It has been two years since headspace Dubbo opened its doors and in 2016 demand for the service increased dramatically.
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More than 350 new clients were seen by staff, taking the total number up over 500. The number of face-to-face appointments made during the 12 months was 2325.
Incredibly, during that time the dedicated staff also found the time to conduct 200 community development activities including presentations to schools and businesses and running events such as the Central West Pride March and International Day for People with a Disability.
Headspace youth access and awareness worker Nic Steepe said it was good news that Dubbo’s young people had been utilising the resources available.
“It’s very exciting. The stats have grown compared to 2016 which shows the demand for our service but it’s also a great response from the community,” he said.
Plans are already underway to build on those events in 2017 and
“We had events like Wear It Purple, Youth Week, Mental Health Month and will continue to celebrate those this year with different types of events,” he said.
“Youth Week is coming up at the end of March start of April and as a youth service we will be heavily involved in that. Mental Health Month is October.”
This year headspace will attend CSU O-Week to promote services and are also planning trips to schools outside Dubbo.
“When we go to regional towns, it is often about breaking down the stigmas of mental health issues but also increasing the knowledge of the teachers about how to deal with that,” Mr Steepe said.
The service’s reputation has also seen people coming from outside the city for help.
“We have people coming from Coonabarabran, Nyngan, Condobolin and other places. It can be taxing for people to travel but there is that need,” Mr Steepe said.
Anyone wanting to access headspace services should call into headspace Dubbo on Church Street or phone 5852 1900. The service can also be accessed by concerned parents.
