Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health conditions in Australia.

Nearly three million Australians live with anxiety and/or depression, which affect their wellbeing, personal relationships, career and productivity. Only 35 per cent of Australians with anxiety and depression access treatment. Men are less likely to seek help than women, with only 1 in 4 men who experience anxiety or depression accessing treatment.

There are many different reasons why people are not seeking support. It can be a matter of where they live, the cost or the stigma they feel. Some people feel that they aren’t ‘sick enough’ to see a doctor and some are unaware of their options. For others, it just seems too hard.

NewAccess is a personal mental health coaching service to improve access to Low Intensity CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) for people with mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety.

Anyone aged 12 years and above (with parental consent where indicated) can access the service and you do not need a GP referral. Local coaches are trained to guide people through complex issues and set practical goals to manage ongoing mental health and wellbeing.

Key features of NewAccess

• Improves psychological wellbeing by offering assisted and/or self-guided Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to Australian adults with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, who are not currently accessing existing mental health services.
• Provides direct access to mental health services via simple referral pathways e.g. self-referral.
• Complements the existing mental health services to reach ‘hard to reach’ populations groups, especially men and people in communities where access and uptake of services is lower.
• Has a high level of measurability with clear metrics and reporting systems to assess progress and effectiveness.
• Can rapidly establish a new mental health workforce.
• People requiring more intensive treatment are referred to more appropriate services. Throughout the program, people may also be linked to complementary community networks and engage with other support service providers should they require it i.e. employment, financial or housing assistance.
• The NewAccess coach is located in Roma-  all service delivery outside of this catchment area will be delivered via a Telehealth service.  This option can be discussed by contacting your NewAccess coach.

Western Queensland PHN has commissioned Lives Lived Well to deliver a free, confidential, easy-to-access mental health program either in person in the Roma region or via Telehealth options for other areas (Longreach, Mount Isa and surrounds).
 

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