Youth Enhanced Services

A young person's story from headspace Darwin’s Enhanced Care Program

This is the story of a young person who received support from headspace Darwin's Enhanced Care Program, a Youth Enhanced Service partner.

The Enhanced Care Program, based at headspace Darwin, provides support to young people with emerging complex mental health difficulties. Often, these young people may have trouble engaging with support services due to multiple issues impacting on their lives, which serve as barriers to obtaining mental health treatment. The Enhanced Care Program aims to address these obstacles by providing support with a flexible, assertive outreach, therapeutic case-management approach.

Orygen has worked with the Enhanced Care Program at headspace Darwin team over the last few years, including developing an infographic to illustrate the model of care, explore some of their challenges and successes, and document this young person’s experience in the service.

Early last year, the lovely people at Mission Australia recommended that I take part in headspace’s Enhanced Care Program, to help build my confidence and decrease my anxiety. I called headspace and an appointment was set up.  I talked to the nice workers there and shortly after, I was going to headspace every week. They encouraged me to join multiple social groups, so I decided to join cooking and gym as they weren’t my strong points. I really enjoyed learning to cook and make amazing food and I always went home with delicious food to share with my partner. The gym was difficult but I loved going. It motivated me to be healthier and to work out and go on walks with my partner in the afternoon if we weren’t busy. 

The headspace Enhanced Care Program helped me with my anxiety a lot. When I first started attending, I was worried, always over thinking things.

I also attended therapy lessons once every week as part of the Enhanced Care Program. We would talk about my feelings, how I was going, what I'd been up to. It was nice talking about things I wouldn't normally talk about. The one person who helped me loads while I am attending headspace is Shaun, he helped me join AES (Aboriginal Employment Strategy).  

I'm happy to say my anxiety is almost gone. It feels amazing not having to freak out over the tiny things and to focus on the future. I’m still attending the Enhanced Care Program and will continue until my anxiety is gone 

Without the headspace Enhanced Care Program, I don't know where I would be. I'm so thankful to the people who have helped me and I look forward to their help again. Thank you so much.