What they do
headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation that provides early intervention mental health services to 12-25-year-olds.
They support young people with mental health, physical health, alcohol and other drug services, as well as work and study support.
They provide in-person services over 154 centres across Australia, online and phone counselling services, and vocational services.
Who they're for
headspace is available to young people 12-25 years old across Australia and their family and friends.
How they help
- Online and phone counselling
You can access their 1:1 online and phone counselling by creating a headspace account.
Their clinicians are available everyday 9am-1am AEDT.
They will help you by listening and talking to you about what's going on and what you want to get out of the session. Their average session time is between 30 and 40 minutes. You don't need a referral or mental health care plan to access headspace counselling.
You can find more information about headspace counselling here.
- In-person support
To access in-person support, you can go to one of 150 headspace centres across Australia.
If you'd like to book an appointment, call your closest headspace centre. During the call, they'll ask you a few questions to make sure headspace is right for you and let you know when the next appointment is available.
All their centres are free or low cost, and what you say is kept confidential.
You can find more information about their headspace centres here.
- Support for family and friends
If you are supporting a young person, headspace can help you with the challenges and transitions you may be facing.
You can connect with their counsellors online or over the phone 9am - 1am AEST 7 days a week.
You can also join their group chats, online community or find resources on topics such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and more.
Here you can find more information about their support for family.
Early psychosis program
Their Early Psychosis program offers free and confidential support for young people who are experiencing an early episode of psychosis or are at risk of developing psychosis.
As part of the program, young people can access:
- Specialty trained mental health professionals
- Support to help them get back to study or work
- Support with everyday life skills, like shopping or travelling
- Creative therapy (e.g. art or music groups)
- Social group activities (e.g. cooking, going to the movies) with other young people who have had similar experiences.
The program provides a specialist clinical case manager who develops an individual treatment plan and provides support throughout the treatment. They also provide peer support and family workers who work with young people and their families to achieve their goals.
For family and friends
As part of the headspace Early Psychosis program, families can receive support, information and education about psychosis. They can attend family meetings and group sessions to get support from other families with a young person experiencing psychosis.
Parents and families can also access a qualified youth mental health professional through their centre or after hours.
There are currently 14 headspace centres delivering Early Psychosis program. You can learn more about the program and check centre locations here.
