SANE Australia to offer first online and telephone service with ongoing mental health help
People living in Central Queensland can now access Australia’s first online and telephone services that offers continuing mental health help created especially for them. Find out how to access it here.
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People living in Central Queensland can now access Australia’s first online and telephone services that offers continuing mental health help created especially for them.
In 2020 a Productivity Commission Inquiry Report on Mental Health, conducted by the Australian Institute of Welfare and Health, found 154,000 people weren’t getting the psychosocial help they needed.
SANE Australia’s new service, offered to Central Queenslanders living in places such as Yeppoon, Gladstone and Bundaberg, will help people with complex mental health issues including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
The service that SANE provides is also suitable for those with an intellectual disability and the autistic community who need help with their mental health.
SANE CEO Rachel Green said the service would build on 36 years of experiences in complex mental health.
“People have told us what they need and we understand the unique set of challenges they face,” Ms Green said.
“People in our guided service will have access to counselling, peer support, group activities and health information, all through a best-in-class digital platform designed for them to easily access what they need, when they need it.”
This program is a part of an Australian Government-funded pilot that includes the Wide Bay area and Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network (PHN) and is one of five PHNs in Australia where people can join via self-referral or a health professional referral.
“We know thousands need a support service that is more than a one-off counselling session; people need a service that provides continuity and connects them to others who can help make sense of what they’re going through and support them through tough times,” Ms Green said.
“When a person is referred, they are welcomed, befriended and supported in a way that works for them and their recovery.
“And, in an Australian-first, we are providing much-needed ongoing support over a period of weeks or months, including welcoming participants to our online communities.”
More information can be found at https://www.sane.org/referral.
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