This information is about the people who can support the mental health of people with intellectual disability.

It has information on

• Health workers who can support you

• Speech pathologists

• Exercise physiologists

• Dietitians

• Nutritionists

There is a lot of information.

Some words can be hard to understand.

You can ask someone to read this information with you.

There are many health workers who can support you.

Health workers can sometimes be called health professionals.

For information about health workers who can help you with your mental health go to https://www.idmhconnect.health/mental-health-services-health-workers/ER

Mental health is about

• How you think

• How you feel

If you need support to find a health worker you can ask someone you trust.

There are many people you might trust.

For more information about who you might trust go to https://idmhconnect.health/someone-trust

Speech pathologists support people who have problems with communication.

Speech pathologists are also known as speech therapists.

To communicate is how you understand and share your feelings or information.

Communication includes

• Reading

• Writing

• Talking

• Signing

• Using assistive technology

Assistive technology is physical supports or equipment to support you to do something more easily.

Speech pathologists can support you to

• Speak

• Understand language

• Read

• Write

• Improve your social skills

Social skills are the skills you use to communicate with other people.

Improving your communication and social skills can support you to have good mental health.

For more information about speech pathologists

• Go to https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/speech-pathology

• Go to https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/

To find a speech pathologist go to 

https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/
Public/Shared_Content/Smart-Suite/Smart-Maps/
Public/Find-a-Speech-Pathologist.aspx

Your health and fitness are important for good mental health.

An exercise physiologist supports you with your health and fitness using exercise.

Exercise physiologists know a lot about what types of exercise can support a person best.

An exercise physiologist can also support you with

• Exercises to get better after you have been sick

• Health problems

For more information about exercise physiologists go to https://ahpa.com.au/allied-health-professions/exercise-physiology/

To find an exercise physiologist

• Go to https://www.essa.org.au/find-aep/

• Go to https://www.healthshare.com.au/directory/find-a-exercise-physiologist/

A dietitian supports you to choose the best foods to eat so you can be healthy.

They can help to treat medical conditions.

A dietician can

• Let you know the best foods for you to eat

• Support you to manage any medical conditions by suggesting the best food to eat

For more information about dieticians go to https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/what-dietitans-do/

To find a dietitian

• Go to https://member.dietitiansaustralia.org.au/faapd

• Go to https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services

A nutritionist supports people to choose the best foods for them so that they are healthy.

A nutritionist does not treat medical conditions like dietitians.

For more information about the difference between dietitians and nutritionists go to https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/what-dietitans-do/dietitian-or-nutritionist/

To find a nutritionist

• Go to https://www.nsa.asn.au/nsa-registration/find-a-registered-nutritionist/

• Go to https://www.healthshare.com.au/directory/find-a-nutritionist/ 

There are some tricky words on this Easy Read page.

For more information about these words go to

https://www.idmhconnect.health/word-list