My name is Doug Timbrell and I am a psychotherapist. My clinic, Can Change Therapy, is now located in Bolton Point, Newcastle.
My background in mental health started when work in Corrective Services with people experiencing mental illness plus addiction, dual diagnosed offenders at Corrective Services. This was an awaking, most of these people were actually victims. Victims of abuse, both physically and mentally, they turned to alcohol, drugs or other excesses and to hide/mask the traumas they experienced, often supporting their addiction with crime. Almost half of the prison entrants (49%) reported having been told by a health professional that they have a mental health disorder, mental health problems were more common among female (62%) than male entrants (47%).