Our centre is located at 606 High Street, Penrith. We are found on the ground floor of the building adjacent to Centrelink, directly opposite the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. If you are having trouble locating the centre feel free to call 1800 683 784, and we will guide you to our building. We endeavour to be flexible with access times and after-hours appointments, so if this sounds like something that would suit you, please give us a call, and we can have a chat. Our centre is wheelchair accessible via a ramp at our High Street entrance.

Parking can be found on the corner of Worth Street and Union Road (behind the 7-11). Otherwise, street parking is available further down Worth Street. Westfield Penrith also offers up to two hours of free parking.  

headspace Penrith has a ‘no wrong door policy’, which means no young person is turned away without connection to appropriate internal or external services. If you feel you need additional support whilst connecting with an external service or following our recommendations, please let us know.

Please also note that the toilet within our centre is gender neutral. 

We do our best to support you on your journey, be it with headspace or onward with an appropriate external referral; however, we always welcome feedback on how we can do better - please see the feedback section below for info on how to do this.

Our Center:

Download the Welcome Pack for Young People, our Family and Friends Welcome Pack and/or the headspace National Welcome Pack.

The front of our centre

The front of our building

Mental Health Services: 
Mental health workers, which can include psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and mental health nurses (to name a few), are available to talk if you are not feeling like yourself. The mental health workers will spend some time getting to know and understand your story and your goals before working with you (and your friends/family) to find the right way to get you back on track!

Drug and Alcohol Services: 
At headspace Penrith, we have partnered with the Nepean Youth Drug and Alcohol Service to deliver drug and alcohol services, which means that we will have someone on-site one day a week to be able to support you with any alcohol or drug issue or questions, no matter how small they might be!

headspace Early Psychosis: 
At headspace Penrith, we have the headspace Early Psychosis team right on site who can provide a thorough assessment and treatment for up to 5 years for young people and their families who may be affected by psychosis. headspace Early Psychosis is a multidisciplinary program that is made up of 3 different teams - the Mobile Assessment and Treatment Team, the Functional Recovery Team and the Continuing Care Team. If you are a service provider and want to know more about this program - head here. 

Youth Programs:
We run a number of groups and programs throughout the year for any young people accessing headspace services to take part in. Please give us a call to find out what is happening right now!

GP: 
GPs (General Practitioners) can help with any physical health issues as well as issues related to sexual health, drug or alcohol use, relationship problems or feeling down or upset. At headspace Penrith, we can help you link in with a youth-friendly GP conveniently located close to headspace Penrith or another location that might suit you better. 

Work and Study Support: 
At headspace Penrith, we have a dedicated work and study worker on site one day a week who can assist you with your work and study opportunities. There are also a number of options that we can talk about to see what fits you best, such as headspace Work and Study!

The aim of the service is to assist young people and their families/carers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds access health services by providing professional and confidential interpreting services. This service assists in facilitating communication between CALD young people and their families and carers and health care providers like headspace.

Services are available in over 120 languages, including AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language).

To access interpreter services in your language when seeking support from headspace, please speak to our headspace team who will be able to arrange a time to meet with an interpreter either in person, videoconferencing or over the phone. 

The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is what we call our Youth Reference Group (YRG) at our headspace site.

The YAC ensure that our headspace services are kept up to date and youth friendly! They also have two ongoing subcommittees- one of them being the "FAB (For All Bodies) Committee", which is an LGBTQIA+ specific subcommittee.

We recruit new YAC members periodically to help with events, activities and to have input into how headspace works with the community - if you'd like to know more about this, you can email: headspacemtdruitt@uniting.org.   

This program uses the internationally recognised Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, we provide individualized in-person, one-on-one self paced support for your vocational goals. Penrith IPS knows what's happening locally, they can help you with study options and finding a job in your area. Our specialists will collaborate with your mental health worker to ensure all the support you receive helps you achieve your goals.

IPS can help you with:

• Looking for and applying for jobs
• Writing a resume and cover letter
• Preparing for a job interview
• Exploring your study options
• Enrolling in study
• Navigating community support services such as the Centrelink system
• Understanding your workplace rights
• Transitioning into a new job or course and providing ongoing support 
• Balancing your mental health and wellbeing with your job or course
• IPS will also work with your employer to ensure you are well supported at work

The support we provide doesn't end when you achieve your goals, we continue to support you for as long as you need.

Talk to your mental health worker about the IPS program today to see if it's the right program for you.

We now have outreach available in the Hawkesbury region with fortnightly services call us today for more information. Our Community Development team are available for community and in-school events and information sessions.

Windsor weekly sessions available on Fridays.

 If you are a service provider and you wish to refer a young person to headspace, simply download the Referral Form and return it via email to: headspacepenrith@uniting.org. If you are unsure whether the young person meets referral criteria for the headspace Early Psychosis program, please click here for our referral checklist.

Please ensure that the young person whom you refer is willing to engage with headspace and is able to attend appointments.

We recommend that you follow up the emailed referral with a phone call, just to make sure we've received it.

Our intake phone number is: 1800 478 626

Is headspace Penrith open? 

Answer: We remain open if you need to walk in to our centre between 9.00AM - 5.00PM Monday to Friday. In addition, we are continuing to operate our services via telehealth (phone and online).  

