We are pleased to announce that eheadspace will be presenting a stage presentation at the 2011 Positive Schools Conference in Perth

Introducing eheadspace

Did you know that one in four young people are affected by mental illness?

The Australian Government, in partnership with the Western Australian Government is piloting a series of new drought reform measures in response to the national review of drought policy. The measures are designed to move from a crisis management approach to risk management. The aim is to better support farmers, their families and rural communities in preparing for future challenges, rather than waiting until they are in crisis to offer assistance. The pilot will be in place from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.

The strategies include; farming assistance grants, community building projects and social support services. eheadspace is one of the social support services which aims to build stronger social support networks to meet the mental health, counselling and other social needs of farming families and rural communities.

The pilot region takes in some of the most remote communities in WA, as well as several regional centres. Sixty-seven local government areas are included with an estimated 35,000 young people who may face mental health difficulties.

eheadspace is part of headspace – the National Youth Mental Health Foundation. eheadspace is an online service which is staffed by experienced youth mental health professionals including psychologists, social workers, nurses and occupational therapists.

The service is confidential, free and there are no restrictions on the number of times people can access eheadspace. The chat feature of eheadspace allows people to chat with a qualified youth mental health professional one-on-one in real time, alternatively – people can email at any time with a response taking no more than two days.

The project is targeted towards people aged between 12 to 25 years and living within the Government’s Drought Pilot Region in Western Australia.

Members of the community are encouraged to visit if they are experiencing a difficult time and invited to join headspace on Facebook and Twitter.