Where to Get Help
Learn about some of the other services available to young people and their families apart from regular school counselling.
Emergencies
A young person who is at risk of suicide or is at high risk of significant self-harm needs to be assessed and helped to keep themselves safe as a matter of urgency.
Go to the emergency department of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead (up to 16 years) or Blacktown Hospital. Ensure that a follow-up plan is in place and is actually implemented. Young people in this situation need to be followed-up within days, not weeks.
Consider letting the school know what has happened so that appropriate support and consideration can be given, while maintaining student privacy.
In an after-hours family crisis, try phoning the Family Crisis Service in Blacktown on 9622 0522.
Adolescent Behaviour Service – Catholic Education Office
An intermediate counselling option, half-in/half-out of school, is available as part of enrolment in a Parramatta Diocese Catholic school. Families have free access to staff from the Catholic Education Office’s Adolescent Behaviour Service. Referrals are usually made through the school, and in each case two outside staff are involved: one is a teacher consultant who works with the student and the school to get things back on track, and the other is a family counsellor who will see the student and family for confidential counselling so that home settles down too.
Outside the school
Sometimes you might prefer that your child’s problems be dealt with in a different setting, separate from the school, so the information below concerns some of the other services available to young people and their families apart from regular school counselling.
At the doctor
One step in assisting your child could be to take them for a medical check-up to see if the current difficulties have any organic causes. The doctor may suggest a referral to a paediatrician (a doctor who specialises in the medical and behavioural issues of children) or to a psychiatrist (a doctor who specialises in mental illness) for an assessment.
The doctor may also prepare a mental health plan for a referral to a professional who is registered with Medicare to provide counselling. These professionals could include psychologists (who are not doctors but have up to six years of university training), social workers, or mental health nurses, providing up to 10 counselling sessions per year. Medicare will pay a scheduled fee and the client will pay any gap, unless the professional bulk-bills in which case there is no charge.
You can ask the doctor to recommend someone, or do your research first and ask the doctor to refer you to the professional you have chosen (and probably have spoken to on the phone to get a sense of whether this is the right person for your situation). The Australian Psychological Society provides a “Find a Psychologist” service: see http://www.findapsychologist.org.au.
Organisations
Most services have intake officers whose job is to talk with you when you phone so that you can decide if the service offered is what you need. They can also suggest alternatives. Where services charge fees it is usually on a sliding scale according to your ability to pay. Most services also have waiting lists.
In the public sector
NSW Health runs the Blacktown Early Access Team (BEAT, 9881 8888). They see 12-24-year-olds living in the Blacktown Local Government area with major mental health problems. They are co-located at Mt Druitt with headspace (see below). For children under 12, the Paediatric Mental Health Team is on the same number.
The Western Area Adolescent Team (WAAT, 9881 1230) at Mt Druitt has a focus on hard-to-reach, marginalised young people, including those who are homeless.
The Transcultural Mental Health Service can help people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to access mental health services, from childhood to adulthood, in a variety of languages (1800 648 911).
Anxious children and adolescents may be seen free of charge at the Anxiety Clinic at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead (9845 2005).
Non-government agencies
In the non-government sector, headspace at Mt Druitt (8887 5600) is a ‘one-stop shop’ for young people aged 12-25 years, and their families, providing easy access to a broad range of health services including physical health care, mental health care, drug and alcohol services, and counselling. It is a consortium of agencies led by Uniting Care Mental Health, and sees young people who are eligible for referral to a psychologist under a mental health plan prepared by a doctor at headspace. See http://www.headspace.org.au/.
Several non-government agencies specialise in working with teens and their families. Many are based in Parramatta, Norwest, Blacktown or Mt Druitt. RAPS (part of Relationships Australia, 9890 1500) and Unifam Counselling and Mediation (part of Uniting Care, 8830 0700) will work with the family members who live together on all kinds of issues such as arguments at home, family violence, fostering and adoption, living in a stepfamily, school problems, appropriate limits and consequences, etc. CatholicCare Social Services (9933 0222, http://www.ccss.org.au, formerly known as Centacare) offers relationship and family counselling, while Blacktown Reconnect (9832 3934) also works with young people and their families. Interrelate at Norwest (8882 7850) has a long history of working to strengthen family relationships. See http://www.interrelate.org.au.
On the phone
Parents/carers of children 0-18-years-old can contact a 24-hour parenting helpline run by CatholicCare Sydney (formerly Centacare Sydney) on 1300 1300 52 to talk about any parenting issue.
Where violence or abuse is occurring, including from adolescents to their parents/carers, free counselling is available through the Australian Government’s 1800RESPECT service (1800 737 732) or online at http://www.1800respect.org.au/.
More helplines for students and their parents/carers are listed in the front pages of the Student Diary.
Going Private
In the private sector there are many choices of counsellors and therapists. You should ensure that anyone you consult has the appropriate qualifications and is a member of a recognised professional association.
Further Assistance
Finding the right help can be challenging. If you are unsure what to do, you are welcome to contact the school counsellor to help point you in the right direction.