Molly Smale knows the system – now she has helped change it

Three Geelong locals have used their firsthand experience of the mental health system to shape the region’s newest youth mental health service into the place they wished existed when they needed it.

Molly Smale, Patrick Johnson and Rebecca Withers spent four years on the lived experience co-design team behind Barwon Health’s Geelong Youth Prevention and Recovery Centre (YPARC), which officially opened on Friday.

The voluntary, referral-based centre provides free, specialist, around-the-clock care for young people aged 16 to 25.

The centre offers recovery-focused, sub-acute care that bridges the gap between a stay in hospital and returning home, allowing young people to recover alongside peers their own age rather than travelling out of town or accessing adult services.

It will support up to 200 young people each year and has 10 private rooms, shared kitchen and dining facilities, outdoor spaces and community areas.

 

Smale said she was inspired throughout the design process by her late friend Willow Gersekowski.

“When offered this experience, I really wanted to do it not just for myself but for my friend Willow,” she said.

“What would have helped them? What would be their vision? What would they want for young people, because this is the kind of facility they really would have benefited from.

“They were always in the back of my mind, and I was hugely inspired by their values.”

The co-design team drew on their diverse experiences and backgrounds to shape the centre’s design, layout and services.

They advocated for features including an outdoor area, sensory room and family spaces.

“We didn’t want it to feel like a hospital,” Smale said.

“We wanted more homey vibes while meeting important safety requirements.

“The idea behind YPARC is to take a step up in care to avoid having to go to hospital, or a step down from when you’ve been in hospital and you’re transitioning into community, so we wanted the space to feel comfortable.

“It’s designed to target youth to get in there early and before they deteriorate to the point of needing to go to hospital, because that is something that is important to avoid.”

 

About 75 per cent of mental ill-health issues emerge before the age of 25, and Smale said lived experience was essential in creating a welcoming, non-clinical environment.

As a teenager, Smale accessed Barwon Health’s Jigsaw Youth Mental Health Drug and Alcohol service before becoming a patient at Geelong’s adult PARC, which supports people of all ages.

The adult PARC is located alongside Barwon Health’s Community Rehabilitation Facility and Smale said the mix of ages and services could be confronting for younger patients.

Having found it difficult to engage with programs as a young person in an adult setting, Smale said the new youth-focused space will make a significant difference.

“The adult PARC is great, but it wasn’t purpose-built,” Smale said.

“It helped me in many ways, but I did find it difficult when I was younger being in the adult PARC with much older clientele.

“I think [the youth prevention and recovery centre] will be a much better facility for young people.”

 

For Smale, Johnson and Withers, seeing their ideas become reality was a proud moment.

The project was Smale’s first opportunity to use her experience to create meaningful change. It is something she hopes to continue.

“Walking around the building we went ‘I remember advocating for that’ or ‘I remember pushing for that’ or ‘This is just what it looked like in the pictures when we chose the fabric,’” she said.

“It was a really proud moment to see it.”

Young people receiving care at the centre can continue attending school and work while remaining connected to the community.

Barwon Health chief executive Frances Diver said the centre is an important milestone for youth mental health.

“This centre will provide compassionate, recovery-focused care in a therapeutic environment, helping young people access the right support at the right time, closer to home,” Diver said.

Structured day programs are expected to begin in the coming weeks, with residential services opening before the end of 2026.

The Geelong YPARC was funded through the state government’s $141 million youth prevention and recovery care expansion and upgrade program.