Jaelea Skehan - a woman of influence

You probably don’t need to make plans if you are a doer. You just end up where you belong.

Skehan didn’t plan on being named on the list of 100 Women of Influence announced this month, a national honour sponsored by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac recognising outstanding women across a broad range of professions. But that’s where she found herself, 16 years after graduating from the University of Newcastle with an honours degree in psychology and not much of an idea of what she really wanted to do with her life.

Turning 39 this week, she is director of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, a registered psychologist and a conjoint teaching fellow a the University of Newcastle School of Medicine, and studying for her doctorate.

Skehan has been with the institute since 2001 and is an internationally recognised leader in the fields of suicide prevention and the prevention of mental ill-health.

She has been a leader in the development of the Mindframe national media initiative over the last 10 years, aimed at responsible coverage of suicide issues by the media, and a member of the International Taskforce for Suicide in the Media.

The work by the Hunter Institute of Mental Health in this field has led to an intelligent discussion about suicide  coverage and suicide prevention among mental health professionals and the media. It’s a long-term strategy that makes the best interests of the community a priority.

When Skehan began at the institute she was the agency’s third project officer. Now, there are 25. The institute’s work covers a wide range of matters.

‘‘At the Hunter Institute of Mental Health we take every opportunity to pilot  programs here in the Hunter before rolling them out nationally,’’ Skehan says. ‘‘For example, we are currently working with the John Hunter Children’s Hospital with support from the Greater Charitable Foundation to better understand the mental health impacts of childhood chronic illness on families and piloting a resource to build family resilience.  The outcomes of this pilot will be shared widely and hopefully lead to new approaches nationally.

‘‘In the same way, we developed and piloted a prevention program for people who live with or care for someone with depression, called Partners in Depression, here in the Hunter which is now being rolled out nationally and making a real difference to communities across Australia.’’

Skehan credits the Hunter institute’s two previous directors, Trevor Waring and Trevor Hazell, with mentoring her throughout her professional career.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree from Newcastle, Skehan went to work at Scratchley’s restaurant for six months, ‘‘then got on plane and went overseas.’’

When she came back to went back to work at Scratchley’s and took on some part-time work at the university. Finally deciding to get serious about a career, she started applying for jobs in Sydney – a position at the Hunter Institute was her only Newcastle application.

She remembers the Hunter Institute job interview with Waring and Hazell clearly: ‘‘It was so casual. I thought no job will come of it.’’

But she got a call, an offer from Waring. ‘‘He took a chance on me,’’ she says.

She admits she did not want to be in a clinical practice. ‘‘My skills and strengths are on the bigger picture level,’’ she says.

How true that is. ‘‘In 2001 we were in a unique position. For the first time ever there was a focus on promotion, the first-ever national framework: how can we prevent the onset of mental illness,’’ she says.

While the last decade has seen an increased focus on mental health, Skehan says there has been a fluctuation on the commitment to resources for prevention of mental illness.

‘‘That’s the reason I stay: the last few years talk has focused on the service system. We must have a vision of less people needing those services.’’

THERE’S been another vital mentor, the most important person of all in Skehan’s life – her mum, Maree Hollis.

‘‘People who know us as adults would observe that we are very different – we look different, often have different opinions on things and our lives have been quite different, but I got many things from my mum which have helped shape who I am.’’

Skehan  has been tackling life head-on from the day she came into the world. But her mum has always been part of the journey.

‘‘My mum was a single mother when I was born and so she has always been the person I have been closest to.  Despite the fact that we spent time living in housing commission and moved house a number of times, I have always had really positive memories of those early years because my mum gave me what infants and children need most – unconditional love.  She has always encouraged me to try new things and in her own way gave me the confidence to set my own path in life. Often sitting quietly in the background.

‘‘The other thing my mum gave me was a sense of service.  I always knew I would need to work in a profession that in some way helped people or gave back to the community in some way.  My mum was the glue that kept our extended family together for many years and our home was always open to many of my cousins and aunts who lived with had long periods of time living with us.’’

Skehan is passionate about her work, but has several passions beyond that, like her dog, Bud, a retired racing greyhound (as Budmiester), and her beloved Cardiff netball club, which she has been involved with for more than 30 years.

‘‘Bud is the perfect pet for a busy professional,’’ Skehan says. ‘‘He sleeps 20 hours a day.’’

Bud was raced by her brother, Kai Skehan-Bernard for four years.

‘‘I was asked to take him for a couple of weeks,’’ she says. ‘‘And he stayed. He won’t be going anywhere.’’

Skehan says she ended up at the Cardiff netball club by accident – the family lived in Charlestown at the time she joined and they have never lived in Cardiff.

‘‘I’m still playing with the same women I played with as a kid,’’ she says, although now she plays wing attack (‘‘the most important position on the court’’) for the Cardiff Bobcats and not shooter, her original position.

Her love of netball and commitment to mental health are not mutually exclusive.

‘‘The netball club provides a sense of caring and belonging,’’ she says. ‘‘It’s giving young people something to do and somewhere to belong.’’

Her hectic life doesn’t end there. Last year for a holiday she went with friends to Guatemala and built houses for families near Antigua.

‘‘It was one of the best experiences of my life and I will be returning again.’’

Sounds like a hint of planning, after all.