Michele Puncher

About me

I am a mental nurse recently retired from public health after more than 35 yrs. I’ve worked in all areas of the life cycle in mental health, including inpatient and community and have been a clinical nurse educator over the last ten years. I have skills in clinical settings which include parent /infant work, lactation consultant, postnatal depression, unsettled babies and all the impacts these have on attachment. Through my work with babies and children I developed an interest in dance therapy and applied this for many years in several clinical settings. My experience in adult mental health includes community, case management and MSTS, where I developed skills and understanding of how to work with people who are impacted by substance use issues. Early on in my career I worked in counselling, utilising psychodynamic psychotherapeutic therapy and also developed an understanding of gestalt therapy through my own clinical supervision. I hold a high value of advocacy and empowerment in my work. Unfortunately I only speak one language and hope that my curiosity and acceptance provide a safe , comfortable space , whatever your background.

My experience

Community mental health
Parent Infant work
Child Unit
Adolescent Inpatient
Mobile support and Treatment Team
Clinical nurse Education
Clinical supervision training

My current role/work

I currently work in a small private practice providing clinical supervision and training

My training

I have specialised in the provision of clinical supervision training, provision of same and development of the clinical supervision program over the last ten years.I have undertaken clinical supervision training through Bouverie, the CPN and Role Development for clinical supervision training and have always received my own clinical supervision and will continue to do so.

My approach to supervision

I am passionate about offering clinical supervision and believe strongly we can support each other as mental health workers through this process. My approach to clinical supervision is to work together with my supervisee to develop a trusting, transparent and collaborative relationship which provides a space to explore, challenge, support and develop the supervisee, as they choose. I have a deep understanding around several models of clinical supervision, these include the role development model, narrative model, Proctors model, The What model (Driscoll), Seven Eyed model and the Alliance model. If my supervisee is interested in learning the theory behind any interventions, structure or process I use in the clinical supervision sessions , I can include this, to add educative value. I draw on the models to work with my supervisee for the best possible outcomes. I adhere strongly to structure in the session and to the principles of the clinical supervision framework for mental health nurses in Victoria (2018)