute, subacute, specialist, residential, community inpatient and support services
- statewide and specialist mental health services: provide care to people of all ages with severe or complex illnesses
- support and intervention services: provide immediate help and support to people with a mental illness or psychiatric disability who are acutely ill or in crisis
- community support services: support people with psychiatric disability to manage their self-care, improve social and relationship skills and achieve broader quality of life
- transport and language services.
Building the world's best mental health system
The Victorian Government is transforming how mental health treatment, care and support is delivered by putting lived experience at the centre of planning, design, and delivery.
This means that more services will be delivered in the community, close to where people live, work and study. There is a greater focus on early intervention initiatives to ensure people get the support they need before they are in crisis.
In addition, hospitals are increasingly better supported to respond to the needs of people who require specialised or highly acute mental health care.
In new and existing services, settings and roles, the mental health and wellbeing workforce will help to lead the reform through new ways of connecting, leading, teaching and learning.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy 2021-2024 outlines the Victorian Government's commitment to supporting, nurturing, enabling, and growing the workforce, a major step in building a sustainable workforce for the future.
Reviewed 11 July 2023