Family genogram

Introduction to family and community

This part provides a series of case studies about Lucy, a Registered Nurse aged 40, who lives with mental illness. Lucy is born in Victoria, Australia in Bairnsdale, a small country town in East Gippsland. In her early years, Lucy is raised by her mother and father, both of whom emigrate to Australia in 1970 from England in the Assisted Passage Migration scheme, commonly termed ‘Ten Pound Pom’. Lucy’s mother works as a finance manager and her father is a publican at the local hotel. Lucy has an older brother who is ten years her senior. When Lucy is seven, her parents separate and her mother moves out of the family home. She lives next door with Lucy, while her brother (aged 17 at the time) stays with their father, having commenced his first job as a retail salesperson.

After approximately 12 months, her mother moves with Lucy to a neighbouring seaside town, Lakes Entrance, into a house owned by a professional fisherman. Lucy’s mother becomes romantically involved with the fisherman, and, not long after, she marries him. Lucy’s family expands to include a stepfather and three adult step-siblings. When she turns 13, Lucy is told that she, her mother and stepfather are moving from Victoria to Bundaberg, Queensland. This move limits her time with her biological father and brother to once or twice per year during school holidays. Lucy finalises her schooling at the end of year 10 just prior to turning 15, at which time she moves out to live in a caravan with an older boyfriend, aged 21, and his best friend.

As there are few opportunities for work living in a small coastal town in Queensland, Lucy is unemployed and is supported by her 21-year-old boyfriend, who receives unemployment benefits. The relationship between Lucy and her partner is complex and dependent. Lucy became pregnant at 16, which ended in a miscarriage. As a survivor of considerably complex life events, Lucy realises her life needs redirection. She seeks out opportunities for new friendships with the hope that she can re-establish herself, and separate from her boyfriend. After many intense emotional ups and downs, later diagnosed as bipolar affective disorder, Lucy experiences a series of life events that will forever impact her.

In her early twenties, Lucy meets a man online and takes the opportunity to quickly end her relationship with her first boyfriend to move in with this new man, who has a stable home on the Gold Coast. Lucy is living carefree, without a solid plan. She joins her new partner in business. Two children later, she decides to study to become a Registered Nurse, a career goal she has had since childhood. She is a natural carer and quickly adjusts to the new role. She moves into the speciality of Emergency Nursing. A fast workplace, it matches well with her endless energy and desire to work in an area faced with its own complexities and rapid turnaround. As a successful health professional, Lucy still lives with the impact of her history of trauma, the complexities of managing her wellness and her professional responsibilities. The treating team’s diagnosis of mental illness is forever redefining as she experiences life challenges. Her experiences of workplace bullying and the challenges of shift work, not to mention her anxiety and borderline personality vulnerabilities, all continue to impact her wellbeing.