Rachel Sherry || Life is tough, but so are you

*This episode discusses domestic violence, sexual assault, stillbirth and other topics which may be distressing to some listeners. Please take care when listening.

This episode is a conversation with Rachel Sherry. With the world at her feet, Rachel headed up to Whyalla as a teen to study hairdressing. At their intro day the lecturer said that one of the girls WILL get pregnant. They were right. That young woman was Rachel. What followed was a series of challenging times and many ‘red flags’ that led her to Yarredi Services in Port Lincoln. These days Rachel can still be found at Yarredi Services, but it looks very different to when she first connected with them.

Take care and enjoy the inspiring conversation we were lucky enough to have with Rachel.

If you are in a relationship or situation that is unsafe, please reach out.

Yarredi Services vision is “An empowered, safe and respectful community”. Founded in 1979, Yarredi Services began operations as safe accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence. Currently the organisation offers service to women and children affected by, or at risk from, domestic violence.

Yarredi provides a range of services that aim to support and empower clients. These services include;

*Specialist domestic and family violence counselling utilising a case management framework.

*Therapeutic Children’s Wellbeing Program and family liaison

*Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) - providing an avenue for a person who may be at risk of domestic violence to get information about their partner or former partner, to help make decisions about their safety and the future of the relationship. https://www.police.sa.gov.au/your-safety/dvds

*Community development initiatives, including group work, Healthy Relationships sessions in schools, and public speaking engagements.

You can find out more about Yarredi at https://yarredi.org.au/

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, please call the Domestic Violence Crisis Line (24 hours) 1800 800 098

or 1800RESPECT (24 hours) 1800 737 732

or Yarrow Place 8226 8777 or toll-free 1800 817 421 (after hours 8226 8787)

If you are concerned about someone who is struggling and finding it difficult to see their way out of grief or mental challenges, then we highly recommend Question. Persuade. Refer. QPR training, which Emma and Lain talked about in the first episode of Season 1. You can access the training ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Type in the code CSA to take the training free of cost. This training is funded by Country SA PHN. We thank them for their support in the Suicide Prevention space- an area we believe is important to put energy towards.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Remember to subscribe so you don't miss any of the future MFEP+ME episodes!

*MFEP+ME is a project created within the program Mentally Fit EP (MFEP). MFEP aims to empower people to take charge of their lives and to build mentally fit, connected communities. We believe mental health is everyone's business!

Thank you to our NFP organisation, West Coast Youth and Community Support, for making MFEP a possibility! A rock star organisation with rock star staff!

Thank you to our Season 3 Sponsor, Lincoln Rural, for supporting Mentally Fit EP for many years through fundraising. Their efforts and dedication have supported the EP community in a variet