Sometimes it might also take a while before you find the right
place for the young person so asking your local family doctor for
some help can be a good place to start. A doctor can help you
to better understand what might be happening for a young person,
talk about what supports would be best suited to the young person
and where required, provide a referral. The options vary from
community health centres, school welfare teams,
headspace centres, public mental health services
and private practitioners, but it does vary from place to
place. In general, public mental health services see young
people who are very unwell and may or may not present with some
significant risk issues. For young people with mild to
moderate symptoms the more community based services are well placed
to offer support and treatment in collaboration with your
doctor.
If a young person is reluctant to get help it might be worth
talking to them about anonymous phone support lines. These
can be a great start point for the young person as they provide an
anonymous opportunity to talk about what is going on, while the
phone counsellor can also offer some information about local
support options and what to expect when you see a counsellor. Some
phone and online services are listed below.
Kids Help Line
Phone: 1800 55 1800
www.kidshelpline.com.au
Kids Help Line is a 24-hour telephone and online counselling for 5
to 25 year olds in Australia.
Lifeline Australia
Phone: 13 11 14
www.lifeline.org.au
Lifeline provides 24-hour confidential telephone counselling to
anyone within Australia. You can talk to them about any problem,
big or small!
CounsellingOnline
www.counsellingonline.org.au
Free alcohol and drug counselling online 24-hours-a-day,
7-days-a-week. Provides support for alcohol and other drug
users, and others affected by alcohol and drug use in the
community, including family members, relatives and friends.
The important thing to understand about finding help is that it
can take time to find the help you are looking for, or, it may take
time for the young person to be encouraged to attend an
appointment. Whatever the outcome it is important to continue
supporting the young person as best you can and encouraging them to
seek help. It is also important to keep realistic
expectations about recovery and change. It is different for
everyone but the most important thing is to persist with the help
and over time an improvement is more likely.
Talking about getting help
If you are worried about the health and safety of a young
person:
- Talk openly and honestly with them, and let them know that you
are concerned
- Reassure them that you will be there for them, and ask what
they need from you
- Let them know that there is lots of help available. They will
be able to talk to health professionals in private if that is what
they prefer
- Help find an appropriate service, such as a headspace centre,
and support them in attending
- Ask direct questions if you are concerned about suicide. For
example, have you been thinking about death? Have you thought about
ending your life?
Talking about suicide is an important way to find out how
someone is feeling and make sure that, if needed, you can work
together to find ways to keep them safe at times of increased
stress. Read more information about talking about
suicide.