August 5, 2025 • 25 mins
Starting a new mental health service, or even asking for help, can feel a little daunting. In this episode, we’re stripping it right back and answering your questions. Who are we? What do we actually do? And how can you access us?
Tune in to hear our brand-new co-hosts for Season 5 share their experiences of hearing about headspace for the first time and how headspace can support you with more than just mental health.
headspace Sessions Podcast Adelaide is about all things youth mental health. Each episode features topical content that is handpicked by the young creative team as well as special guests, experts and practical advice delivered in an educational, engaging and inspirational format.
Led by headspace Adelaide, headspace Edinburgh North, headspace Marion, headspace Onkaparinga and Sonder. The podcast project is brought to you by our centre’s Youth Reference Groups.
Our headspace centres are part of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, providing support to young people aged 12-25 going through a tough time.
Recorded on Kaurna Country.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed our podcasts are from young people involved at our Sonder-led headspace centres, or are guests invited to be interviewed. Information provided should not be taken as clinical advice.
Resources mentioned: https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/connect-with-us/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Hi, my name is Yanni. I'm an Aboriginal peer support
worker at Headspace Adelaide. I'd like to acknowledge that the
land we operate from and a meeting on right now is the land
of the Ghana people. I pay my respects to their
Elders, past, present and future, and acknowledge
Headspace's commitment to makinga positive contribution to young
people who are Aboriginal. Hello, Hey everybody and welcome
(00:25):
back to season 5 of Headspace Sessions podcast Adelaide.
My name is Ali and I am so luckyto be joined by a new team of Co
hosts for this new season. Shall we introduce ourselves?
I am Beth, I have been a YRG SO Youth Reference Group volunteer
(00:49):
in Onkapurringa since the start of 2024 and I've just loved it
and now I'm on the podcast. Hi everyone.
My name is Santi and I've been part of Headspace as a youth
reference group member for 1 1/2years, I believe so starting
(01:11):
2024. Yeah, yeah.
So yeah, some good experience onour podcast today.
I am a community engagement officer and I have been a part
of Headspace since 2019, so I feel part of the furniture at
this point. I actually also started off as a
volunteer, but yeah, I guess they enjoyed my company a lot
(01:34):
and offered me a job, which I was super grateful for.
And now we are here filming Season 5 and so grateful for it.
Today's episode, just to start of the season really nicely, is
all about who we are and what wedo here at Headspace.
So whether it's your first time hearing about Headspace or you
(01:58):
have been connected to us for a while, this episode is going to,
yeah, talk about all about who we are, what we offer, and how
we can support you as well. I thought it would be good to
start off with before jumping into all the basics about who we
are. We hear from our lovely Co host
(02:21):
about what's something that theydo to reset or take care of
their headspace when they are feeling maybe a little bit
stressed or down on on a normal day.
So when I am feeling like I needa reset or I'm really
overwhelmed, a lot of the times I will just put on like my
(02:42):
favorite playlist. So it's usually like the 80s or
ACDC or something and I just like dance to it.
I would not pick you as an ACDC fan.
I. Love it so much and so I'll just
like whether I do that while I'min the shower or something and
just really vibe and usually it's puts me in a pretty good
(03:03):
mood so. I love that, yeah.
Yeah, I think when I'm down for the past three weeks I've sort
of gone on like solo trips to the cinema.
I went to the zoo on Saturday, so it's, yeah.
When it was like pouring down. Yes, but it was fine.
(03:25):
It poured down for like 5 minutes when I was there, so it
was not bad. But yeah, just, you know, I was
feeling all down that entire week and I was like, you know
what? Just but of the moment, just go
in nice. But yeah.
And usually I, you know, go out for random walks along the River
Torrance and yeah. Yeah, I think it's really fun
(03:47):
that like everyone has somethingvery different that they do to
support their mental health and to take care of their headspace.
I feel like I'm a mixture. Like I love listening to music.
And lately I've been really intoR&B, which like old school early
2000s R&B, and that's been keeping me in a really good
(04:08):
mood. But I also just love leaning
into feeling like down when I amfeeling down because I'm like,
yes, this is my time to like order Ubereats in and put on my
best PJS and put my electric blanket on and just like isolate
myself from the world. We don't recommend that all the
(04:29):
time, but sometimes it's needed.Sometimes we need to feel the
things that we're feeling. So I love that we all have
something really different. So I think we all personally
know that starting a new service, and that could be
something like Headspace or another mental health service
that you've engaged with, or even just asking for help in
(04:51):
general can be incredibly daunting.
So to start us off, I think it'sreally cool and important that
we get to know a little bit about who we are at Headspace
and what we do. So if you haven't heard about
Headspace, we are an early intervention service that
provides support to young peopleaged 12 to 25.
(05:15):
We are probably most commonly known for supporting young
people's mental health, but we also have a few different other
service areas that can provide support.
