New expertise in the house

DOCTOR Kieran Le Plastrier has this month started in the role of clinical director at Jewish House, a new position as the local crisis support institution continues to grow and develop its programs.

Le Plastrier arrives from a decade of clinical practice in public hospital psychiatry. His clinical training has been complemented by roles within corporate health environments for private enterprise and government.

He said the “outstanding reputation” of the organisation attracted him to the role, as well as the leadership provided by CEO Rabbi Mendel Kastel.

“I’m delighted to be given an opportunity at Jewish House to bring my clinical and academic experience to support work at the coalface of our communities for people and families in crisis,” Le Plastrier said.

“The clients that find themselves in need of the services provided by Jewish House are in extraordinary crisis, and [these circumstances] have a level of impact on their daily life which is probably very difficult to understand for the average person.

“When you find yourself in a situation where you literally don’t know if you have a roof over your head, there aren’t many more challenging situations that people could face … we’re talking about an extremely vulnerable group of people in our community, and Jewish House delivers that care and warmth and security with such compassion.”

Kastel welcomed Le Plastrier to Jewish House.

“With Kieran’s background in evidence-based medicine we can greatly benefit from his expertise as we grow and develop our programs,” Kastel said.

“In addition to our core services for people in accommodation crisis, we are working towards enhanced choices for clients with drug and alcohol and mental health issues, as well as our support for families, including children and young adults who come from broken homes as well as those escaping domestic violence.

“Our new clinical director gives focus and expertise to delivering these services at Jewish House”.

PHOEBE ROTH