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The Healing Path - Marrmak Integrated Mental Health Unit Poster

The Marrmak Integrated Mental Health Unit is a key government initiative of Better Pathways: An Integrated Response to Women's Offending and ReOffending.

The Minister for Corrections Bob Cameron officially opened the new mental health unit and service for women prisoners at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) on 14 August 2007. The 20-bed Marrmak Mental Health Unit will deliver, for the first time in Victoria, specialist treatment services for women prisoners who experience mental illness. It is a major initiative of the State Government's four-year, $25.5 million Better Pathways strategy to improve existing facilities at DPFC and provide enhanced programs to rehabilitate women prisoners and offenders.

The Marrmak Integrated Mental Health Service includes the establishment of a specialist mental health in-patient unit, as well as out-patient, outreach, consultancy, and training services at DPFC.

The symbol shown above is called The Healing Path and was commissioned by the management of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre to represent the Marrmak Integrated Mental Health Unit. The symbol was created and painted by an Indigenous woman, Rhonda and in her words, the symbol means the following:

"The spiral represents women coming into the Marrmak unit for healing. The lizards represent the women leaving Marrmak once they are well. The reason for the lizards is when they are not well, they go into themselves, like during hibernation, and when they become well, they come out and start afresh. The colour I chose was purple as it is the colour of healing."

Rhonda's healing symbol was also inspired by the word Marrmak from the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people meaning safe.

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Author:	Department of Justice - Corrections Victoria
Place of Publication:	Melbourne
Publisher:	Department of Justice - Corrections Victoria
Date of Publication:	2007
Number of Pages:	1
Copyright:	State of Victoria, 2007.