headspace Goulburn is a voluntary service - as such, the young person being referred needs to be aware of the referral and consenting to the referral before we can proceed.

There are a number of pathways for referral as follows:

Self-Referral: Young people are encouraged to make contact with headspace Goulburn directly. Call (02) 4824 4944 within office hours or email info@headspacegoulburn.org.au. A worker will contact to make a phone intake appointment within 1-3 days.

Drop in: Young people can call into headspace Goulburn (13-17 Verner Street) between 9am - 5pm, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday, or between 11am - 7pm on Thursdays. Staff will endeavour to see the young person the same day, or the next available appointment will be offered.

Family & Friends Referrals: Families, carers or friends can refer a young person to headspace Goulburn by calling the team or dropping into the centre. Families, parents or carers who have a young person engaged with headspace Goulburn can also access our centre for support specific to their needs too.

Service Providers: GP’s, Allied Health Professionals, community-based agencies and educational institutions can all refer young people to headspace Goulburn using the Service Providers Referral Form. General Practitioners can simply send us a mental health treatment plan (if appropriate) for the young person.

Download the Referral Form (for service providers) 

PLEASE NOTE:

headspace Goulburn is not an acute mental health/crisis service. If you have any immediate concerns regarding the safety/well being of a young person, please call:

In an emergency, contact 000 immediately.

Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511

Lifeline on 13 11 14

Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. 

The Youth Reference Group (YRG) guides what we do here at headspace Goulburn, making sure we're on the right track to provide a service that is relevant to young people in our community. 

Our YRG is made up of passionate young people aged 16 - 25 years who share their opinions and have their say on what we do and how we do it. YRG members help keep headspace Goulburn youth focused. 

The role of the YRG is varied and includes a range of opportunities; from participating in regular meetings, to helping to plan and run youth events, representing headspace, and raising awareness of youth mental health and wellbeing in our community.

If you would like further information or to discuss potential opportunities in the YRG please contact our Community Engagement Officers: Lara (Goulburn) ltrevanion@gph.org.au or Kelly (Yass) kmather@gph.org.au

If you are in need of a check-up, or if you need to get a mental health treatment plan, our wonderful, youth friendly GP at headspace Goulburn can help you! Dr. Alex can also help you with:

• General & Physical Health
• Mental Health & Wellbeing
• Sexual Health
• Alcohol & Other Drugs
• Preventative Health
• Gender affirming care & Referrals 

You don't need to be currently seeing anyone else from headspace, you can book to see him as a new or existing client - with no obligation to use our other services!

GP appointments are bulk billed (which means you don't have to pay!), so bring your Medicare card when you visit. Don't have a Medicare card? Just talk to our friendly reception staff for more information.

To make an appointment with Dr. Alex, visit headspace Goulburn reception or call (02) 4824 4944.

Led by Grand Pacific Health, headspace Goulburn brings together a range of services to provide a holistic, well-rounded service for young people. Our services include: 

• Mental Health Support – Youth Counsellors, Youth Workers, Peer Workers, & Mental Health Clinicians. 
• Alcohol & Other Drug Support – in partnership with Pathways Directions Health. 
• Education and Employment Support - in partnership with The Personnel Group & headspace online work & study. 
• Physical Health & Sexual Health Support - GP service available every Thursday & Sexual Health Drop-in Clinic available on the first Thursday of every month. 
• Family & Friends support - we have family counsellors & workers to help support & assist families, friends, guardians, & carers. 
• Groups - currently we have social drop-ins for young people on every Thursday from 4pm - 6pm (during school terms) - with a fun activity every week & snacks provided, any young person can just drop in during these times & join in on the fun! 

MORE GROUPS & WORKSHOPS TO BE ANNOUNCED IN 2025! 

Want to know more about what to expect when attending headspace Goulburn?

We have created the following welcome packs to introduce you to our service and direct you to where you can find further information and support:

we're here for you - young people

we're here for family & friends

headspace Wollongong, Nowra, Bega & Goulburn now offer telehealth sessions via a special platform called Attend Anywhere. We think it gives you the experience most like your normal face-to-face sessions with a clinician. It’s encryption levels mean your conversations stay private, and it allows you to wait in a “waiting room”, under the supervision of our admin team, until your clinician is ready to see you.

WHAT DO I NEED?

• A good connection to the internet 
  If you can watch a video online (e.g. YouTube) you can make a video call
• One of these:

Google Chrome web browser on a desktop or laptop, or on an Android tablet or smartphone

Safari web browser on an Apple iMac, MacBook, iPad or iPhone

• Web-camera, speakers, and microphone already built into laptops or mobile devices

How much internet data will I use?

You don’t use any data while waiting for a clinician to join you.

An Attend Anywhere video call uses a similar amount of data to Skype^® or FaceTime^®.