For example, we have a physical health support stream.
So some Headspace centers actually have GPS on site that
you can access for free, which we know is, in this economy and
(05:39):
cost of living crisis, a luxury.And we are really grateful that
some of our centers have GPS that can provide support to
young people in our area. We also have a amazing work and
study team. Not every centre has an on sites
work and study team, but they essentially provide one-on-one
support for if you're wanting toget help with resume writing,
(06:03):
getting into work or just support with study.
If you aren't near a centre thatactually provides that
one-on-one work and study support, you can engage online
in our digital work and study program, which we will link all
of these really amazing resources in our bio at the end
of the podcast as well. And then finally, we do have a
(06:26):
drug and alcohol management team.
So very similarly to our work and study team, they provide
one-on-one support for if a young person's goals align with
supporting drug and alcohol management.
So really, really cool. I feel like a lot of people
don't know that about headspace that we offer just like more
than mental health. But I think it's really
important that that awareness isout there.
(06:49):
There's also so many ways you can refer to headspace.
So what are those ways? How can someone refer to
headspace if they've never been?Well, as you mentioned before
you got your GP, you refer you to Headspace through a mental
health plan. Self referral is one thing you
can do, you know, a friend couldalways help you refer or they
(07:14):
could refer it for you if you'refeeling anxious about doing it.
But yeah. And just to make a note, the
self referral, it's all online and it's actually really easy to
do. Like I've had a look at it
before in the past and you just have to pop in some notes, pop
in your details. And that's like as easy as it
is. And if you're concerned about
(07:35):
that, you could just walk in andtalk to someone at the desk of
one of your like, local headspace clinics.
Or you could give them a call and ask them about it.
Yeah, that's great that they have such friendly, approachable
admin teams that you can just give a call or walk in.
I love yeah, that about the selfreferral that someone else can
(07:57):
do it for you or you can refer if you're feeling comfortable
to. I guess it's important to note
that if someone is referring foryou that you are aware of that
referral being placed. Headspace is a voluntary
service, so we would never forceyou to come and access support
if that's not something that you're ready to do at that
stage. And you know, with the GP, you
(08:20):
aren't required to have a mentalhealth treatment plan to come to
Headspace. It's just an added kind of bonus
if you want to skip some wait times and potentially access
some private support, that a mental health treatment plan
could be really beneficial in that space.
So really cool that we have a number of different ways that
someone can refer. Personally, I feel like it'd be
(08:42):
really cool to take a step back and reflect on the first time we
ever heard about Headspace because I feel like we have such
different experiences and everyone.
I feel like Headspace is just one of those things that
everyone kind of is aware of potentially or maybe has seen
the color green somewhere out inthe community.
But I think it'd be really cool to hear from everyone on what
(09:03):
the first time was when we heardabout Headspace.
Sandy, do you want to start? Sure.
It was my first week in university, orientation week,
and I was, you know, browsing through the stalls and I came
across Headspace. At first I didn't know because
I'm an international student. I did not know what Headspace
(09:23):
was. And I approached them and, you
know, they told me that, you know, they're doing youth mental
health. And yeah, it was quite
interesting. And then, yeah, two years later
I joined Headspace. Obviously stuck with you then
remember, did the colour green maybe spark a memory in you?
I think it was mainly just that community engagement side that
(09:47):
sort of like hit home for me because, you know, I've done a
lot of volunteering over the past few years and yeah, it's
just, you know, and as I'm a bigyouth advocate for mental
health, so, yeah. Oh, awesome.
Well, well, lucky that you remembered us and came back.
What about you, Beth? So for me, I was referred by a
(10:10):
school counsellor when I was in high school.
So I think I was about 13 or 14.It was like my first year in
high school and I was strugglingquite a lot.
And yeah, they, the school counsellor referred me and then
it was actually really easy, like they just brought it up and
I was like, oh, what's this place?
Like I had no idea what headspace was.
(10:31):
And then after, you know, I had obviously gone there for like a
little while when I was like 15,I then I saw them come to the
school once and I was like, oh, I actually know who they are
because I go there. So it was, yeah, really good
that the school was straight away able to be like, Yep, this
would be great for you and sent me there because it made a
(10:54):
massive difference. That's amazing.
I love that. Yeah.
You've had your own lived experience in that space.
And we all come from such different backgrounds and our
awareness of headspace is also different.
I know for me personally, I grewup in the country so mental
health services were incredibly limited, but Headspace was one
(11:18):
of them that were around and it stuck out because it was this
bright green building in the middle of the Main Street.
And when I'm talking Main Street, I'm saying like 1 main
road with like a bakery, a news agency, a supermarket and then
headspace. So it was really easy to kind of
(11:40):
tell what that was. And then, yeah, when I came to
Adelaide, it was around so much more than it was in the country.
