WIMMERA young people now have more access to mental health services after headspace Horsham officially opened on Wednesday.
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The centre, which has been operating since May, provides services for young people aged between 12 and 25.
The opening ceremony on Wednesday included speeches from Member for Mallee Andrew Broad, Western Victoria Primary Health Network chief executive Leanne Beagley, Uniting Wimmera executive officer Wendy Sturgess and headspace chief executive Jason Trethowan.
Headspace youth reference group member and Horsham College year 12 student Brylee Taylor also spoke.
She said she was thrilled to see headspace open in the region. “When you first walk into somewhere new, it can be really scary, because you can never really predict what it will be like,” she said.
“That’s why so many young people struggle to get the help they need.
“When a person accepts that they need support, they want it to be easy to open the door to the help they deserve. That is exactly what we now have in our community.”
Brylee said young people often didn’t know where to go when they needed help, or they couldn’t afford it.
“The fact that headspace is a free service means it will benefit more people,” she said.
“It will allow young people to talk to someone who won’t judge them – sometimes there are things you can’t tell your parents.”
Brylee said headspace would help young people feel more comfortable to access information and services themselves.
Headspace’s youth reference group helps the center plan events for young people.
“We are a group of like-minded teems who care about mental health,” Brylee said.
The centre was commissioned by Western Victoria Primary Health Network and will be operated by a consortium led by Uniting Wimmera.
The centre was established under funding from the federal government.
