headspace
Port Macquarie

We are passionate about helping young people get the right help in a friendly, supportive and non judgmental way

We are

• David - Centre Manager
• Stacey - Youth Mental Health Clinician
• Dimity - Youth Mental Health Coach 
• John - Youth Mental Health Coach
• Kate - Intake & Assessment Officer
• Jules - Community Engagement Coordinator
• Sandy - Community Engagement Worker
• Tanya - Front Office & Admin/Site Liaison
• Julie P - Front Office & Admin
• Jen - Front Office & Admin
• Amanda - Practice Nurse
• Sophie - Youth Mental Health Clinician
• Julie G - Telehealth Clinician
• Linda - Clinical Educator
• Susan - MH Clinician 
• Jake - Consortium Chair 
• Hiring - Clinical Lead 
• Hiring - Clinical Educator

Our Allied Health Professionals 

• Kaitlin -  Psychologist (THURSDAYS) 
• Justine Barnett - Clinical Psychologist (WEDNESDAYS)
• James Guinan - Psychologist (DAYS VARY)
• Dr Daniel Pellen - Psychiatrist (DAYS VARY)
• Dr Ben Williams - GP (TUESDAYS) 
• Sarah Quinn - Dietician (MONDAY PM & FRIDAY AM)
• Kerrie - MH Social Worker (THURSDAYS)

Other Youth Services

• Amy - Port Macquarie Reconnect Youth Worker (MONDAY-WEDNESDAY)
• Roger - Kempsey Reconnect Youth Worker (MONDAY-THURSDAY)

There are a range of ways you can access headspace Port Macquarie

If you are a young person, friend, parent or carer and wish to make a FREE appointment 

• you can call us on 6588 7300
• email us at headspacepm@each.com.au
• pop into our centre at Suites 4-5, 10-12 Short St, Port Macquarie
• or send us a fax at  6588 7399

For GP's, Specialists and other Organisations you can refer a young person by the above methods using this referral form

Please note:   If you're under 16 years of age you will need signed parental or guardian consent before attending.

If you have any questions or inquiries about what we do at headspace Port Macquarie don't hesitate to give us a call.

What is Brief BEeT?

Binge eating can get in the way of all aspects of life. Thinking about food and our bodies can take up 
a lot of time and make us feel worried about things that used to make us happy. 

Brief BEeT (Binge Eating eTherapy) is a free and confidential online program for young people aged 
16 – 25 who are living with binge eating. Researchers and people with their own lived experience of 
eating difficulties have contributed to this program, which is offered in partnership with InsideOut 
Institute for Eating Disorders.

Brief BEeT can help you regain your life and get back into the things you enjoy. You will learn new
tools, skills and support along the way.

Brief BEeT (Self help online) can be done by yourself, or as Guided Brief BEeT (In Person) with the 
support of a trained clinician at headspace Port Macquarie. Learn more about Brief BEeT.

What will I be doing in Guided Brief BEeT (In person)?

Guided Brief BEeT involves completing Brief BEeT modules online and attending weekly sessions 
with a mental health clinician at headspace Port Macquarie. This program runs for approximately four 
weeks and involves:

• Completing weekly online eTherapy 1-hour modules.
• Self-monitoring and goal setting through a Digital Toolbox.
• Weekly in-person 30-minute sessions with one of our mental health clinicians. 

During your sessions, your headspace clinician is there to answer questions, discuss challenges, and 
work with you to set goals for the next week. They will also review your questionnaires and Digital 
Toolbox entries to monitor how you are going implementing the new skills you have learnt.

Due to the risk of physical health complications, it’s important to see a GP regularly. Let your 
headspace clinician know if you don’t have a regular GP, or if you feel uncomfortable talking to your 
current GP about what’s going on.

How do I get started with Guided Brief BEeT (In Person)? 

To register for Guided Brief BEeT, get in touch and we will guide you through the process.

Overview

headspace Port Macquarie is a free and confidential service that helps young people aged 12-25 with health & wellbeing services.

We aim to provide holistic support to young people, family and friends.  As part of this, we support the community through a range of educational and community engagement activities to promote positive mental health and healthy coping strategies.

