Research shows farmers die by suicide at up to twice the rate of the general Australian population, yet do not have higher rates of diagnosed mental illness. Farmers are geographically isolated whilst managing a myriad of stressors, many uncontrollable. They are less likely to seek professional mental health services, have less access and often report feeling misunderstood when they do reach out. Integrating lived experience into mental health provision in farming communities has been identified as one way of addressing these challenges.

Following five years of co-design—drawing strongly on the lived experience of farming community members and service providers—the National Centre for Farmer Health is leading the Back on Track feasibility research trial. Back on Track will be trialled across three Victorian farming communities. This community-based service—supported by a strong training, governance and support framework—will be delivered by peer workers (with lived experience of farming and possible lived experience of poor mental health) who have been trained in Behavioural Activation (BA). BA is a proven safe and effective treatment for depression focused on improving mood by increasing behaviours that people enjoy and reducing avoidance behaviours. Unlike other psychological therapies, evidence shows that non-clinicians without specialist health qualifications can learn to deliver BA with appropriate training.

With shared understanding of farming life and work, the integration of trusted, local peer workers into the delivery of Back on Track has the potential to overcome many well-established barriers to mental health help-seeking and support in farming communities.
Should Back on Track prove feasible, the model could be scaled to support mental health across Australia’s farming communities in a meaningful and sustainable way.

This presentation will share early-stage outcomes of the feasibility trial including reflections on peer worker recruitment, training, and support.

Three Key Learnings:

1. Farming communities are interested and see value in peer to peer and co-designed models of mental health support.
2. New models of mental health support in farming communities need to be community-led and place-based.
3. Appropriate community-engagement, training, governance and support structures are vital for integrating peer workers into mental health service delivery models.