(Photo: LinkedIn)
September 5, 2022
South Burnett and Cherbourg residents can now access a new telephone and online service to provide support for complex mental health conditions and trauma.
Developed and delivered by national mental health organisation SANE, the new service involves professional phone and online counselling and one-on-one contact with a peer support worker.
Access to community forums and a range of therapeutic activities is also available to support recovery and help participants learn skills to better manage their mental health.
Complex mental health conditions include PTSD and trauma, long-term mental illness, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder or OCD.
The service will also help people with autism or an intellectual disability who are seeking mental health support.
SANE CEO Rachel Green said the service addressed a critical care gap by providing free and easily accessible support with minimal waiting times.
“This service was co-designed with the lived experience community and builds on SANE’s 36 years of experience in complex mental health,” 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’re providing much-needed ongoing support over a period of weeks or months, including welcoming participants to our online communities.”
This service is currently available for self-referral and referral by a health professional across the Darling Downs and West Moreton Public Health Network area, which includes the South Burnett, Cherbourg, Toowoomba, Western Downs and Somerset council areas.
- People can check their eligibility online