And I was like, hey, that's thatbig green building that I
remember from the Main Street. And so that was a really cool
little connection. So I love that it's not just
based in, I guess metro areas, it's also found in more rural
(12:01):
places. And if you aren't located near a
Headspace centre, we do have a Headspace online as well that
you can connect to, which I'm sure we'll talk about in many
more later podcasts. And we will also link in our bio
if you're interested in accessing mental health support
online. So there's so many things about
(12:23):
headspace that we're learning today.
What's one thing that you wish you knew as a young person
before you knew about headspace or before you know all you do
now? What's one thing that you kind
of could wish you could tell yourself when you were young
girl? One thing you wish you knew.
It's a really reflective question because I feel like
(12:43):
there's so many cool things about headspace.
One of our volunteers mentioned that she never knew it was free,
that headspace is free. And I feel like that's the
biggest thing about Headspace. It is so cool that we are a free
service and I wish everyone knewthat, that we are free and you
don't have to pay for your appointment.
(13:03):
So I would just like to put thatout there.
We are a free service and it's something that we wish everyone
knew. Yeah, I think everyone I've
spoken to and has always thoughtthat Headspace was a paid
institution. And when I say no, it's not,
it's non profit, you know, it's everything's free.
(13:24):
Like, Oh my God, I did not know that.
And yeah, it's that's something that I've come across,
especially when I was part of the City Space project.
A lot of university students didnot know that.
OK, here you go. Yeah.
So we need to get some banners and maybe walk down the street.
We're free. We're free.
(13:46):
I think for me it could have been you can access so many
different things through headspace, like you said, like
you can access things for physical health, drug and
alcohol, all those different sorts of services.
But also like from a mental health point of view,
psychiatrists, you can actually have psychiatrist appointment
(14:08):
through headspace. And I think when I had mine a
very long time ago, it was telehealth and it was like this
big screen on a couch and it wasso comfortable.
Like that's not what you would expect when you think, Oh my
goodness, I'm going to go see a psychiatrist.
Like the stigma, like in the, you know, society, especially
(14:30):
when because I grew up in the country as well, and it already
felt so stigmatizing walking into headspace in general.
So I think that was also something that I found really
cool. And like all of our counseling
rooms have been designed by young people themselves.
And we've got two of them here today.
So they might have had their ownexperience with one of the
(14:51):
headspace centres that you've accessed before and you might
have walked into a counseling room.
You're like, God love the colours or I love the lighting
or I love this couch. And it's probably because it was
picked by a young person themselves.
So we acknowledge that young people are the experts in young
people's mental health. So why would we not want them to
design our spaces and make them as youth friendly as possible?
(15:14):
So that's another really cool fact that I wish that people
knew. You kind of mentioned Santi
about city space and like acknowledging that you first
heard about headspace and the community.
And that's kind of leading into something that I would love to
acknowledge is that Headspace have such an active community
(15:36):
engagement team and that's whereour wonderful volunteers come
in. We are all about promoting
awareness of what we do in the community and about the stigma
surrounding mental health. Just in the past year of loan,
we have done some incredible events and we continue to do
(15:57):
these every year and it's so fun.
We have just recently gotten involved with the push up
challenge, which absolutely nearly killed me personally
having to do. I know I did half.
I did half of the total. I think it was like 3214 push
ups over like 22 days. I did not do that.
(16:18):
If you know me personally, it would be like a. 1000.
Yeah, yeah, over 20. Like there was one day that it
was like 100 and that was half the total and people were doing
200. And I was sitting there
complaining and I felt awful forcomplaining.
But we recently did that to raise money for Headspace and
all of the funds went to our local centres, which is amazing
(16:40):
because then our volunteers can use those funds to run really
cool events out in the community.
We've done movie nights, we've done band events, we attend
Adelaide Pride marches every year, and we run some really fun
social connectedness groups. Santi, you've been directly
involved in our most recent CitySpace project that ran for three
(17:04):
years, which was incredible. What kind of events did you guys
do throughout that time? For the listeners, City Space is
a joint project between this Adid City Council and Headspace
Adelaide. I think some of the few events
that I did was we did bouldering, which is fun, sort
(17:24):
of gave our lead a bit of a heart attack.
We found out that we weren't using actual cables.
Wow. We did bowling, which a couple
of times and that was fun, you know, just seeing everyone just.
Yeah. So competitive.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I did get a few
(17:45):
competitive streaks on me, but yeah, it was really nice.
You went to the Fringe as well, but when the Fringe is on, you
guys go every year and that's socool because the Fringe can be a
little bit expensive sometimes. But being able to offer these
events free for young people in our City of Adelaide region is
awesome. Did you, did you personally go
(18:07):
to a Fringe show or as in Headspace?
Yeah, with Headspace, yeah. So that was a Japanese circus
act that we went for. It was pouring rain, but you
know, it was, it was really nice.
I think everyone had a great time.