PRIVACY

You have your own private video room that only authorised clinicians can enter. Video calls are secure; your privacy is protected.

Your telehealth service will not be recorded by us. We ask you to also agree not to make recordings of our sessions and not to use materials from our sessions elsewhere. 

WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?

Your clinician is available to answer all your questions and answer any concerns. Together, you will work out a plan that best suits you. If you wish to speak to someone else about your experience, please call your local headspace centre and ask to speak to the centre manager.

HOW DO I USE ATTEND ANYWHERE?

• Go to the telehealth video conference website a little before the prearranged time for your appointment and select the headspace waiting room (red armchair logo).
• On this web page, click Start video call button and follow the instructions
• Wait in your own private video room
• Your clinician sees you arrive in the waiting area and joins you in your video room when they are ready

If you would like to know more, here’s a short video: https://youtu.be/o-64JK4nLuE

WHAT IF MY CONNECTION DROPS OUT? 

• If you lose connection, firstly, wait 30 seconds and try to reconnect using the Refresh button.
• If your video link drops out, or if you intentionally disconnect the videoconference, or leave the room where the videoconference hardware is set up, we will immediately contact you via your nominated contact number. If we cannot contact you, then we will activate your Contingency Plan.

What is my Contingency Plan?

At your first session, you and your clinician will work out a telehealth safety plan. This will be reviewed at the beginning of each session. Your plan will include nominated emergency contacts and/or local and emergency services.     

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR MY SESSION?

It can be easy to think of your Telehealth session as a less formal “catch-up” and think it doesn’t need much preparation. To get the best from your session, try to:

1)      Find a quiet space. Put away your pets, find a room where you think you won’t be overheard. Try using headphones with an in-built microphone, if you can. Most mobile phones come with these.

2)      Bring a notepad and pen. Your clinician won’t be able to give you a piece of paper to take home with you so you might need to jot some things down.

3)      Have your phone close to you but turn it onto silent and close your email programs. It is important that your clinician can call you, if something should happen to your Telehealth connection, but it’s also important to try to minimise distractions.

4)      Give yourself permission to focus. In these busy times there are lots of things calling for our attention. Give yourself permission to be fully present with your clinician for your session.

5)      Your telehealth session with your clinican will not take any longer than an in-person session at our centre would, except you don’t have to spend time travelling to us.

If you are 15 years or older, you can apply to have your own Medicare card. Here’s what to do:

- You can either apply to transfer to a new Medicare card (i.e. to be moved from the card you are now listed on to another new card of your own) OR you can choose to stay on your parents'/guardians' card and have a copy made to keep with you.

- To transfer from your current card to your own one you will need to fill out the form called Application to copy or transfer from one Medicare card to another and bring two forms of identification with you to a Services Australia Service Centre. Accepted forms if ID include a birth certificate, student card with photo ID, health care card, driver's license, passport, or a bank statement if it has your current address on it. The form is available online or from a Medicare office.

You will need the number of the Medicare card you are currently listed on to complete the form. This is most probably your parents’ or guardians’ Medicare card.

Take your original identification and your application form to your nearest Services Australia Service Centre:

• Goulburn Service Centre @ 136 Auburn St
• Yass Service Centre @ 204 Comur St
• *Crookwell Agent @ 48 Denison St

Once you have lodged your application for a Medicare card at a Medicare office, your own card with your own number will be sent to you. If you would prefer, you can make arrangements with Medicare to pick up your card at the office.

*limited hours service at Crookwell and not full suite of service centre offerings. Full details click on the link here

Are you interested in fundraising for or making a donation to headspace Goulburn?

Your generous support helps us to provide vital support, information and services to young people and their families in our community. 

Donate online:
Donate online using the secure platform of GiveNow:
www.givenow.com.au/headspacegoulburn

Donate by direct deposit:
Account Name: Grand Pacific Health
Account number: 606303831
BSB: 082916
Bank: National Australia Bank

Donate by cheque:
Cheques can be made out to Grand Pacific Health and mailed to Attn: Finance, Grand Pacific Health, PO Box 1198, South Coast MC NSW 2521.

Please email info@headspacegoulburn.org.au to advise us of your contact details when making a donation by direct deposit or cheque and include headspace Goulburn as a message/reference with your donation.

If you would like to collaborate on a fundraising endeavor with headspace Goulburn, please contact Goulburn's Community Engagement Officer, Lara. E: ltrevanion@gph.org.au

Thank you for your support!

headspace Goulburn is committed to maintaining your privacy. Please talk to one of our workers if you want more information about how we protect the right to privacy of young people who use our service. 

Privacy Statement 2024

Your Rights and Your Role 2024

Good mental health and wellbeing allows you to live your life in a positive and meaningful way and cope with life’s changes and challenges. Having good mental health is a state of wellbeing where you feel able to work and study, feel connected to others, be involved in activities in your community and ‘bounce back’ when life’s changes and challenges come along.

