People with a lived experience of mental health and wellbeing challenges helped design the newest support centre in South Western Sydney.
The purpose-built Liverpool Head to Health Centre, which was officially opened last Friday, is open to people of all ages.
Delivered by Neami National and funded by the South Western Sydney PHN, the centre offers free, walk-in, mental health and wellbeing support without the need for an appointment, referral or Medicare card.
The service also provides support for carers and loved ones of people experiencing distress.
Services include:
● immediate help to reduce distress
● help to safely cope with thoughts of suicide
● help to navigate through a crisis
● support to improve mental wellbeing
● help to connect with ongoing support
“Liverpool Head to Health offers a unique approach to assisting people with their mental health and wellbeing needs,’’ says James Huynh, clinical service manager at Neami National.
“For many people, hospital and clinical settings can be overwhelming when experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis.
“The Liverpool Head to Health centre has been designed to provide a calm, welcoming and inclusive space, where guests are supported throughout their time at the centre by a peer support worker, who has their own lived experience of mental health and wellbeing challenges.”
The centre is staffed by a team of counsellors, social workers, psychologists, nurses and peer support workers from diverse cultural backgrounds who speak a number of languages.
A community engagement officer also works closely with local communities, including culturally diverse communities, to help raise awareness of the supports available at the new service.
“We’re pleased to work together with the South Western Sydney PHN to deliver Liverpool Head to Health,’’ says Kim Holmes, Neami National executive director.
“The launch of this new service builds on Neami’s experience in delivering head to health services in other parts of Australia.
“Combining our learnings and expertise from our national services, with our understanding of the local community and their needs, we hope to provide meaningful support through Liverpool Head to Health.”
South Western Sydney PHN chief executive officer, Keith McDonald, said South Western Sydney residents experienced higher levels of psychological distress compared to the state average.
“Almost 1,000 individuals accessed the head to health pop up services in our region during the last two years,” he said.
“Head to health centres provide a highly visible and accessible entry point to services for people experiencing psychological distress, where all feel safe and welcomed.
“We look forward to working with Neami National, which has experience and expertise in establishing and operating head to health centres, to improve mental health outcomes for our community.”
Liverpool Head to Health is located at 203 Northumberland Street and is open from 1pm to 9.30pm Monday, Wednesday – Sunday and 1pm to 5pm on Tuesdays, including public holidays. For more information, visit headtohealth.neaminational.org.au.
