Healing the future

YOUNG people facing mental health challenges are benefiting from a new headspace service in Ballina.

Healthy North Coast CEO Monika Wheeler said 50 people have visited the centre since it opened in early December and there have been 100 occasions of service.

“It’s great to see Ballina’s youth already talking with their feet as to whether it’s a comforting, welcoming and safe environment, which we believe it is,” she said.

Northern Rivers-based not-for-profit organisation Social Futures was chosen to operate the new headspace service, which had its official opening this week.

The centre offers free or low-cost support for people aged 12 to 25.

Staff include health workers and mental health professionals who can help with issues such as stress, anxiety, managing relationships with family and friends, alcohol and other drugs, questions about romantic relationships, sex and gender, bullying, anger and finding a job or getting into study.

Two Yarn Up mental health workers are also based at the centre to ensure it is culturally safe and welcoming for young Indigenous people.

Ms Wheeler said the service was greatly needed in Ballina, where many young people are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Northern Rivers floods, as well as ongoing issues around housing insecurity.

“We do have a higher incidence of mental health issues across the north coast,” she said.

The headspace Ballina service is part of a national network of 167 centres, including services at Lismore and Tweed Heads, which have a focus on early intervention.

The centre was made possible through funding from Healthy North Coast through the Australian Government’s Primary Health Network program.

For more information, visit headspace.org.au