And that was a like a really bigstory behind it.
Even though it wasn't sad. It was mainly just actions.
(18:28):
But yeah, the experience was lovely.
Awesome. Beth is just so jealous in the
corner missing out on Boulder Eden and I think there was like
1500 people that got involved over the three years, which is
so incredible that 1500 people that never may have known about
Headspace previously were engaging in some really fun and
(18:51):
free events. Unfortunately, our city space
project has come to an end now, but we continue to run free
events across all of our Headspace centres in Adelaide,
which you can find on our socialmedia and humanity.
Every headspace center in Adelaide has their own
individual social media page, which is really important to
point out. You have Headspace Adelaide,
(19:14):
Headspace Edinburgh N, HeadspaceMarion and Headspace on Caprena,
which you can find on Facebook and Instagram and they publicize
all of their free and incredibleevents on those pages.
So if you are interested in maybe meeting new people or just
trying out something that previously you not been able to
done because there was a cost involved, definitely check out
(19:36):
how socially changes and Beth you can you can add to this as
well. It doesn't have to be just about
city space, but what was your favorite event you've ever been
a part of as a volunteer or evenas a young person yourself?
Like through Headspace? What's your favorite event that
kind of sticks out? I can't remember if I had a
specific name, but last year we did a joint project with
(20:00):
Headspace Mariam and we did likethis walk on the Halic Cove
boardwalk. You were there.
I was there, yeah, yeah. And that was actually like, it
was really good because I probably wouldn't have done that
boardwalk if I didn't because itwas just when the new part was
released, I think. But we only did half of it.
(20:23):
But it was also really sweet to see.
We had such a big turn out and there was like grandparents with
their, like, granddaughters and grandchildren.
And then, you know, all these people and they're just walking.
And it was a beautiful day. Like it was a perfect day.
The weather turned up for us that day.
Yeah, it was just really nice tohave like a a whole group of
(20:45):
different people just. Yeah, yeah, it was good.
I love that. Do you have a favorite event,
Santi or? There's like so many that I
would. Think.
During my tenure with the City Space project, going to every
single one except the karaoke night.
And how is the karaoke night notyour favorite?
Come on. I know.
So I got really sick, but yeah, so I wasn't able to.
(21:10):
Attend that and we probably wouldn't have wanted to hear
your sick voice on karaoke anyway.
Oh, it's pretty. Raspy, yeah, but I think a few
of them were high drinks. Hotel was one of them.
And bouldering we did. What was it?
(21:31):
We did a few challenge rooms as well.
Oh, cool. Escape rooms, which were fun,
yeah. Yeah, oh, I love that.
So many amazing events. I think it's also really
important to note we've got so many different clubs and
programs that run out of different locations across the
centres. So many different well-being
(21:52):
groups. We've got LGBTQIA plus Hangouts
at some of our centres spaces and even dog therapy drop INS,
which my personal favorite, someof those groups, you do have to
be a client at Headspace, but you can find all of that
information on our social media or the website for that
(22:13):
particular Headspace center. One final question, what do you
think out of everything makes Headspace different from other
youth mental health services? I don't know much about many
other youth mental health services, to be quite honest,
because it's always been headspace.
But I think with how diverse they are and how youth minded
(22:36):
they are, like they have youth volunteers that help, you know,
design all their therapy rooms and they primarily focus on an
age group that can like, it's very specific, especially with
social media and the differencesin growing up, like with
friendships and stuff. I think that's pretty special
(22:59):
how specialized they are. I love that.
And you guys are sitting here ona podcast like, I don't know,
many other mental health services that have that unique
youth engagement between staff and young people.
So I just think that's so cool. Petspace sort of gives that laid
(23:20):
back, so it's not too clinical. So whereas I've seen a few other
services that are way too clinical, like, you know, wait
rooms are just right white lightand sort of gives you that
hospital wide, which is not something that you want for a
mental health service. It can be overwhelming.
(23:40):
It can definitely, and I think this is a great opportunity for
a quick myth Buster moment. Some people do just think that
Headspace is only for when you're really struggling or when
you are in crisis. It's important to note that
Headspace is not a crisis service.
We are an early intervention service, so we like to kind of
(24:00):
get in before things get really,really bad during crisis
moments. We absolutely recommend amazing
services like Lifeline and Kids Helpline or if it is an
emergency to obviously call 000.But lots of people just connect
with us to kind of talk through everyday stress or to build up
their supports before things gettough.
(24:23):
So we're not just kind of post vention, but we're also
prevention. So that's a really cool thing
that I just wanted to add. And that brings us to the end of
our first Headspace Sessions podcast, Adelaide for Season 5.
We are so grateful that you tuned in and if you've made it
(24:45):
all the way to the end, definitely check out our most
recent podcasts from Season 4. If you aren't ready to stop
listening to us just yet, and ifthis chat has brought up
anything for you, please do reach out to someone.
