Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Secretary & Director, Dmc Global
Search every verified Mary O'brien interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Mary O'Brien is the founder of the Are You Bogged Mate? initiative, which she described as a program that travels to remote areas of Australia to talk to rural men about mental health in a "user friendly" and "irreverent" manner. O'Brien stated that she started the initiative after writing an opinion piece following the suicide of two men in her area. She has said her approach involves "breaking down the stigma" and connecting people to professional help, and she noted that she has received emails from men who sought support as a result. In a separate capacity, O'Brien has worked as a social worker intern at the Mount Vernon Police Department. She said she decided to pursue a master's degree in social work after a near-death experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she credited a hospital social worker with saving her life. O'Brien has also given a TEDx talk in which she discussed a "paradigm shift" approach to personal change, emphasizing the concept of seeing people "in their wholeness" rather than focusing on their difficulties. She has additionally served as an emcee for the Immeasurably More Women's Conference.
“I almost lost my life a few years ago. I suffered some critical injuries that landed me in the ICU for a long time; this was during COVID.”
“One of the things that happened when people were in the hospital is they separated patients that were really sick from their family members ... we were all alone with the exception of the hospital social worker.”
“I attribute really my life being saved to that person; she was really a concrete example of this unique form of social work where you're really helping people in dire circumstances.”
“When I was out of the woods I decided that is exactly what I want to do, so I began pursuing this master's in social work ... I FastTracked it and did the degree in 16 months.”
“They placed me in an internship here at the Mount Vernon Police Department ... I assumed officers would use us a lot just for mental health crisis and we would go into a situation, we would deescalate and we would be out.”
“It didn't take long to realize that I was being afforded an opportunity to utilize all of my skills ... I can't think of another profession in the social work field where I'm utilizing all of my skills all the time. It's been a real joy to work on the Mount Vernon Police Department — it's a marriage, a beautiful relati...”
“I travel the country talking to bles and ladies about mental health in a very different and fairly irreverent manner.”
“I just wrote an opinion piece after we lost two guys to suicide in our area about four years ago and just sort of happened organically from the article.”
“I'm not a psychologist I don't talk about any fluffy stuff I just think that people don't really understand how these blocks operate and how they learn how they take on information.”
“I'm making it user friendly breaking down the stigma connecting BLS to professional help and hopefully saving a few lives.”
“If there's someone watching and they say I would like to get Mary to come to our workplace or to our area, they can jump on our website and flick us an email through that and we'll put it in the calendar.”
“We are pretty busy and we will go anywhere in Australia.”
“I would ask you to keep up the good work because you are doing good work if they’re handing out saints in the bush I dare say we'll be interviewing Saint Mary today.”
“The power of a homeless approach and having homeless conversations with ourselves and others is perhaps seemingly simple but quite profound, as it influences neuroplasticity and how our brains change over time.”
“When we see people in their wholeness, in their fullest expression, we help them recognize that their true self is still there, beyond the trauma or difficulties they are experiencing.”
... this is Mary o'r now I know a lot of people will know Mary but there'll be some of you who don't Mary tell us about what you do so ...
In this interview, Mary shares stories from her childhood that shaped her as a person. She also provides insights on how we can help those experiencing homelessness from her work with Habitat for Humanity and half way houses, as well as from her experiences as a social worker. Watch her Full Interview Now: • Difference Makers for People Experiencing ... #shorts #shortsvideo #youtubeshorts
NOTE FROM TED: Please consult a mental health professional and do not look to this talk for mental health advice. This talk only ...
The Agency's Regional Recovery Officer in northern South Australia recently caught up with Mary O'Brien, founder of the Are You ...
Join us on October 17, 2020 either in-person, or online! Emcee, Mary O'Brien, speakers, Tina Dozer and Tracie Patten, and the ...
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