Manager

Michael Poynder became involved in mental health recovery work in 2008 after a serious mental health episode in 2006.

Until 2006 he was a senior property lawyer and a special counsel with one of Australia’s leading law firms. In that role he worked on some of the most significant property transactions in Australia at the time.

From 2008 to 2012 he prepared reports for St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney on eight of its medical units, including its homeless outreach and mental health inpatient units. The reports were prepared using the Picker Institute method of patient care evaluation, involving interviews of at least 10 former patients from each unit, examining eight specified dimensions of care. Here is a link to the ‘Patient Journey’ methodology.

He has provided and continues to provide mentoring services to patients in the Long Bay Forensic Hospital and Morisset Psychiatric Hospital.

For several years he worked as a judge for the TheMHS annual awards for the best business based mental health program in Australia and New Zealand.

He is the former chair of the ARC Group NSW Inc, an organisation specialising in peer based mental health recovery programs.

He has also been involved in projects and programs with the Inner City Mental Health Recovery Group (The Cadre Project) which is a body set up by St Vincent’s Hospital and the City of Sydney. This body has been established to provide a range of services and recovery programs for the homeless and mentally ill in the inner city of Sydney.

Using his legal background, he has helped a number of mental health organisations with compliance, management and funding issues.

He provides a range of mental health related services to prisoners and those expecting a prison sentence.

He specialises in providing creative and innovative programs to assist the homeless and mentally ill, together with hospitals and organisations who provide support services. The project outlines on this website have been prepared by him. Here is a link to the outlines.