A novel blend of digital therapy and face-to-face clinical care has been recognised for its contribution to improving the mental health of young Australians.
Orygen’s Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST) platform has won TheMHS’s Mental Health Service award for excellence, innovation and best practice in therapeutic and clinical services.
The awards are presented annually by TheMHS, an international learning network for improving mental health services in Australia and New Zealand.
MOST gives young people on-demand access to tailored online therapy, tools and programs, and a safe social network to connect with other young people. It also allows them to create their own toolkit of proven strategies to use any time.
The platform has been developed in partnership with young people, and the people and services who support them. It’s guided by clinicians, peer support workers and career consultants.
Acting Director of Orygen Digital, Jon Myer, said the award was an honour for the platform and the team behind it.
“The pandemic put the spotlight on how technology can integrate with and enhance existing clinical services to expand their capabilities and capacity at a time of unprecedented demand,” Mr Myer said.
“The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System pointed to digital augmentation of our mental health services as a way to meet demand, improve accessibility and enhance services and we see MOST as a prime example of harnessing technology to deliver real-world benefits for young people experiencing mental ill-health.”
Access to MOST was rapidly expanded over the past 12 months as part of the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 community support response.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have funding partners like the Victorian Government and the Telstra Foundation and we were able to roll out a state-wide MOST network to provide on-demand support to young people that’s proven, evidence-based and practical, right when they need it, on any device,” Mr Myer said.
MOST is now available in 95 per cent of Victorian headspace centres and specialist youth mental health services and a national MOST network is emerging, with three jurisdictions including New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory soon to offer access to MOST.
Mr Myer thanked the team behind MOST, which includes researchers, clinicians, developers, young adult novelists and a graphic artist.
To see how MOST helped one young person on their mental health journey, watch Malamati’s story or visit orygen.org.au/most.
About MOST
MOST has been developed by Orygen Digital, the technology division of Orygen, Australia’s centre of excellence in youth mental health. Orygen Digital’s focus is to identify and continue to support new evidence-based digital services, platforms and research, and translate that effort to build on available care, and better integrate it with young people’s lives and existing supports.
Orygen Digital’s flagship product, MOST, is backed by more than a decade of research, clinical expertise, trials and technical innovation, giving young people aged 12 to 25 on-demand access to digital mental health support. The experience is overseen by clinicians, peer workers and career consultants, who provide additional support that integrates with the clinical care participants receive, or are waiting to receive, at state-funded child and adolescent youth mental health services and participating headspace centres.
In Victoria, MOST was rolled out in partnership with fellow youth mental health organisation headspace National, and specialist service providers, including Alfred Health and Monash Health.