If you ever need a chat that maybe Headspace.
If you are feeling like you're in a place to refer, or as I
(25:06):
mentioned, if it is a more crisis moment, please reach out
to Lifeline or 000. If you are curious to check out
your local Headspace, just head to our website or visit a centre
near you to get a little bit more information.
Thank you guys so much. Thank you Beth.
Thank you Santi, it has been an absolute pleasure and we will
(25:28):
see you guys next time. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Very exciting.
I'm very excited.
Hi, my name is Yanni. I'm an Aboriginal peer support
worker at Headspace Adelaide. I'd like to acknowledge that the
land we operate from and a meeting on right now is the land
of the Ghana people. I pay my respects to their
Elders, past, present and future, and acknowledge
Headspace's commitment to makinga positive contribution to young
people who are Aboriginal. Hello, Hey everybody and welcome
(00:25):
back to season 5 of Headspace Sessions podcast Adelaide.
My name is Ali and I am so luckyto be joined by a new team of Co
hosts for this new season. Shall we introduce ourselves?
I am Beth, I have been a YRG SO Youth Reference Group volunteer
(00:49):
in Onkapurringa since the start of 2024 and I've just loved it
and now I'm on the podcast. Hi everyone.
My name is Santi and I've been part of Headspace as a youth
reference group member for 1 1/2years, I believe so starting
(01:11):
2024. Yeah, yeah.
So yeah, some good experience onour podcast today.
I am a community engagement officer and I have been a part
of Headspace since 2019, so I feel part of the furniture at
this point. I actually also started off as a
volunteer, but yeah, I guess they enjoyed my company a lot
(01:34):
and offered me a job, which I was super grateful for.
And now we are here filming Season 5 and so grateful for it.
Today's episode, just to start of the season really nicely, is
all about who we are and what wedo here at Headspace.
So whether it's your first time hearing about Headspace or you
(01:58):
have been connected to us for a while, this episode is going to,
yeah, talk about all about who we are, what we offer, and how
we can support you as well. I thought it would be good to
start off with before jumping into all the basics about who we
are. We hear from our lovely Co host
(02:21):
about what's something that theydo to reset or take care of
their headspace when they are feeling maybe a little bit
stressed or down on on a normal day.
So when I am feeling like I needa reset or I'm really
overwhelmed, a lot of the times I will just put on like my
(02:42):
favorite playlist. So it's usually like the 80s or
ACDC or something and I just like dance to it.
I would not pick you as an ACDC fan.
I. Love it so much and so I'll just
like whether I do that while I'min the shower or something and
just really vibe and usually it's puts me in a pretty good
(03:03):
mood so. I love that, yeah.
Yeah, I think when I'm down for the past three weeks I've sort
of gone on like solo trips to the cinema.
I went to the zoo on Saturday, so it's, yeah.
When it was like pouring down. Yes, but it was fine.
(03:25):
It poured down for like 5 minutes when I was there, so it
was not bad. But yeah, just, you know, I was
feeling all down that entire week and I was like, you know
what? Just but of the moment, just go
in nice. But yeah.
And usually I, you know, go out for random walks along the River
Torrance and yeah. Yeah, I think it's really fun
(03:47):
that like everyone has somethingvery different that they do to
support their mental health and to take care of their headspace.
I feel like I'm a mixture. Like I love listening to music.
And lately I've been really intoR&B, which like old school early
2000s R&B, and that's been keeping me in a really good
(04:08):
mood. But I also just love leaning
into feeling like down when I amfeeling down because I'm like,
yes, this is my time to like order Ubereats in and put on my
best PJS and put my electric blanket on and just like isolate
myself from the world. We don't recommend that all the
(04:29):
time, but sometimes it's needed.Sometimes we need to feel the
things that we're feeling. So I love that we all have
something really different. So I think we all personally
know that starting a new service, and that could be
something like Headspace or another mental health service
that you've engaged with, or even just asking for help in
(04:51):
general can be incredibly daunting.
So to start us off, I think it'sreally cool and important that
we get to know a little bit about who we are at Headspace
and what we do. So if you haven't heard about
Headspace, we are an early intervention service that
provides support to young peopleaged 12 to 25.
(05:15):
We are probably most commonly known for supporting young
people's mental health, but we also have a few different other
service areas that can provide support.
For example, we have a physical health support stream.
So some Headspace centers actually have GPS on site that
you can access for free, which we know is, in this economy and
(05:39):
cost of living crisis, a luxury.And we are really grateful that
some of our centers have GPS that can provide support to
young people in our area. We also have a amazing work and
study team. Not every centre has an on sites
work and study team, but they essentially provide one-on-one
support for if you're wanting toget help with resume writing,
(06:03):
getting into work or just support with study.
