FAQs for parents & carers

It can be hard to know what the ‘right thing’ to do is. However, it’s important to recognise the signs when a young person is not travelling ok and start the conversation is a good place to start so you know what to look out for. R U OK also provides some useful information about how to have these conversations well – Ask, Listen, Encourage Action, then Check-in.

Reaching out for support early can make all the difference. In some cases, support from somebody who cares will be enough. If you’re not sure what the next steps should be, it can be useful to talk to a GP, school staff member, or mental health service like Youth Focus.

If a young person is very distressed or overwhelmed, and you are concerned about their (or others’) safety it’s important to seek help immediately.

In an Emergency call 000 or visit your local Emergency Department.

You can also call these National 24/7 crisis services for somebody to talk to:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
• 13 YARN: 13 92 76

If a young person is aged between 12 and 25 years, is living in WA, and has given their consent to receive support, they can access our services at no cost, and without a referral from another health care provider or service. You or the young person can get in touch with us directly and we’ll arrange a time to talk about how we might be able to help.

It’s important that a young person feels ready and open to receiving support. We work alongside them, focusing on what they want and what they find helpful — and we only provide services with their consent.

If a young person is hesitant to attend, it can help to understand their reasons and share your concerns with them. They might be open to having a chat with one of our team to learn more about our services, and see what feels right for them.

If now isn’t the right time, that’s okay. Continue to support them in the ways you can, and, when they might be more ready, you can always ask again.

Youth Focus services use a range of evidence-based mental health approaches which are trauma-informed and lead by the young person’s needs and goals.

The type, number and focus of sessions is guided by the young person and what they find useful. Often Youth Counsellors will use different techniques depending on the young person’s needs and goals.

Youth Focus is a WA-based youth mental health organisation that delivers mental health services for young people across the state.

headspace centres provide similar mental health services through locations across Australia. Each headspace centre is operated by a local organisation, known as the lead agency, in line with the headspace model. Youth Focus is the lead agency for headspace centres in Albany, Geraldton, Northam and Midland.

Our services are delivered by a team of registered and experienced clinicians with qualifications in Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Counselling and Nursing.

Under 12 years old

• Helping Minds (7 to 17 years old)
• School Psychologists
• Wanslea (5 to 18 years old)
• Anglicare WA (5+ years old)
• Relationships Australia WA (3+ years old)
• Child and Adolescent Mental health Services (CAMHS)
• See a GP for a Mental Health Treatment Plan

Over 25 years

• Medicare Mental Health Centres (previously Head to Health)
• Talk to your employer about Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or university about their psychology clinic
• See a GP for a Mental Health Treatment Plan
• Community Adult Mental Health Service (CMHS)
• Call Lifeline for someone to talk to

Youth Focus can work collaboratively with other services to support a young person’s goals. However, it can be unhelpful if we are duplicating the same type of support.

We recommend that a young person only sees one service for counselling at any given time.

If a young person is very distressed or overwhelmed, and you are concerned about their safety, or the safety of others, it’s important to seek help immediately. Just like you would for another of health emergency.

In an Emergency call 000 or visit your local Emergency Department.

You can also call these National 24/7 crisis services for somebody to talk to:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
• 13 YARN: 13 92 76

The appropriate advice will be provided by emergency services. In some situations, this advice will make the young person more distressed.

All Youth Focus services, including our headspace centres, are provided at no cost.

The length of the appointment can vary depending on the purpose and location of the service. They will generally be between 60-90 minutes and you are welcome to wait in our reception area.

Appointments are often shorter at schools, to align with the class timetable, or when a young person feels a shorter session suits them better.

Every young person is different, and so are their needs. We offer a flexible range of services so that young people can choose what works for them, how often they access support, and where it takes place.

From the very first session, young people receive meaningful support. There are no limits on how many sessions they can access, or how long they can stay connected with us. We’ll work alongside each young person to understand what kind of support feels right, and we’ll keep checking in to make sure our approach continues to meet their needs.

Youth Focus services are delivered across a number of different locations, including at our offices, in-reach into schools and other centres, and online.

If you’re not sure where to go you can confirm the details of the appointment by calling 6266 4333. We will only be able to provide this information to the young person or their identified support people.

A strong and supportive network can help a young person when they are struggling, and we encourage parents and carers to be involved.

The level of parent and carer involvement will depend on the age of the young person, and what they feel comfortable with. This may include conversations with their Youth Counsellor and/or family sessions which focus on the young person’s goals.

If a young person is under 16 years old, we mayinvolve you as part of the first appointment, when the young person is finishing up with Youth Focus, and if we have any immediate safety concerns. Beyond this, how much you will be involved in the support will be up to the young person.

If the young person is 16 years or older, the young person can choose who else is involved in their care. However, if we have immediate concerns about their safety, or someone else, we will reach out to their emergency contact.

Yes, we are more than happy to receive information that you think will be useful to our support of a young person. However, respecting a young person’s privacy and confidentiality may limit what information we are able to provide to you without gaining their consent to share.

You can call reception on 6266 4333 or send an email. This will be passed on to the relevant clinician.

Yes. Although our services are delivered in English, we have access to translating and interpreting services (including AUSLAN) that can assist us in supporting a young person and their family.

Please let us know if these services would be useful for you. This will allow us to schedule an appropriate interpreter for the appointment.

Yes, Youth Focus services are designed to be safe and welcoming for all young people, and we tailor our support to meet their needs.

Please let us know if you or the young person have any accessibility requirements such as wheelchair access, AUSLAN interpreting, or online appointments.

If Youth Focus is not the most suitable service, we will assist you to find one.

Finding the right counsellor is important to getting the most out of mental health support. If a young person has attended an appointment with a Youth Counsellor and feels that they are not a good match, we can organise for them to see another Youth Counsellor from our team.

The location of services may impact on the capacity to meet certain preferences, like gender. Where this is the case the staff member will talk to you about different options e.g. alternative locations, online appointments, on-referral.

The request to change can be discussed with the clinician directly. You can also call reception on 6266 4333 who will connect you with the Clinical Lead or Manager of that location.

Youth Focus delivers services across WA, and if we have a location that is closer to you, we will help handover your support to that team.

Your feedback helps us to deliver more effective services and support for young people. To give us feedback about our services, programs or people, please contact us by calling 6266 4333, emailing [email protected] or visiting our Feedback page.

Find out more about your Rights and Responsibilities as a Carer.

A young person’s engagement in Youth Focus services can stop for a number of reasons. Generally, people stop because they have reached their counselling goals or because we are not the most suitable service for them anymore.

A young person can always leave services and return at another time.

Sometimes our services will no longer be appropriate. This might happen if a young person:

• Doesn’t want to continue to receive support from Youth Focus
• Is over the age of 25 years
• Needs more specialist mental health assessment or support that we cannot provide

A young person can leave and return to Youth Focus whenever they need to, providing they are still aged between 12 and 25 years, are willing to receive mental health support, and our services are still appropriate for what they need.

Definitely! A young person can leave and return to Youth Focus whenever they need to, providing they are still aged between 12 and 25 years, are willing to receive mental health support, and our services are still appropriate for what they need.

They will not need to repeat the intake process if they return within 3 months of exiting, and there have been no significant changes.

A young person can request to see the same Youth Counsellor. If they are unavailable or there is a wait to see them, we may suggest the young person see another one of our experienced and caring Youth Counsellors.