Talking about teenage mental health, and domestic and family violence, can be challenging, but one northern Queensland community is stepping up to start the vital conversations.
A Georgetown resident, concerned about ongoing issues within the community, wanted to make a change and create a platform for discussing people’s experiences and providing community support.
After two years of working in Georgetown, North and West Remote Health (NWRH) Mental Health Professional Melinda Chambers had heard similar concerns from residents, and thought the resident’s idea was the perfect opportunity time to help bring awareness to the town.
The face-to-face workshops began earlier last year with the first event addressing a range of topics, including recognising the signs of domestic and family violence, understanding the mental health impacts, and learning about local support resources.
“Hearing firsthand stories of how domestic violence affects individuals and their mental health allowed us to tailor the event to be more sensitive and relevant to our community’s needs,” Ms Chambers said.
“It also highlighted the importance of providing a safe, supportive space for attendees to share and learn, free from stigma and judgement.”
To make it more accessible, especially for families with children, NWRH offered videos on individual laptops, allowing attendees to choose what content to engage with.
Ms Chambers said participants reacted positively to the flexible format and sensitive handling of a difficult topic – and expressed a desire for conversations about other issues.
In response, NWRH held another workshop around teenage mental health.
It covered general mental health strategies, suicide prevention, mental health in the workplace, family and caregiver mental health, and substance use and addiction.
This workshop provided more hands-on, interactive elements to engage attendees more effectively.
“One of the main takeaways was that flexibility is key when engaging with a more rural audience,” Ms Chambers said.
“The ability to control how much information people were exposed to helped alleviate any potential discomfort.
“We also learned that creating a space for ongoing conversations is crucial for building long-term awareness.”
NWRH is planning similar workshops each quarter, using insights from the initial workshop to improve attendance and engagement.
Based on feedback, NWRH will retain the flexible format, and introduce more interactive elements to encourage involvement and sustained conversation around tough topics.
NWRH partnered with several Georgetown organisations including council, the local health clinic, NQDVRS for resources, and the women’s centre in Atherton to ensure the provision of a comprehensive range of resources.
The workshops were funded by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network under the Primary Mental Health Care program.
About NQPHN
Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) works together with our partners to connect existing local services to simplify the healthcare system, fund primary care and mental health services based on the needs of local communities, and support primary care and mental health providers to build their skills and deliver the highest quality patient care.
For more information, visit www.nqphn.com.au