If you aren't near a centre thatactually provides that
one-on-one work and study support, you can engage online
in our digital work and study program, which we will link all
of these really amazing resources in our bio at the end
of the podcast as well. And then finally, we do have a
(06:26):
drug and alcohol management team.
So very similarly to our work and study team, they provide
one-on-one support for if a young person's goals align with
supporting drug and alcohol management.
So really, really cool. I feel like a lot of people
don't know that about headspace that we offer just like more
than mental health. But I think it's really
important that that awareness isout there.
(06:49):
There's also so many ways you can refer to headspace.
So what are those ways? How can someone refer to
headspace if they've never been?Well, as you mentioned before
you got your GP, you refer you to Headspace through a mental
health plan. Self referral is one thing you
can do, you know, a friend couldalways help you refer or they
(07:14):
could refer it for you if you'refeeling anxious about doing it.
But yeah. And just to make a note, the
self referral, it's all online and it's actually really easy to
do. Like I've had a look at it
before in the past and you just have to pop in some notes, pop
in your details. And that's like as easy as it
is. And if you're concerned about
(07:35):
that, you could just walk in andtalk to someone at the desk of
one of your like, local headspace clinics.
Or you could give them a call and ask them about it.
Yeah, that's great that they have such friendly, approachable
admin teams that you can just give a call or walk in.
I love yeah, that about the selfreferral that someone else can
(07:57):
do it for you or you can refer if you're feeling comfortable
to. I guess it's important to note
that if someone is referring foryou that you are aware of that
referral being placed. Headspace is a voluntary
service, so we would never forceyou to come and access support
if that's not something that you're ready to do at that
stage. And you know, with the GP, you
(08:20):
aren't required to have a mentalhealth treatment plan to come to
Headspace. It's just an added kind of bonus
if you want to skip some wait times and potentially access
some private support, that a mental health treatment plan
could be really beneficial in that space.
So really cool that we have a number of different ways that
someone can refer. Personally, I feel like it'd be
(08:42):
really cool to take a step back and reflect on the first time we
ever heard about Headspace because I feel like we have such
different experiences and everyone.
I feel like Headspace is just one of those things that
everyone kind of is aware of potentially or maybe has seen
the color green somewhere out inthe community.
But I think it'd be really cool to hear from everyone on what
(09:03):
the first time was when we heardabout Headspace.
Sandy, do you want to start? Sure.
It was my first week in university, orientation week,
and I was, you know, browsing through the stalls and I came
across Headspace. At first I didn't know because
I'm an international student. I did not know what Headspace
(09:23):
was. And I approached them and, you
know, they told me that, you know, they're doing youth mental
health. And yeah, it was quite
interesting. And then, yeah, two years later
I joined Headspace. Obviously stuck with you then
remember, did the colour green maybe spark a memory in you?
I think it was mainly just that community engagement side that
(09:47):
sort of like hit home for me because, you know, I've done a
lot of volunteering over the past few years and yeah, it's
just, you know, and as I'm a bigyouth advocate for mental
health, so, yeah. Oh, awesome.
Well, well, lucky that you remembered us and came back.
What about you, Beth? So for me, I was referred by a
(10:10):
school counsellor when I was in high school.
So I think I was about 13 or 14.It was like my first year in
high school and I was strugglingquite a lot.
And yeah, they, the school counsellor referred me and then
it was actually really easy, like they just brought it up and
I was like, oh, what's this place?
Like I had no idea what headspace was.
(10:31):
And then after, you know, I had obviously gone there for like a
little while when I was like 15,I then I saw them come to the
school once and I was like, oh, I actually know who they are
because I go there. So it was, yeah, really good
that the school was straight away able to be like, Yep, this
would be great for you and sent me there because it made a
(10:54):
massive difference. That's amazing.
I love that. Yeah.
You've had your own lived experience in that space.
And we all come from such different backgrounds and our
awareness of headspace is also different.
I know for me personally, I grewup in the country so mental
health services were incredibly limited, but Headspace was one
(11:18):
of them that were around and it stuck out because it was this
bright green building in the middle of the Main Street.
And when I'm talking Main Street, I'm saying like 1 main
road with like a bakery, a news agency, a supermarket and then
headspace. So it was really easy to kind of
(11:40):
tell what that was. And then, yeah, when I came to
Adelaide, it was around so much more than it was in the country.
And I was like, hey, that's thatbig green building that I
remember from the Main Street. And so that was a really cool
little connection. So I love that it's not just
based in, I guess metro areas, it's also found in more rural
(12:01):
places. And if you aren't located near a
Headspace centre, we do have a Headspace online as well that
you can connect to, which I'm sure we'll talk about in many
more later podcasts. And we will also link in our bio
if you're interested in accessing mental health support
online. So there's so many things about
(12:23):
headspace that we're learning today.