Can I have a face-to-face appointment?

Answer: Yes, and you can also choose to attend your appointment online.

How long will a first intake session take and how soon will I be able to have a face-to-face or phone intake session? 

Answer: Both face-to-face and phone intake sessions take roughly 30 minutes to complete. A face-to-face or telephone intake can be completed when you contact the headspace service. If our intake team isn't available to take your call they will call back between two to five business days. If you have not heard from us in a week, give us a call.

Can I bring my parent/carer/support person to a face-to-face intake session? 

Answer: Yes, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, where possible, we request that this be limited to one person.

Can a parent/carer bring a younger child with their older child who is completing a face-to-face intake session? 

Answer: Yes. We appreciate all efforts to reduce the number of people on-site and understand if you need to bring someone who is under your care and cannot be left with someone else. We ask that parents/carers make sure that younger children are supervised at all times.

Do I need to book for my intake session? 

Answer: No. An intake can be completed Monday-Friday during operating hours. 

Do I need to wear a mask? 

Answer: We ask that you consider wearing a mask for on-site appointments. We ask that you follow all public health precautions such as staying home if you are sick (you can call us instead!), maintaining physical distancing and using hand sanitiser. We encourage everyone to wear a mask, if you have any concerns, please speak to the team. There are masks available on-site if you'd like to use one of those.

Do I need to be vaccinated to have a face-to-face appointment?

Answer: No, we do not require that you are vaccinated to attend appointments face to face. If you are vaccinated and would like us to know, you can speak to your clinician, and they can add it to your file if you'd like them to.

What should I do if I test positive and have attended a face-to-face appointment within the last week?

Answer: We would ask that you let your clinician know as soon as possible. Please note you will still be able to access services while unwell via Telehealth/phone.

What are headspace staff doing to ensure the safety of young people attending face-to-face?

Answer: All Uniting staff have been vaccinated for Covid-19 other than those with medical exemptions. Staff check their temperature every day they are on-site and will not attend work face-to-face when showing symptoms. When unable to maintain a 1.5m distance, staff will wear a mask. All staff regularly wash their hands and/or use hand sanitiser.

If you still have any questions or are unsure if a pre-organised appointment with your headspace worker is going ahead face-to-face or online - please give us a call. 

Your feedback is valuable to us - it lets us know what we are doing well and how we can improve our service.

If you are a young person accessing our service – we really appreciate your feedback. From how our service looks and your experience in the waiting room to how you found your sessions and our team – we welcome anything you’d like to tell us. Any feedback won’t have an impact on the service you are currently being given. You can provide that feedback here - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/qr_code/UR_YES_hPCPenrith

Supporting a family member or friend? Please tell us what you think about headspace and the service you have received. Your feedback will help us improve the service for others. Find the survey here: Complete the survey 

Uniting NSW.ACT provides care and support for people through all ages and stages of life, with a focus on people experiencing vulnerability and exclusion. As one of the largest not-for-profit (NFP) organisations in Australia we offer services across NSW and the ACT in the areas of aged care, retirement and independent living, early learning, disability, community, and mental health services. With our values: Compassionate, Respectful, Bold, and Imaginative we work to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice.

Use digital platforms and apps to help you manage your mental health in our specialised e-Mental Health Clinic at headspace Penrith. Work one to one with an eClinic Clinician to learn about the benefits of e-Mental Health services and complete online treatment courses.

How are e-Mental Health resources helpful?

• Empower you to take care of your own mental health
• Help you to understand what you are experiencing
• Learn new strategies and coping techniques
• Identify and talk about feelings.
• Track your moods and feelings
• Go at your own pace
• Can be done in preparation for face-to-face support

The pilot e-Mental Health clinic offers a space at headspace Penrith for you to work closely with a mental health worker to guide you through e-Mental Health apps and digital tools.

Need more information on the benefits of e-Mental Health services? Click Here

Have more questions? Check out our FAQS

If you’d like to discuss further whether e-Mental Health might be right for you, contact headspace Penrith on 1800 478 626 or drop us an email: headspacepenrith@uniting.org

An initiative of the headspace Penrith Youth Advisory Committee.

For more virtual tours and mental health related videos visit the headspace youtube page or our facebook page. 

The Community Development Team are available to assist with a range of community activities and events.

• Mental health events: The Community Development Team can participate in community events and engage in health and service promotion. We can provide a pop-up stall to distribute a range of information about what mental health is, how to increase positive mental health, and how to link into our services whilst also including some engaging activities for the community. 

headspace  Penrith is cost free. Some of our services may require you to have a Medicare card, however our primary care services do not.

Young people 15+ years old can get their own Medicare card by visiting a Medicare office or by calling Medicare on 13 20 11.

The below fact sheet and road map explain why young people may need their own Medicare card, and which option and pathway to take for getting their own Medicare card that will suit their needs under difference circumstances.

NSW Government Fact sheet (PDF)

A key part of headspace Penrith is our consortium support. These partnerships broaden young people’s access to arrange of services.

Our valued consortium partners are as follows:

• Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health Dristrict (NBMLHD) Drug and Alcohol Service 
• Ability Options
• NBMLHD Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS)
• Penrith City Council
• TAFE WSi 
• Western Sydney University