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Help

Local help for young people who need help and advice about mental illness issues. Do you want to...?

Get emergency help
Talk with someone
Read about mental illness
Go to a place for help
Find someone else to help"
Non-english speakers
Other services

Get emergency help

Where to get help for a Mental Health Emergency in the ACT

If you, or someone you know, has taken pills or have hurt or injured themselves don’t wait to rate how serious it is.

Treat it seriously -now.

Call:
000
Free call.

24 Hours 7days

emergency service

If you, or someone you know, have troubled feelings and thoughts, or are acting in ways that put you or others at risk or harm the ACT Mental Health Crisis and Assessment Team can respond.

Call: 1800 629 354
Free call:

24 hours 7 days

Service can talk you through a mental health crisis or make an assessment about your own or others mental health.

If you or a friend are aged between 12yrs and 18yrs and have taken pills or hurt yourself, CAHMS Crisis Line for young people can respond.

Call:
(02) 6205 1971
Local call – covers all of Canberra
Free service

Ring between 8:30am and 4:00pm, 7 days a week. Out of hours calls are automatically forwarded to the Crisis and Assessment Team

Talk with someone

Where to find someone to talk about youth mental health in the ACT

If you want to talk about getting help for you or a friend you can ask a trusted teacher, school counsellor, a parent, a friend, or a youth worker and ask them to help you.

If you are stressed, in crisis, and not dealing with any issue and you’d like to talk about it in private with a friendly trained person, Lifeline is the place to call. They are able to help you make decisions about what and where to go next or just listen.

Call:
Lifeline 131 114
free call

24 hours 7days

Free service

Health First is an ACT phone service that lets you speak to a registered nurse about health issues. You can also email a registered nurse about health issues. However, they don’t recommended that you use the email in an emergency.

Call:
6207 7777
Local call
Or email
www.healthfirst.net.au

24 hours 7days

Free service

Kids Help Line is a national service for young people 5-18yrs. You can talk privately with a male or female counsellor and be able to speak to the same person each time you call. They can point you in the direction of services in the ACT including mental health and homelessness.

Call:
1800 551 800
Free call. Nation Wide

5-18yrs
24hours 7days

Free service

Read about mental illness

Where to find books and publications about mental illness and how to live with it in the ACT

Places in the ACT, where pamphlets, videos, brochures and books about mental illness are available. Subjects range from: how to live with a mental illness, how to care for yourself or someone else who is experiencing a mental illness and symptoms and diagnosis. Libraries, Community Health Centres and Youth Centres also hold published information about mental health.

The Mental Health Foundation has a good resource library for all people including non-english speaking background in the ACT. The MHF also provides an information and referral service for people with a mental illness and for carers. MHF can provide contact information for various support and self help groups within the ACT and region.

Located at:
Suite 6, 42 Townsend Street, Phillip ACT 2606

Call:
(02) 6282 6658
local call
or email
info@mhf.org.au

18 years of age and up

Hours: 10-5
Mon-Fri

Mental Illness Education ACT. (MIEACT) Have a library and information for young people about mental illness.

Located at:
The Griffin Centre
19 Bunda Street, Civic ACT 2601

Call:
(02) 6257 1195
local call

All age groups

Business Hours
Mon-Fri

Go to a place for help

Where to go for youth mental health support and help in the ACT.

A good place to get help or find out about your mental health is your local doctor. Or you could choose to use another service like the ones listed below. Sometimes you may need a referral to use these services. You can get a referral from a doctor, a school counsellor, teacher or youth worker.

You may also need a Medicare card. If you don’t have access to one you can ask a school counsellor or youth worker about how to get a Medicare card of your own. ‘Going somewhere’ for help can mean you choosing to bring a friend or family member along for support or even arranging to meet privately with a health worker.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Can provide counselling and outreach programs to young people throughout the ACT through the Phillip, Tuggeranong, City and Belconnen Health Centres.

Location: Callam Offices Bldg A Level, Easty St Woden 2602

Call:
(02) 6205 1469
Local call

For young people up to 18 years
Mon-Fri
Referral needed. If you don’t have one give them a call anyway and they will help.

The Junction drop in Centre, have health workers, drug workers and mental health workers. Doctors and counsellors are also available. The Junction is the only one of its type in the ACT and provides a caring, culturally sensitive, safe and non judgemental service.

Located at:
The Corner of Marcus Clarke St and Rudd St
Canberra City 2601

Call:
(02) 6247 5567
Local call

Ring for appointments between 1 and 2 weekdays

For young people 12-25yrs

2-5pm drop-in weekdays
No referral needed

No Medicare or health care card needed.

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service. A service for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who would like to access holistic and culturally appropriate health services.

Located at:
63 Boolimba Crescent

Narrabundah ACT 2604

Call:
(02) 6284 6222
Local call

Young People welcome
Monday-Friday

Find someone else

Where young people can find support in caring for someone with a mental illness.

Sometimes young people can find themselves living with a family member who is experiencing mental illness.

CYCLOPS ‘Connecting young carers to life opportunities and personalised support’.
Cyclops offer a friendly support service for young people who have a family member who is sick, disabled, frail, chronically, physically and mentally ill. They can come to you.

Call:
(02) 6262 8892
Local call

For young people 10-18yrs
Monday–Friday
9am-5pm.

Non-English speakers

Where can young people find multicultural mental health information

Transcultural Mental Health Centre offers specialist advice and information for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Call:
1800 648911
Free Call

Website: www.tmhc.nsw.gov.au

NSW and ACT

Other Services

Other Youth Services in the ACT

Youth InterACT has information and links to youth services in the ACT. It covers youth legal services, youth housing and accommodation, health, dating, education and work and an ACT youth chat room.

Makingcontact.net.au has a guide to youth services and support in the ACT.

www.youth.act.gov.au

www.makingcontact.net.au

All youth in the ACT