What's one thing that you wish you knew as a young person
before you knew about headspace or before you know all you do
now? What's one thing that you kind
of could wish you could tell yourself when you were young
girl? One thing you wish you knew.
It's a really reflective question because I feel like
(12:43):
there's so many cool things about headspace.
One of our volunteers mentioned that she never knew it was free,
that headspace is free. And I feel like that's the
biggest thing about Headspace. It is so cool that we are a free
service and I wish everyone knewthat, that we are free and you
don't have to pay for your appointment.
(13:03):
So I would just like to put thatout there.
We are a free service and it's something that we wish everyone
knew. Yeah, I think everyone I've
spoken to and has always thoughtthat Headspace was a paid
institution. And when I say no, it's not,
it's non profit, you know, it's everything's free.
(13:24):
Like, Oh my God, I did not know that.
And yeah, it's that's something that I've come across,
especially when I was part of the City Space project.
A lot of university students didnot know that.
OK, here you go. Yeah.
So we need to get some banners and maybe walk down the street.
We're free. We're free.
(13:46):
I think for me it could have been you can access so many
different things through headspace, like you said, like
you can access things for physical health, drug and
alcohol, all those different sorts of services.
But also like from a mental health point of view,
psychiatrists, you can actually have psychiatrist appointment
(14:08):
through headspace. And I think when I had mine a
very long time ago, it was telehealth and it was like this
big screen on a couch and it wasso comfortable.
Like that's not what you would expect when you think, Oh my
goodness, I'm going to go see a psychiatrist.
Like the stigma, like in the, you know, society, especially
(14:30):
when because I grew up in the country as well, and it already
felt so stigmatizing walking into headspace in general.
So I think that was also something that I found really
cool. And like all of our counseling
rooms have been designed by young people themselves.
And we've got two of them here today.
So they might have had their ownexperience with one of the
(14:51):
headspace centres that you've accessed before and you might
have walked into a counseling room.
You're like, God love the colours or I love the lighting
or I love this couch. And it's probably because it was
picked by a young person themselves.
So we acknowledge that young people are the experts in young
people's mental health. So why would we not want them to
design our spaces and make them as youth friendly as possible?
(15:14):
So that's another really cool fact that I wish that people
knew. You kind of mentioned Santi
about city space and like acknowledging that you first
heard about headspace and the community.
And that's kind of leading into something that I would love to
acknowledge is that Headspace have such an active community
(15:36):
engagement team and that's whereour wonderful volunteers come
in. We are all about promoting
awareness of what we do in the community and about the stigma
surrounding mental health. Just in the past year of loan,
we have done some incredible events and we continue to do
(15:57):
these every year and it's so fun.
We have just recently gotten involved with the push up
challenge, which absolutely nearly killed me personally
having to do. I know I did half.
I did half of the total. I think it was like 3214 push
ups over like 22 days. I did not do that.
(16:18):
If you know me personally, it would be like a. 1000.
Yeah, yeah, over 20. Like there was one day that it
was like 100 and that was half the total and people were doing
200. And I was sitting there
complaining and I felt awful forcomplaining.
But we recently did that to raise money for Headspace and
all of the funds went to our local centres, which is amazing
(16:40):
because then our volunteers can use those funds to run really
cool events out in the community.
We've done movie nights, we've done band events, we attend
Adelaide Pride marches every year, and we run some really fun
social connectedness groups. Santi, you've been directly
involved in our most recent CitySpace project that ran for three
(17:04):
years, which was incredible. What kind of events did you guys
do throughout that time? For the listeners, City Space is
a joint project between this Adid City Council and Headspace
Adelaide. I think some of the few events
that I did was we did bouldering, which is fun, sort
(17:24):
of gave our lead a bit of a heart attack.
We found out that we weren't using actual cables.
Wow. We did bowling, which a couple
of times and that was fun, you know, just seeing everyone just.
Yeah. So competitive.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I did get a few
(17:45):
competitive streaks on me, but yeah, it was really nice.
You went to the Fringe as well, but when the Fringe is on, you
guys go every year and that's socool because the Fringe can be a
little bit expensive sometimes. But being able to offer these
events free for young people in our City of Adelaide region is
awesome. Did you, did you personally go
(18:07):
to a Fringe show or as in Headspace?
Yeah, with Headspace, yeah. So that was a Japanese circus
act that we went for. It was pouring rain, but you
know, it was, it was really nice.
I think everyone had a great time.
And that was a like a really bigstory behind it.
Even though it wasn't sad. It was mainly just actions.
(18:28):
But yeah, the experience was lovely.
Awesome. Beth is just so jealous in the
corner missing out on Boulder Eden and I think there was like
1500 people that got involved over the three years, which is
so incredible that 1500 people that never may have known about
Headspace previously were engaging in some really fun and
(18:51):
free events. Unfortunately, our city space
project has come to an end now, but we continue to run free
events across all of our Headspace centres in Adelaide,
which you can find on our socialmedia and humanity.
