Not quite a blog, more a wrap up and a whole lot of gratitude.

To somewhat plagiarise an internationally successful rock and do-wop band of the 1960 – 70s…OH WHAT A NIGHT!!! In this case, however, it was Friday 13th 2020 but, still, it was a incredibly significant and special night for all of us at the Psyche Mental Health Centre.

Our big unveil occurred in the presence of family (some who had travelled), friends (also some who had travelled) and, with the magic of the internet, we were joined online also by some pretty special people.

The night started with a very informal gathering whereby everyone was able to catch up over a cuppa/bubbles and chat about our mission moving forward.

This was followed by a more formal (yet brief – we aren’t great at formal!) component of the night whereby the unveiling of our new logo plus the opportunity to promote our vision occurred.

At the Psyche Mental Health Centre we are so passionate about connecting and collaborating with the community in order to support wellness in mental health so this gave us the opportunity to start as we mean to continue.

What’s the point to all of this?

Well, firstly, how good is our sign? Seriously though, I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful feedback; our aim was to provide a warm, welcoming representation of our vision for the business and we seem to have hit the mark.

It wasn’t feasible to invite all of Hobart…Tasmania…or even Australia (slightly getting ahead of myself here!) to attend as it was necessary to be mind for of current Covid-19 restrictions. So I wanted to just give you a quick snapshot of what the night looked like.

In addition to this, I wanted to extend a massive shout of gratitude and love to all the people that were able to attend whether it was in person or online. Also thanks to all the people that couldn’t make it but sent their best wishes. Finally, there were a few special thankyous that needed to be made but I can’t guarantee were, so here goes.

· Thank you to Gray Matters Advertising for tolerating every time I shouted “I have a new idea” and then raced across the landing and burst into your office. I appreciate you tolerating my enthusiasm (and lack of boundaries) and we can’t tell you how happy we are with our new logo!

· Rachel at WRAP Photography, thank you so much for your contribution to our website. Although none of us were thrilled about having photos taken you captured all of us perfectly!

· Thank you to both Creating Cakes Lindisfarne and the Migrant Resource Centre for your catering contributions. How you manage to provide delicacies that divine are beyond me but I am incredibly grateful.

· Thank you to Signorama, you got in, got out and just did your thing without any fuss or stress. Our signage is beautiful thanks to your work!

· The fabulous girls at Eastern Shore Psychology, thank you for all your support (particularly my partner in crime, Sarah) and to Serena for all of your input in setting up on the day

· The oh, so fabulous Nina for helping brainstorm the night and giving up your night to do so (even though Collingwood was playing!)

· My wonderful team; Melisa (who can style a room like a pro), Caitlin, Alex, Jane, Larissa, Julie and Emma. Thank you for all your contributions in the lead up to the event as well as making things much easier for me over the past couple of months despite the challenges we have faced.

· Our families; thank you for everything you have done in the last however many years that has allowed us to get to where we are.

· Finally, thank you to the Psyche MHC Finance Guy, the Hobbit and Tiny Dancer who just make everything incredibly worthwhile.

If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize. I am so grateful for everyone that has contributed to this point so I extend my gratitude to you.

What's next?

Well, the dust has finally settled and it is now business as usual for Psyche Mental Health Centre. 2021 is presenting Psyche MHC with so many exciting opportunities as we continue with our mission to change the narrative around mental health. We are hoping to expand our team and services to increase what we can offer to the Hobart community, but you’ll have stay tuned to find out more!

Allison Wells is the Director and Senior Clinical Psychologist at Psyche Mental Health Centre. Allison has 10+ years working with the Hobart Community offering psychology and other mental health services. Allison has extensive experience working with a variety of mental health issues and is a passionate advocate for changing our current mental health narrative.