Young leaders from ReachOut.com took Parliamentarians on a hands on tour of e-mental health services at Parliament House on Tuesday night. In a unique event co-hosted with the Parliamentary Friends of Youth Mental Health (PFYMH), the ReachOut.com young leaders showed how their peers get help for mental health difficulties online.
Entering with questions about how online mental health services actually works, Parliamentarians were impressed and engaged as young people sat side by side with them, providing practical examples of how to get help.
Five stations around the room showcased a range of young people's paths to seeking help online. In addition to showing how ReachOut.com provides practical mental health care, members of Parliament were also shown the crucial role ReachOut.com plays in getting young people to further help from providers such as headspace, Kids Helpline and Qlife.
In Annual Survey results released by ReachOut.com on the same day, e-mental health services were found to be helping young people in distress in overwhelming numbers.
"Online mental health services like ReachOut.com are crucial for meeting the growing mental health needs of young Australians," said Jonathan Nicholas, CEO of ReachOut.com by Inspire Foundation.
"The fact that the PFYMH devoted its second meeting to e-mental health services recognises their important role in Australia's mental health system, especially for young people."
"As well as finding practical tools for immediate help, many young people find their way into further support services through ReachOut.com. This event gave us the opportunity to bring this to life for Parliamentarians - to show them how online services work."
As demonstrated in the Crossroads report released by ReachOut.com earlier this year, e-mental health services are an essential element in rethinking Australia's mental health system, particularly if the system is going to meet increasing demand for services.
Tuesday night's event featured a photo wall made up of the Facebook profile pictures of young people who are supportive of e-mental health services. The room also showcased messages from young people about how e-mental health services had helped them, giving weight to the impact ReachOut.com and other online mental health services have on the lives of young Australians.
Special thanks to Senator Penny Wright (Australian Greens), and her co-chairs of the PFYMH Cathy McGowan MP (Independent), Andrew Giles (ALP) and Dan Tehan MP (Coalition) for their efforts in organising the event.
TWEETS FROM THE EVENT
Download the 2013 ReachOut.com Annual User Survey
Visit ReachOut.com
ABOUT REACHOUT.COM BY INSPIRE FOUNDATION
ReachOut.com is Australia’s leading online youth mental health service. Designed to help young people under 25 tackle everything from finding motivation to getting through really tough times, the service provides practical tools, forums and information in a safe and anonymous online environment. ReachOut.com is the help young people need, where and when they need it.
ABOUT JONATHAN NICHOLAS
Jonathan Nicholas is the CEO of ReachOut.com. One of the most prominent and passionate advocates for the mental health of young people in Australia, Jonathan was a member of the original team that launched the ReachOut.com service in 1998. With a background in child psychology and human rights, Jonathan has provided training to Indonesia on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and co-authored a report for UNICEF on the situation of children and women living in Cambodia. Amongst many industry contributions, Jonathan is a current Board member of the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).
MEDIA CONTACTS
Mick Garnett
Director of Marketing and Communications
michael@inspire.org.au
0499 977 123
Doug Millen
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
doug@inspire.org.au
0425 865 851