Every headspace center in Adelaide has their own
individual social media page, which is really important to
point out. You have Headspace Adelaide,
(19:14):
Headspace Edinburgh N, HeadspaceMarion and Headspace on Caprena,
which you can find on Facebook and Instagram and they publicize
all of their free and incredibleevents on those pages.
So if you are interested in maybe meeting new people or just
trying out something that previously you not been able to
done because there was a cost involved, definitely check out
(19:36):
how socially changes and Beth you can you can add to this as
well. It doesn't have to be just about
city space, but what was your favorite event you've ever been
a part of as a volunteer or evenas a young person yourself?
Like through Headspace? What's your favorite event that
kind of sticks out? I can't remember if I had a
specific name, but last year we did a joint project with
(20:00):
Headspace Mariam and we did likethis walk on the Halic Cove
boardwalk. You were there.
I was there, yeah, yeah. And that was actually like, it
was really good because I probably wouldn't have done that
boardwalk if I didn't because itwas just when the new part was
released, I think. But we only did half of it.
(20:23):
But it was also really sweet to see.
We had such a big turn out and there was like grandparents with
their, like, granddaughters and grandchildren.
And then, you know, all these people and they're just walking.
And it was a beautiful day. Like it was a perfect day.
The weather turned up for us that day.
Yeah, it was just really nice tohave like a a whole group of
(20:45):
different people just. Yeah, yeah, it was good.
I love that. Do you have a favorite event,
Santi or? There's like so many that I
would. Think.
During my tenure with the City Space project, going to every
single one except the karaoke night.
And how is the karaoke night notyour favorite?
Come on. I know.
So I got really sick, but yeah, so I wasn't able to.
(21:10):
Attend that and we probably wouldn't have wanted to hear
your sick voice on karaoke anyway.
Oh, it's pretty. Raspy, yeah, but I think a few
of them were high drinks. Hotel was one of them.
And bouldering we did. What was it?
(21:31):
We did a few challenge rooms as well.
Oh, cool. Escape rooms, which were fun,
yeah. Yeah, oh, I love that.
So many amazing events. I think it's also really
important to note we've got so many different clubs and
programs that run out of different locations across the
centres. So many different well-being
(21:52):
groups. We've got LGBTQIA plus Hangouts
at some of our centres spaces and even dog therapy drop INS,
which my personal favorite, someof those groups, you do have to
be a client at Headspace, but you can find all of that
information on our social media or the website for that
(22:13):
particular Headspace center. One final question, what do you
think out of everything makes Headspace different from other
youth mental health services? I don't know much about many
other youth mental health services, to be quite honest,
because it's always been headspace.
But I think with how diverse they are and how youth minded
(22:36):
they are, like they have youth volunteers that help, you know,
design all their therapy rooms and they primarily focus on an
age group that can like, it's very specific, especially with
social media and the differencesin growing up, like with
friendships and stuff. I think that's pretty special
(22:59):
how specialized they are. I love that.
And you guys are sitting here ona podcast like, I don't know,
many other mental health services that have that unique
youth engagement between staff and young people.
So I just think that's so cool. Petspace sort of gives that laid
(23:20):
back, so it's not too clinical. So whereas I've seen a few other
services that are way too clinical, like, you know, wait
rooms are just right white lightand sort of gives you that
hospital wide, which is not something that you want for a
mental health service. It can be overwhelming.
(23:40):
It can definitely, and I think this is a great opportunity for
a quick myth Buster moment. Some people do just think that
Headspace is only for when you're really struggling or when
you are in crisis. It's important to note that
Headspace is not a crisis service.
We are an early intervention service, so we like to kind of
(24:00):
get in before things get really,really bad during crisis
moments. We absolutely recommend amazing
services like Lifeline and Kids Helpline or if it is an
emergency to obviously call 000.But lots of people just connect
with us to kind of talk through everyday stress or to build up
their supports before things gettough.
(24:23):
So we're not just kind of post vention, but we're also
prevention. So that's a really cool thing
that I just wanted to add. And that brings us to the end of
our first Headspace Sessions podcast, Adelaide for Season 5.
We are so grateful that you tuned in and if you've made it
(24:45):
all the way to the end, definitely check out our most
recent podcasts from Season 4. If you aren't ready to stop
listening to us just yet, and ifthis chat has brought up
anything for you, please do reach out to someone.
If you ever need a chat that maybe Headspace.
If you are feeling like you're in a place to refer, or as I
(25:06):
mentioned, if it is a more crisis moment, please reach out
to Lifeline or 000. If you are curious to check out
your local Headspace, just head to our website or visit a centre
near you to get a little bit more information.
Thank you guys so much. Thank you Beth.
Thank you Santi, it has been an absolute pleasure and we will
(25:28):
see you guys next time. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Very exciting.
I'm very excited.
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