It’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since headspace Canberra opened their doors.
Now regarded an essential service, the organisation has offered mental health and wellbeing support to over 38,000 young people aged 12-25 years in the region since opening.
Fox Fromholtz, once a headspace client, went on to volunteer after getting help and is now employed by the youth mental health services provider.
Fox, 23, first started seeing headspace at 18 seeking help to better manage anxiety symptoms.
“I’d say it was pretty life changing for me to be able to access that support,” Fox said.
“I didn’t have any experience or knowledge about mental health issues, I didn’t even really know where I could get help.”
Fox said the fact headspace Canberra operates as a free to low-cost service helped immensely.
“Finance shouldn’t be a barrier; when I was struggling I was unemployed and a university student.
Fox said another great aspect of headspace is the fact it’s a youth-friendly service.
“The building, the décor, who we hire, everyone is youth-friendly and has experience working with youth.
“It made me feel welcome to come here and like they were really going to understand my struggle and my perspective.”
Now working for headspace, Fox loves engaging the community and teaching people about mental health and said seeing people more willing to talk about their experiences is very rewarding.
“The effect on young people is that they come to us and have a way to access support and deal with their mental health issues effectively.
“The difference, and you can see this over the past decade, is that young people’s willingness to talk about mental health seems to be a lot more open, and we have more people coming to see us.”
Since relocating from Bruce to Braddon in late 2018, their new centralised location provides improved access for clients and better exposure.
$3.4 million of federal funding in this year’s budget means a second headspace centre will open in South Canberra shortly.
For more information about headspace Canberra, or if you are young person experiencing difficulties, call 5109 9700 or visit eheadspace.org.au
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