Note: The following blog contains information surrounding mental illness. If you or someone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Today we are reflecting on the importance of improving early intervention services and removing the stigma associated with mental health in rural communities.
The Benevolent Society has partnered with the Department of Education, Department of Health and local mental health teams to build the Rural Youth Mental Health (RYMH) program - a mobile outreach program providing support for young people aged 12 – 25 across 15 communities in Western New South Wales.
Recent studies have shown that young people living in rural and remote areas are at higher risk of mental illness and suicide which team leader Kylie says is due to a variety of factors.
“The different communities we travel to come with their own set of unique challenges however the common challenges we see across all are the lack of access to in-person, in-community mental health supports”.
She also says transport, costs for additional services like psychology or psychiatry and workforce shortages prove to be additional barriers which is why the RYMH mobile program has proven successful.
The RYMH program was established in 2018 and since its inception has supported over 1300 young people with mental health support with close to 60% of clients demonstrating significant clinical improvement.
Kylie has been actively involved with the program over the last 6 years taking a very person-centred approach to supporting young people, including developing operational guidelines and recruiting a local team who are familiar with the challenges in these communities.
Since the RYMH program has been running, early intervention has proven to not only positively impact the individuals personally but challenges in other life areas including relationships, friendships, school and employment have decreased.
“1 in every 2 adult mental health disorders start before the age of 14 which is why we take a lot of time and energy to really listen and hear the person’s story. The ability of a young person to access mental health support early means that they will be given the coping skills and strategies to take into everyday life settings”.Participants have regular sessions which can take place at their local school, home or community such as a park.
Mental health support worker Beckie says it’s a huge privilege to have a positive impact on a young person’s wellbeing. “It’s hard to even describe that feeling in a word – it’s very humbling. It becomes more than a job at that point”.
Beckie also believes that parents or caregivers of young people seeking support should recognise they play a huge role in breaking down stigmas associated with mental health by supporting their child to seek support should they need and want to.
“When a child does become an adolescent, they may not want to tell their carer or parent everything so being able to recognise that your child may want to talk to someone else about certain things and being accepting of that, is actually still part of being a parent and carer - it really does take a village to raise a child”.
The Benevolent Society’s Rural Youth Mental Health Program is a free voluntary mental health service for young people aged 12 to 25 years servicing communities in Western New South Wales including Cobar, Condobolin, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Cowra, Forbes, Gilgandra, Mudgee, Nyngan, Narromine, Parkes and Walgett.
The Benevolent Society also run Family Mental Health Support Services in Campbelltown, East Maitland, Logan Central and Milton.
For more information, visit the RYMH page or contact us directly on 1800 236 762.