Chat to a clinician
Find a centre
Emergency assistance
Donate now
online and phone support for parents
Did you know? Eight in ten family members are concerned about their young person's mental health. headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation is funded by the Australian Government to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 12-25. Every year, thousands of parents and carers like you access support through our nationally accredited online and phone services for family.
Join a weekly text-based group chat
Prefer to chat with other parents and carers? It can be helpful to share experiences, challenges and tips when supporting a young person's mental health. Each week, connect with others anonymously through an online, moderated text-based group chat. You can also join our special themed chats on the first Wednesday of each month.
Join Adults Supporting Young People chats on Wednesdays, any time between 6:30pm - 9:45pm AEST (you don't need to stay for the full chat).
Upcoming chats
Regular Wednesday chats, 6:30pm - 9:45pm AEST
Chat about anything that has come up for you that week regarding your young person's mental health. Past topics have included school refusal, body image, gender identity and more. Note that regular chats don't run when a themed chat is scheduled on the first Wednesday of each month (below).
Wednesday 5 March 2025, 6:30pm - 9:45pm AEST
School Refusal - Navigating the challenges and supporting your young person
For some young people, the idea of going to school can cause high levels of distress and result in a reluctance to go to school. The adults caring for these young people can also be left feeling stressed, worried and anxious. Share ideas around how to navigate the impact of school refusal on your young person and other members of the family.
Wednesday 2 April 2025, 6:30pm - 9:45pm AEST
Communication and staying connected with your young person
Connecting with your young person is not always easy, but there are things you can do to build and maintain a good relationship with them. Discuss your experiences and challenges, including ways to show encouragement, choosing the right place for important conversations and more.
Wednesday 7 May 2025, 6:30pm - 9:45pm AEST
The importance of self-care for you and your young person
Supporting a young person experiencing mental health or wellbeing difficulties can be deeply rewarding, but it can also be challenging and have an impact on your own wellbeing. It’s important to encourage our young people to practice self-care. It's also important to look after your own mental health and wellbeing, so you can continue to effectively support them. Discuss your experiences, ideas and challenges with other parents.
Chat with a family clinician
Prefer to speak with an expert? Talk on the phone or through webchat with a trained clinician for individual support. eheadspace is available 9am – 1am AEST, seven days a week as a confidential, free and safe space to talk.
eheadspace clinicians can help by:
- Listening
- Talking with you about what’s going on for your young person
- Discussing different approaches you can try
- Tailoring the conversation to your particular needs and situation
- Sharing information about other relevant support services in Australia.
Some parents and carers feel apprehensive about getting help. Our family clinicians are experienced in supporting families, carers and other adult supporters who come from many different situations and backgrounds.
Complete parenting e-learning modules
Prefer self-paced learning? Sign up for Partners in Parenting, a free program to build your skills and confidence in supporting a high school-aged young person’s mental health and wellbeing. The program covers common parenting challenges, like communication, managing strong emotions, boundaries, conflicts and more.
Features:
- 10 interactive online modules to do at your own pace, each only 15 - 25 minutes
- Receive tailored feedback based on your reflections
- Developed by Monash University
Build your mental health toolkit
Prefer to save helpful resources for later? Build a free personalised mental health toolkit within the headspace account. Include resources, information and interactive activities that you can return to when you or a young person in your life is going through a tough time.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. headspace is committed to protecting your privacy. When you talk to someone at headspace, nothing said or written can be passed on to anyone outside the headspace team without your permission.
There are a few exceptions, such as if we are concerned about your safety or the safety of someone else. In these instances, the headspace worker will try to talk to you first about what needs to happen and what additional supports you may need to help you be safe.
Phone support
Calling 1800 650 890 is the fastest way to connect with an eheadspace family clinician. Available 9am-1am AEST every day.
Online support
To access online group chats, eheadspace webchat or email, Partners into Parenting or to build a mental health toolkit, you will need to sign up or log in to your headspace account.
Here's how:
- Sign up or log in to your headspace account - it's completely free!
- Visit My headspace to find the services you can access. Tip: Make sure you nominate yourself as an 'Adult supporting a young person' (or update your account preferences) so that you can see the services for family.
- Click or tap on your chosen service and complete the prompts.
If you are having trouble accessing any of the functions on the website, please submit a technical issue form.
In-person support
With locations in over 160 communities across Australia, find your closest headspace centre to access support for you and your young person.
Young people can reach out to headspace directly for help with their mental health, physical health, work or study stress. They can access in-person support at their closest headspace centre or through online or phone support.
headspace was assessed by an independent accrediting agency on as meeting all applicable actions in the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards. Read more about the Standards.