For all community engagement requests (e.g. school presentations, local service/organisation presentations,event attendance) please complete the Community Engagement Request Form:

 Community Engagement Request Form  

Once a request has been received, we will make contact to get more information about the engagement activities.

Presentations and Workshops

Requests must be submitted at least four weeks before the desired presentation date. Due to high demand we may not be able to attend every request. If we are unable to deliver a workshop or presentation, we will endeavour to provide options for alternative support (e.g. distributing headspace resources).

Presentations

We have three core workshops available for delivery. Please see table below for more details. If you have specific topics you would like us to cover, please let us know and we will try to accommodate.

• General Mental Health & Service Introduction 
• Keeping a Healthy Headspace 
• Stress & Self-Care

Each presentation is a stand alone session. Lower participant numbers generally achieve higher levels of engagement and will be prioritised. If your booking is for a group larger than 100 young people, we may need extra time to prepare.

Please let us know if there are any specific issues or topics that may be sensitive to your young people so we can ensure our content is both appropriate and engaging

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Workshops on offer through MHEP

Year 7-12:

• Let’s talk about it: mental health
• Looking out for your friends: Notice, Ask, Connect
• Standing strong: bullying and mental health
• Self-care: looking after your mental health
• Naming and understanding our emotions

Year 6-7:
• Transitions: Primary to Secondary

Year 10-12:
• Transitions: Leaving school

Parent/Carer workshop:
• Supporting young people: Notice, Inquire, Provide

MHEP Education in schools flyer

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For all other enquiries including media requests contact the Community Engagement Team via headspaceCE@each.com.au 

Are you looking for headspace resources to distribute to young people and their family and friends?

Complete our Resource Request Form and we will contact you to confirm your request. 

Due to high demand for resources, we may not be able to supply the desired number of resources. Please allow up to 5 business days for us to confirm your request.

If you have any questions feel free to give us a call on 02 6588 7300 or email headspaceCE@each.com.au 

You can view and print headspace's current mental health facts sheets here: headspace.org.au/factsheets

     1.   Who are we?

headspace is a youth mental health foundation that provides early intervention mental health services to 12- 25 year olds, along with assistance in promoting young people’s wellbeing over 4 core areas: mental health, physical health, work and study support and alcohol and other drug services. headspace is a safe, youth friendly and confidential service, and we aim to help give people the skills to manage their symptoms so that they can live a happy and healthy life.

 2.   What can headspace Port Macquarie help me with?

headspace Port Macquarie has a number of professionals here to help support you in the best way possible. Young people can come to headspace and see mental health coaches, mental health clinicians, social workers, psychologists, a doctor or psychiatrist. We can support you in a number of ways and for all sorts of problems including (but not limited to) if:

• You are having trouble at home
• You are feeling down or upset
• You are feeling anxious or worried
• You are feeling nervous all the time
• You are having trouble managing your anger
• You are questioning your gender or sexuality
• You are having trouble with friends and/or relationships
• You are being bullied at school or online
• You are looking for employment
• You are having trouble with your medication

 3.   How much does headspace cost?

headspace Port Macquarie is a FREE service. If we don’t have a service available at our centre, we will help you look for other free services or services that are low cost.  If you want to access a GP, Psychiatrist or Psychologist these services are covered by Medicare and we only require you to bring your Medicare Card to the first appointment.  All our other services are available without a Medicare Card.   For more info about Medicare Card eligibility, how to enrol or manage your Medicare Card please click here.

 4.    Do I need to make an appointment?

Yes, you do need to make an appointment.  You can drop in or call us to make an appointment on 6588 7300. Other people can also make an appointment for you on your behalf if you are not comfortable to do so yourself. Some of these people can be a family member, friend, GP or school counsellor. Our opening hours are as follows:

• Monday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
• Tuesday: 8:30am - 6:00pm
• Wednesday: 8:30am - 6:00pm
• Thursday: 8:30am - 6:00pm
• Friday: 9:00am - 2:00pm

If you are not ready to come into our centre for an appointment, our free and confidential online support may be of benefit to you.  eheadspace is a free online service for young people where you can talk to a trained professional on anything that is going on for you. This is a really great first step to accessing support if you are not ready to see a counsellor in our centre. eheadspace offers free web chat, email or phone conversations to young people and their family between 9am - 1am.

