The Outback Mind Foundation’s mission to heal men’s mental health

The Outback Mind Foundation is working towards lowering the suicide rates of men in regional Australia. Read how they’re doing it below.

Aaron Schultz, Outback Mind Foundation

In a town with more than double the national rate of male suicide, one charity is using a unique way to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.

The Outback Mind Foundation (TOMF) founder Aaron Schultz recently received funding from the Gladstone Regional Council’s Regional Arts Development Fund to create a film called ‘Healing Men’s Minds’.

“With tools and strategies to navigate our way through, the journey gets better,” Mr Schultz said.

“We don’t just focus on crisis prevention, we really want to encourage positive thinking and coping habits so that men are finding themselves able to deal with their emotions in a more positive way.”

Part of the Gladstone-based charity’s initiative is to encourage communication between men with their “Men’s Circles”.

“Unfortunately, the mental health training that a lot of workplaces have is not sufficient, and it’s clearly not fixing the problem,” Mr Schultz said.

“We want to encourage men to be able to have open and honest discussions with one another, especially people who have shared experiences and may be feeling the same way.”

TOMF, which focuses on improving men’s mental health in regional areas, currently operates Men’s Circles in Calliope, Tannum Sands, Rockhampton, Agnes Water and Roma.

“Every man is unique and has the power to break cycles,” Mr Schultz said.

“We need to be open to change. Modern life is more challenging than ever before, but change happens one day at a time.”

Gladstone Mindcare is another community hub in the region where people can access mental health care.

Between January and June this year, Gladstone Mindcare has supported 171 people.

Gladstone Mindcare coordinator Dani Harrison said people “going through a tough time” can visit them any time without appointment.

“They are welcome to come in during business hours and talk with someone when they need to and we find that this works well, particularly for men, and is reflected in the higher number of men that come to Gladstone Mindcare to access support,” she said.

TOMF’s film ‘Healing Men’s Minds’ will premiere at Gladstone Cinemas on September 1.