Name: John Enyong
Position: Team Leader Mental Health
Place of work: North and West Remote Health
North and West Remote Health
North and West Remote Health (NWRH) delivers comprehensive services across North and West Queensland including allied health, mental health and wellbeing, home and community support, carer gateway, headspace, and journey coordination. The multidisciplinary teams provide accessible, evidence–based, and culturally safe care tailored specifically for remote and regional communities across far northern Queensland.
Tell us about your role and what a typical day looks like
Everyday centres around one core mission: Ensuring our clients receive the highest quality care that transforms their lives. My role involves supervising our diverse clinical staff, coordinating services across regions, reviewing care plans, and working directly with clients when needed.
A typical day might start with clinical supervision, where we work together to ensure every client receives evidence-based, personalised support. I then travel between Cairns, Townsville, or Mackay to maintain strong connections with our staff and the communities we serve.
Whether I’m coordinating care for a complex case, supporting a team member’s professional development, or meeting with community partners, every action focuses on helping our clients achieve better outcomes and reclaim their wellbeing.
- What do you enjoy most about your job?
The most rewarding aspect of my work is witnessing the tangible, life-changing impact we have on our clients’ lives. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone who arrived at our service struggling with overwhelming mental health challenges gradually rebuild their life, rediscover hope, and reconnect with what matters most to them.
I’m equally inspired by watching my team grow in skill, confidence, and compassion. Our clinicians bring such dedication and innovation to their work, constantly finding new ways to tailor support to each client’s unique needs and cultural context.
Is there a particular patient story or experience that has stuck with you?
One story that powerfully illustrates the impact of our team-based, client-centred approach involved a person in our region who was experiencing isolation and severe depression following a devastating family breakdown. When they first connected with our service, they had withdrawn from nearly all social contact, were struggling with daily activities, and felt hopeless about the future.
Through our Psychological Therapies program, we developed a care plan that went beyond just therapy sessions. Our team provided regular psychological support, skill building around emotional regulation and coping strategies, and we worked closely with community supports to address social isolation. We also worked with their GP, connected them with peer groups, and maintained contact even during the toughest moments.
This client slowly began rebuilding relationships with family members, gradually regained their independence, and eventually returned to meaningful activities that brought them joy.
What stays with me most is their message months later: “For the first time in years, I feel like myself again. I didn’t think this was possible.”
Why do you choose to work in a regional, rural or remote area?
I’m deeply passionate about bridging the service gaps that exist in regional, rural, and remote communities, where mental health support is often under resourced yet desperately needed.
Working in regional areas allows for something special: Close community engagement, genuine relationships with the people we serve, and the ability to see the direct impact of our work. When you improve one person’s mental health outcome in a regional community, the ripple effects spread through families, workplaces, schools, and social networks.
Plus, there’s the opportunity to shape real system change, and build services from the ground up that are truly responsive to community needs, culturally safe, and sustainable for the long term.
What do you like to do outside of work when you are out and about in your community?
The outdoors here are spectacular, from coastal walks to exploring the hinterland, and getting out into nature helps me maintain the healthy work-life balance that’s so important in our field.
I’m also passionate about giving back through volunteering in community events and I enjoy local sport, which is a great way to stay active and build connections beyond the professional setting.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Every day, I’m inspired by both our clients, who show remarkable courage in seeking help and doing the hard work of recovery, and our staff, who bring their whole hearts to this work.
Our success in improving client outcomes is the result of collaborative excellence …. Our frontline clinicians providing outstanding care; our care coordinators ensuring seamless service delivery; our administrative teams keeping everything running smoothly; our senior leadership at NWRH championing regional mental health; and our partnership with NQPHN, which provides the funding and framework that makes this work possible.
NQPHN funds a variety of initiatives and services for NWRH, including evidence-based therapeutic interventions delivered across Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay (Psychological Therapies), integrated mental health support in primary care settings (Primary Mental Health Care), culturally appropriate mental health services (Indigenous Mental Health Programs), comprehensive support for substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions (Alcohol and Other Drugs Programs), and accessibility for remote clients (Telehealth Mental Health Services).
Health Workforce Spotlight: Nick Kenny
I enjoy being a part of our brilliant team and I am proud of the positive impact they have on the lives of many people who have limited access to health care. Although the work is often challenging, it is incredibly rewarding to share the challenges and success with my team and to see them grow both professionally and personally through their work.