 5.   What do I do if I need help in an emergency?

At headspace Port Macquarie, we understand that things can happen for young people that may be distressing. This could include thoughts of wanting to hurt yourself, or thoughts of suicide. If this is going on for you - attend the nearest emergency department which is located at:

• Port Macquarie Base Hospital - Wrights Rd, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
• or for 24 hour mental health crisis support call the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 or Lifeline on 13 11 14

6.   Your confidentiality.

When you talk to someone at headspace, what you say is kept confidential. This means that nothing you say can be passed on to anyone else without your permission. We also won’t tell your parents or carers any information about you accessing our service unless you want us to. However there are a couple of exceptions. If we are seriously worried about your safety or the safety of others, we - by law- try to keep everyone safe. This means that we might have to share these concerns with someone else and break this confidentiality to help keep you or others safe.

 7.   Do I need a referral to come to headspace?

You don’t need a referral to see one of our intake workers. The intake worker will speak to you regarding the services we can offer based on what you need. A mental health treatment plan may need to be created so you can access our ongoing counselling services.

 8.   What is a mental health care plan (MHCP)?

A mental health care plan provides the community with up to 10 counselling services under the “Better Access Mental Health” initiative. A MHCP is developed between yourself and your doctor. Our intake worker will give you step- by- step instructions on how to get one. If you don’t have a doctor, our intake worker will speak to you regarding other options. 

9.   What happens in my first appointment with an intake worker?

When you first visit out centre, you will have a chat with an intake worker about what is happening in your life. The intake worker will ask you some questions about what has been going on and will try to work out a plan that will best support your needs moving forward. We encourage you to also be a part of the planning process so that you feel comfortable with the decisions being made for your care. 

 10.    Is headspace a LGBTQIA friendly place?

Absolutely! We support many young people with various gender identities and sexual preferences. Everyone is welcome at headspace regardless of gender, race or sexuality. We even have LGBTQIA Social groups!

 11.    If I’m not connecting with my counsellor is it okay if I see someone else?

Absolutely. If you are finding that you are not connecting with your worker you are more than welcome to see someone else at our centre. You can do this by either asking your worker or reception staff to link you with someone else. Don’t be afraid to ask!! Our most important priority is that you are seeing someone you feel comfortable with and who will be the best person to help support you through your journey.

 12.    Why do I need to fill in a questionnaire (hapi survey) when I come to headspace?

Each survey you fill out goes to the worker you are seeing so that they have an idea of how you have been feeling before seeing you in session. Filling out the survey also helps us with our funding so that we can keep providing a free service to the community that supports young people.

 13.    I cannot make it to my appointment or I do not want to come to my appointment.

That’s okay!  We would love it if you could call us on 6588 7300 and let us know in advance! If you are seeing a psychologist we require at least 24hrs notice so that we can advise them of their change in schedule. We can also help you rebook your appointment at the same time.

 14..    Can I bring a friend with me to my appointment?

If you feel more comfortable with a friend, parent or carer in the room, this is okay! Whatever makes you feel comfortable is what we will support.

15.     I have an NDIS package can I use it to see Mental Health Clinicians at Headspace?

Unfortunately, we can not take on young people who have an NDIS package for mental health.  As we are a mild-moderate service those with more complex needs are referred to alternative, more suitable services.  Not sure where to go?  We can help point you in the right direction. Just give us a call 6588 7300.

16.     I've been referred to see a Psychiatrist, can I access one at headspace ? 

Due to high demand, our in-house psychiatrist is only available to those that are already engaged with headspace services.  There are limited appointments and they are unavailable to do diagnostic testing for ADHD/Autism. 

17.     If I have feedback who do I speak to?

We always love getting feedback from our clients, parents or carers. Both the good and the bad as this is what helps to make our service the best that it can be for young people. We have feedback forms on the table in our waiting room. This can be completed and put in our confidential box at reception. You are also welcome to ask our reception staff for a feedback form if there is none available to you. 

You can do so anonymously via an online survey here