Youth Focus is excited to announce a new service that will expand face-to-face specialist mental health support services for young people across the Great Southern.
The new initiative, supported by Rio Tinto and Telethon, will see a community based mental health specialist practitioner based at headspace Albany, travelling throughout the Great Southern to work with young people and their families.
Andrew Wenzel, Youth Focus Great Southern Regional Manager is excited to launch the Community Based Youth Support Program (CYSP). “We’re excited to see much needed services expanding into the Great Southern. This new Program will enable young people to access mental health support in their own communities, breaking down some of the barriers to accessing help.”
Accessing mental health support in regional and remote areas in WA often requires travelling significant distances, which means that many young people are not able to access support when and where they need it. “Research is clear that distance and travel are two major barriers to young people accessing services for support with their mental health. We know that almost half of young people who are struggling won’t reach out for support, which is why it’s so important that there is someone to help when a young person is brave enough to put their hand up to ask for it – whenever they need it, without having to wait and without having to pay for the support they need. The CYSP will play an important role in providing this support in the Great Southern region.” shared Youth Focus CEO, Derry Simpson
The Community Based Youth Support Program will be available to young people aged between 12 and 25, living in the local government authorities of Albany; Broomehill-Tambellup; Cranbrook; Denmark; Gnowangerup; Jerramungup; Katanning; Kent; Kojonup; Plantagenet; and Woodanilling; and Walpole. The service is free, and no GP referral is needed.
The Program will provide young people with Counselling and school based support services.
Recruitment is currently underway for the community based mental health specialist practitioner, and the service will begin operating in the second half of the year.
Youth Focus is able to provide services like the CYSP thanks to the generous support of corporate partners like Rio Tinto and Telethon.
Rio Tinto’s Health, Safety, Environment and Communities General Manager, Mark Townson, reflected on the importance of these corporate partnerships. “We are committed to building healthy regional communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The new Community Youth Support Program will ensure young people living in the Great Southern region have access to the right mental health support when they need it most. Through this partnership with Youth Focus and Telethon, we can help make a real difference to the lives of many young people living in the region.”
For more information about the Program or to access support, contact headspace Albany on 9842 9871 or email [email protected]