Please see Dr Michelle Kehoe

Of every 30 young people in Australia there will be 7 dealing with mental health issues, but only 2 will ask for support leaving 5 of them to suffer in silence. This is why batyr exists. We want to contribute to better mental health amongst young people across Australia, to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and get more young people reaching out for support when they need it. Research, and our experience, shows that the sharing of peer to peer lived experience helps to reduce the stigma and subsequently promotes help seeking behaviours. This is something our team at batyr works hard to achieve. We live and breathe the power of story-telling and we have had, and continue to have, a huge amount of success in delivering face-to-face programs in schools, universities, workplaces and communities across Australia. We do however, recognise that we exist in a broader ecosystem which includes the digital world and that this is an enabler to increased reach, engagement and impact. Our latest venture is the creation of a new digital product, called OurHerd. This presentation will focus on our journey so far; the research, design and development of our new offering and how we hope digital can provide a further avenue for young people to contribute, connect and understand more about mental health and wellbeing. we have created a product that engages, educates and empowers young people to seek the help and share experiences safely and ethically online. We’re excited to present the approach we have taken, the methods and tools we have applied, the research and key insights we have gathered. This presentation will explore how Social Media and Qualitative data through OurHerd can be used to improve existing services, ensuring earlier and more effective intervention.

“Trust, settle and DO YOU”: Co-designing the Buddy Program at Mind Australia’s Youth Residential Rehabilitation

Mind Australia Youth Residential Rehabilitation (YRR) Services assist young people with psycho-social support from a trauma–informed lens and are a key plank of Mind’s suite of youth programs. During 2020, YRR staff recognized that new clients needed to orientate to the program effectively in order to start benefiting from the supports on offer.
Staff worked with Mind’s Participation Team in a co-design approach to understanding “how might we help young people better understand what it’s like to live at the Youth Residential Rehabilitation program?” Co-design is a key part of Mind’s Lived Experience strategy and recovery orientation.

Navigating COVID-related delays, the project ran in four stages between August 2020 and April 2021. During Frame and engage staff developed principles for participation and decision-making that placed young client and peer practitioners in pivotal facilitation roles. In Explore and Connect, young clients’ participation was facilitated using activity templates and proposed solutions were aligned with Mind policies. In Imagine and Create, clients’ input across four sites was collated, including collages and filmed interviews. The collated input was reviewed during an online workshop, with the Buddy Program voted most preferred by participating clients.

The resulting Buddy Program captures young clients’ lived expertise, experiences, creativity, wisdom, and knowledge using introductory pamphlets, site tours and talking points so new participants can learn about the opportunities available to them at YRR and has now been implemented at YRR nationally.

In addition to the resources produced, key project outcomes included building rapport among existing and new residents and the development of a co-design handbook for future projects.

We discuss implications and learnings for co-design projects in psychosocial youth services.

Research has shown that current symptom-focused models for early intervention in mental health may not prevent psychosocial disability and targeted psychosocial interventions are required. Youth Outreach Recovery Support (YORS) is one of Mind Australia’s innovative Youth Psychosocial Recovery Services and provides flexible, co-designed, peer-led programs Back on track and Back to track, Delivered online and by phone the program supports Victorian at-risk youth with critical personal, social, and career development supports.
Back on track provides early support to youth clients who need support to maintain control of key parts of their lives and prevent further deterioration of their mental health. A YORS Coordinator swiftly identifies short and medium term needs and barriers to support clients to improve their mental health and maintain housing, education, work, and connections with family and friends to prevent a residential stay.

Back to track provides youth clients with support to keep well after leaving a residential program. A YORS Coordinator works in partnership with the client to build community supports and sustain routines to keep well. All YORS clients are overseen by a clinical consultant and receive specialist family support and brokerage. Clients who access Back to track also receive assistance returning to education and work.

At Mind, ‘personal recovery’ recognises that everybody’s experience of recovery and purpose is unique and Mind Youth Psychosocial Recovery Services reflects this person-centred approach. Clients access peer workers and participate in Youth Mind Recovery College, a co-designed, peer led group program. Clients use Mind’s custom-built My Better Life ® in collaboration with a staff member to set personal recovery goals. Clients’ track their personal progress using Mind’s co-designed, evidence-based digital outcome measures focussing in social inclusion measures. Preliminary outcome data will be presented.

3 x Key Learnings:
Learn about delivering mental support using virtual technology
Learn about the practical supports for young people that improve recovery and mental health
Learn how co-design has been incorporated into the program

Play is often used to engage children in therapy, with board games being particularly appealing to primary school aged children. Often at this age children seek out more structured activities and enjoy the challenge games present. Games provide a context for interaction and can support the therapist to better understand the child, which can be especially useful during the assessment phase. Furthermore, games can be utilised to address a broad range of therapy goals. For example, emotions are often elicited during game play, enabling therapists to help the child build their emotional awareness and develop regulation skills. In addition, games can help children develop social awareness and support them to develop key skills, such as pausing and thinking before responding. Therapists can also incorporate games to help children understand ideas, such as resiliency, and develop skills, like flexibility.

During this presentation, participants will learn how they can use board games purposefully in therapy. Fiona will share some therapeutic activities that utilise board games, outlining how these can be used in therapy. Online alternatives will be discussed briefly and participants will be directed to where they can find further research and resources.