Sam Kilby – driving success
for headspace Taringa

Sam Kilby is Clinical Lead at the Open Minds headspace Taringa centre, and has been in this position since he started in April 2015.

Sam dedicated many late nights and hard work to producing a renewed Clinical and Operational Manual for headspace Taringa.

Not only has this resulted in the Taringa centre achieving its required accreditation, but it has also provided the other Open Minds headspace centre in Redcliffe with a template to streamline the production of the Open Minds headspace Centre Clinical and Operational Manual.

Sam’s line manager, Jamie Thompson, (Regional Manager, Allied Health) said: “This manual is something we’ve been working towards for years. The accreditation we’ve received as a result of this manual is reflective of the huge amount of hard work that Sam put into producing it.”

The Clinical and Operational Manual even received praise from headspace National Office, and will be used as an exemplar example for the 100+ other headspace centres in Australia.

Sam said: “In June 2018 when we were notified that we had received the accreditation, we were all extremely excited and went out for a celebration to mark the occasion.

“It benefited the whole team because the manual provided clarity of how to implement the headspace model in a practical sense. It made us aware of where our focus is in terms of service delivery and how to support young people through their journeys at headspace.”

Sam has been a psychologist for 10 years and throughout his career has focused on working with young people. His passion for helping young people stems from recognising the value of early intervention. Sam also finds motivation in helping those who face challenges to accessing mental health support and those who are disadvantaged.

Sam is dedicated to the Open Minds values of acting with humility and valuing curiosity, because these values embody how to engage with young people. Sam said: “By learning about their experiences, I can understand how to best support them.”

The best part of the job for Sam is the team he works with on a daily basis. “The Taringa team is the best team that I’ve had the privilege of working alongside. And Open Minds is a great organisation to work for – they take continued steps to innovate and listen to their staff about what will help them to do better.

“It was a big surprise to be presented with a signed certificate from the Executive Leadership Team and I’m thankful to have been recognised for my work.”