Accessing help for mental health support can be hindered by stigma and a sense of shame but a new Goulburn service is challenging those stereotypes.
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The Goulburn Mental Health Hub, in a building near the middle of town, will be a welcoming centre for those reaching out for help - often for the first time.
The hub is free, you can walk in or call up and no referral is needed.
A federally funded centre, services include intake assessments, peer support, case management, counselling and therapeutic support with a mental health clinician.
"The new Goulburn Mental Health Hub has been co-designed with services and the community to target local needs," COORDINARE (South Eastern NSW Public Health Network) CEO Prudence Buist said.
"Provided by Family Services Australia (FSA), the hub offers support to improve wellbeing and mental health, either in-person, over the phone, virtual or group sessions."
Ms Buist said the hubs will provide consistency of service in regional NSW as well as providing quality services.
"It's really important that (the hub) is on local streets, it's not hidden away," she said. "It's got bright colours and that's all part of the attraction. It's a bright, friendly place to be," she said.
The Mental Health Commission of NSW released a report on mental health stigma in rural areas in September 2023. Findings indicated regional patients faced challenges such as accessing services, an unwelcoming environment and long wait times.
In a 2023 study the Australian Bureau of Statistics found almost 43 per cent of people aged 16 to 85 years have experienced a mental disorder at some time in their life.
It's got bright colours and that's all part of the attraction. It's a bright, friendly place to be.
- COORDINARE CEO Prudence Buist
"Demand for services across South Eastern NSW has been at an all-time high due to the stressors related to unpredictable events of the last few years," FSA managing director Gary Jackson said.
"The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and current cost of living stressors has seen an escalation in distress and support needs for families across the regions we service."
Federal Hume MP Angus Taylor MP said, "It is important more people in our region can get the help they need with the opening of the new Goulburn Mental Health Hub at 23 Clifford Street, Goulburn."
"This Hub will improve access to and awareness of mental health care, especially for people who haven't accessed mental health supports before."
Ben Carr
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