How can you boost your mental health?

headspace have developed 7 tips to keep good mental health: you can click on each of the strategies to download helpful information and advice. The worksheet link provides a resource for young people to develop a personalized plan.

1. Get in to life. 

The activities you make time for have a big impact on your headspace. When you spend time doing things you enjoy (or used to enjoy), it can give you relief from hard times, and build some fun in your life. Likewise, when you set and achieve small tasks that are important to you (such as completing homework or giving back to your community) it can help to create a sense of accomplishment and meaning. 

In a nutshell, doing ‘stuff’ matters. Yet, if you’re going through a difficult time, doing anything can seem like a lot of effort. And if you’re feeling low you may lose interest in things you once enjoyed.

So, what should you do? The key is to focus on doing – even if you don’t want to or feel like it. As you set and achieve even small tasks you will learn more about yourself, build confidence and improve your wellbeing.

Tip 1 worksheet

2. Learn skills for tough times. 

There’s no doubt about it, life can be hard sometimes. From relationship issues, to work and study stress, to days when we don’t feel great – we all go through stressful and emotional periods.

When that happens our coping strategies kick in – these are things that we’ve learnt over time that help us feel better. Some people naturally use ways of coping that are helpful – like journalling, meditation or speaking with friends. But for some of us, the way we cope can leave us feeling worse in the long term. We may stop doing things we enjoy, use alcohol and other drugs or disconnect from friends and family.

So, where should you start if you want to learn new ways to cope with difficult times? The important first step is to reflect on how you react to stress – taking time to understand what you do and why you do it. This builds your self-awareness. It can help you learn things about yourself that will help you handle tough times in the future. The more you understand yourself, the better you will be at applying more helpful strategies that work for you.

 Tip 2 worksheet

3. Create connections.

Healthy relationships are super important for your mental health. When you spend time with people you care about, who care about you, this can help you feel connected and supported.

Yet, we know relationships aren’t always easy. Starting new relationships can often be scary. And if you’re experiencing mental health difficulties you may feel like disconnecting from people, rather than reaching out.

But here’s the thing – the more you work on your relationships, the stronger they get. Strong relationships can give you support when you need it and provide a sense of belonging and community. When you spend time connecting with and supporting others, your wellbeing improves, too!

Tip 3 worksheet

4. Eat well.

When you think of improving your mental health, you may not think about changing the food you eat, but there is a strong link between what we eat and how we feel!

We know an unhealthy diet can be associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, but now we are seeing a healthy diet (with a variety of fruit, veggies, nuts and whole grains) can actually improve mental health.

This is a pretty new and exciting area of research. In fact, two recent studies investigated whether healthy food could reduce depression symptoms. And the results were clear. People who ate a healthier diet improved their depression symptoms more than people who focused on only social support.

Tip 4 worksheet

5. Stay active.

We get it – when you’re feeling stressed or low you probably feel more like watching TV than being active. Yet it’s often that the moment you need it most is when you least feel like moving your body.

You may know that exercise is good for your physical health, but what you may not know is that it also improves your wellbeing too!

And exercising doesn’t have to be running on the treadmill. It’s really anything that gets your body moving and increases your heart rate. Activities like walking, playing team sports with friends, dancing or swimming will all help you release stress and give you a better chance at improving your mood.

Tip 5 worksheet

6. Get enough sleep.

Quality sleep is like a mental health superpower.

When you get enough sleep it’s easier to manage your emotions, you have more patience and you deal with stressful situations better. Also, you reduce your risk of mental health challenges in the future!

Yet, it’s so common to struggle to sleep. That’s because your sleep can be impacted by many things – from the food you eat to feeling worried or anxious and even using your phone before bed.

So… how much is enough? If you’re aged between 12-17 then 8-10 hours sleep is ideal, while 18-25 year olds should try to get 7-9 hours.

Tip 6 worksheet

7. Cut back on alcohol and other drugs

Alcohol and other drugs can seem like a normal part of life for many young people. We totally get it – it can be fun, lift your mood and boost your confidence.

But the issue is that these substances can also seriously harm your headspace. When the high wears off, the after-effect can leave you feeling worse than before. Anxiety can increase, your mood can drop and any difficulties with family or friends can be harder to manage.

If you’ve been struggling, it’s a good idea to look at whether your alcohol or drug use is playing a part.

In fact, cutting back on alcohol and other drugs can be one of the most important things you can do for your headspace – but it isn’t always easy. If you’re having trouble quitting, or you want some help or advice, you should speak to your doctor or contact us here at headspace.

Tip 7 worksheet.

Additional resources:

7 tips planning poster

7 tips summary poster