When Echuca found out in July it would get a new youth mental health branch of Headspace, the local health service was keen to hear from its most important stakeholders — young people.
Echuca Regional Health in northern Victoria invited young people to its consultation session to tell authorities what they needed.
The rate of mental health distress among young Australians has risen over the past few years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Echuca Health emphasised these trends are generally more acute for young people in the regions, partly because of the stigma.
Lucy McKenzie is a member of the Campaspe Shire Council Youth Advisory Group, and she said it was essential to tailor the mental health services.
"Talking about mental health is very confronting," Ms McKenzie said.
"Getting the input from the local youth is a good idea, so they can tailor-make what we are looking for.
"It makes a lot of sense and it's needed in a community like ours, in such a rural community, where some people still don't like to talk about mental health."
Exam season stress
That there is a seasonal rhythm to some mental health concerns is exactly the kind of insight young people can offer authorities, Ms McKenzie said, and exams cause a spike in stress.
"Mental health has always been an issue and especially this time of year, right around exams," she said.
"There's more people that experience mental health [issues], especially anxiety around the results of their exams."
Ms McKenzie also said the changing makeup of the community must be sensitively considered when deciding how services should operate.
"In the rural areas, times are changing. We are in 2020, there's a lot of different people around and the LGBTQI+ community is a big change for a lot of people as well," she said.
"There is a lot of stigma around that, mental health concerns as well, because of discrimination.
"We need a service that is culturally sensitive as well, because in the Echuca area, there is a big Aboriginal community and being culturally sensitive to them, as well as other cultures and other religions.
"You've got to think about how to talk to people and be culturally aware."
