Biography

Leonore Hanssens - Research Consultant

I was born in the Northern Territory and for the past 35 years I have worked as a nurse in general and public health. My interest in suicide prevention began 12 years ago when I worked in mental health, life promotion and suicide prevention and more recently I began conducting research into Indigenous suicide in the Northern Territory.

Having lived and worked as a nurse in several Indigenous communities in the Top End of Australia since the 1970's, I was deeply concerned about the dramatic social changes I witnessed and the impact on Indigenous families. A gradual shift from well ordered communal life to dysfunctional fragmented communities began to emerge.

The introduction and increasing use of alcohol and harmful substances in the context of unemployment and lack of purposeful activity coincided with the disintegration of family life, along with impoverished spiritual, social, physical and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous people. I then began to witness quite dramatic and rapidly increasing levels of self-harm and attempted suicide. So many families had lost a loved one to suicide and it had escalated so quickly that most were at a loss to identify what triggered this now commonplace tragedy or what might help to reverse it. In consultation with Indigenous Elders and a reference group, I proposed to begin an investigative research study into the Indigenous suicide phenomenon, to answer some of these questions.

I commenced a PhD at Charles Darwin University in 2006, investigating Indigenous suicide within urban, rural and remote communities in the Northern Territory. I identified suicide clusters and the 'Echo Clusters' phenomenon and is original research. My experience includes: Mental Health and Substance Use Dual Diagnosis Consultant 1997 – 1998; Coordinator of the Life Promotion Program (Top End) 1999 – 2006 with the program winning the Suicide Prevention Australia WSPD Inaugural Indigenous LIFE Award in 2004; a Master Trainer with LivingWorks Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) 2001 – 2006; represented the Northern Territory on the National Board of Suicide Prevention Australia from 2005 – 2009; a member of the Salvation Army 'Hope for Life' Postvention Conference Organising Committee since 2007; and a member of the Wesley Mission 'LifeForce' National Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee since 2009 and currently supporting the LifeForce Networks in the NT.

I participated in developing several position statements, facilitated workshops, attended conferences and planning forums while Board Member of Suicide Prevention Australia. I developed a Grief & Loss curriculum for a Post Graduate Mental Health Unit at Charles Darwin University in 2004, and conducted the 'Living Hope' Postvention Bereavement training for senior Salvation Army Officers in 2008. My research "Investigation of Suicide Contagion and Cluster Suicides in Indigenous Communities in NT" was ranked No.1 out of the Top Ten "Roadmap of Australian Primary Health Care Research" (ROAR) projects in Indigenous/Aboriginal Health for 2009.

I have since contributed to the Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia Commonwealth Government Senate Inquiry 2010 and the NT Government Senate Inquiry into Youth Suicide in Northern Territory 2011. The Select Committee on Youth Suicides in the NT has completed its inquiry and the report, "Gone Too Soon: Inquiry into Youth Suicide in the Northern Territory 2012" was released by the Chair of the Committee Ms Marian Scrymgour Indigenous MLA.