Accessing support for issues relating to mental health in youth – especially during recent times of the COVID-19 – have been addressed, with the availability of a new outreach service officially launching this August by MercyCare.
MercyCare’s new youth mental health outreach service – Amber Youth Wellness – is now up and running, providing free specialist mental health support to young people in Perth’s northern suburbs.
The service is aimed at people aged 12 to 25 years old (and their families) who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health needs or facing complex life challenges.
It is designed to help those looking for support to function better and improve their mental wellness and relationships by providing counselling, youth worker support, and access to a Medical Consultant for additional support.
This service can be accessed by those between Yanchep and Midland, which will complement the existing youth and accommodation services, was developed through a codesign process with the young person’s experience of the help-seeking journey at the centre.
“We know from the young people we work with that accessing timely mental health support is one of the biggest challenges they face,” MercyCare Manager Youth Services Nikki Peapell said.
“Along with having to explain their situation every time they try to access support.
“By launching this new mental health support service, we can now offer a more holistic approach to care, which will be more beneficial to our clients.” she added.
Mindful that people of different cultures have different ways to understand wellness and mental health, MercyCare pledged to continue do their best in providing support in improving the mental wellbeing of local youths.
Some of the steps plan to take include using regular language, listening to the individual’s story, providing options at every stage of the process, and fitting in our service with the existing services and support that the youth may already have access to.
Although referrals for Amber Youth Wellness open in August 2020, MercyCare is open to enquiries and visits to come and chat about its service. For more information, visit: amberYW.mercycare.com.au