Early Years Outreach
New family support for mental health in northern NSW
Parents and families with young children will have better access
to mental health support in northern New South Wales with the start
of a new Early Years Outreach Service.
The service will provide early interventions for anxiety and
depression to women, their partners and families during pregnancy
through to the time when a child is two years old.
Operated by St John of God Health Care in partnership with Life
Solutions North West, the Early Years Outreach Service has been
developed in response to an identified need for greater perinatal
and infant mental health provisions in northern New South
Wales.
Based in Tamworth, the first Early Years Outreach Services
clinics will be held on Wednesday, June 15, and Thursday, June 16.
These two-day bi-monthly sessions will be led by experienced mental
health professionals from St John of God Health Care with
additional ongoing support from Life Solutions North West.
Families in the region can now access clinical support for the
identification and management of psychological risk factors,
diagnosis of depression and anxiety disorders, and therapeutic
interventions for distress caused by traumatic births and neonatal
death.
The Early Years Outreach Service will also provide access to
assessment, management of pharmacotherapy, individual and group
therapy, mother-infant therapy, parent-toddler therapy and parent
education and is provided as an extension of St John of God Health
Care’s Raphael Centre Blacktown.
St John of God Health Care has a strong record of providing
community-based mental health services, with six Raphael Centres
established across Australia specialising in the perinatal period
(from conception until a child is 12 months old).
Anna Roberts, Early Years Manager at St John of God Health Care,
said: “Our Social Outreach and Advocacy
services strive to be as accessible as possible so we are very
pleased to be working in partnership with Life Solutions North West
to provide services to those who need support at this critical
stage in life in northern NSW. It is important to intervene early
in perinatal and infant mental health issues in order to avoid them
becoming long-term or chronic health problems which could require
more prolonged recovery and treatment.”
The service is free or charged at minimal cost through Medicare
or private health funds where applicable. Clients require a
referral from a health professional such as a GP addressed to the
Early Years Outreach Service.
“Around one in six women experience postnatal depression after the
birth of their child and becoming a parent is often a very
challenging time so we are delighted to start this new Early Years
Outreach Service in Tamworth,” said Anne Galloway, Clinical Team
Leader at Life Solutions North West. “Many families in northern NSW
have not been able to access specialist perinatal and infant mental
health support previously so we are delighted that St John of God
Health Care has been able to support us in providing this
service.”
For more information on the Early Years Outreach Service please
telephone 02 6766 2822 or fax 02 6766 2833.
Find out more
about our Early Years services.