Dr Janice Clayton, who is the mental health facilitator with the Otago Southern Region Primary Health Organisation, will have her latest qualification conferred at Victoria University, in Wellington, in December.
It will signal the end of three years of learning and the start of passing on that knowledge and seeing her knowledge benefitting people who are referred to her.
Her Clutha-based role, created in May this year, comes under the community mental wellness scheme. It is a free service offering help with issues ranging from relationship and employment adjustments to anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
Dr Clayton works with people who display "mild to moderate" mental health issues. Her service operates during weekdays and people can refer themselves without seeing their doctor.
She has 30 years of nursing experience in mental health and has 10 years' experience teaching nurses, occupational therapists and community members about health-related topics, especially mental health.
Her most recent experience involved working in private practice with people dealing with life changes, adjustment to changing health states, employment transitions, loss and grief.
It was the subject of her PhD and her studies involved looking at the role of nurses and how they help mental health patients and referrals go through the necessary changes to feel better.
