The new centre is being managed by Anglicare NT, who have successfully operated headspace Darwin for the past twelve years.

“headspace Katherine is a welcoming and accessible place where young people will get the mental health support they need,” said Anglicare NT CEO Dave Pugh.

The establishment of the new headspace centre has been a collaborative process and is warmly welcomed by the Katherine community. Young people, families, Elders and local organisations, including local Aboriginal community controlled health organisations, have all provided input on the fit out and design of services to be offered.

headspace Katherine is centrally located at the Randazzo Centre on Katherine Terrace. The service also includes a mobile outreach clinic that will visit the Aboriginal communities of Binjari, Beswick, Jilkminggan and Pine Creek/Kybrook Farm.

“The mobile clinic will provide regular visiting clinical services for young people and community education sessions about youth mental health for young people, their families and community members,” said Mr Pugh.

“We look forward to working with the dedicated services already on the ground in Katherine and surrounding communities.”

Jason Trethowan, headspace CEO, said all young people should have access to youth friendly mental health services, regardless of their location.

“headspace research shows that nearly one in three (32 percent) young Australians are reporting high or very high levels of psychological distress but we know that young people are resilient and with the right support and tools they can respond to life’s challenges in a healthy and positive way.”

The headspace model is based on early intervention with the knowledge that adolescence and early adulthood is a critical time in a person's life. In 2018/2019 alone, almost 100,000 young people accessed headspace centres, with half a million services provided.

“headspace Katherine will play an integral role supporting young people in the area going through a tough time, helping them to get back on track,” said Mr Trethowan.

headspace Katherine is supported by funding from the Northern Territory Primary Health Network (PHN) and the Northern Territory Government. Anglicare NT acknowledges financial and other support from Northern Territory PHN and the Primary Health Networks Programme – an Australian Government Initiative.

Nicki Herriot, Northern Territory PHN CEO, said the new centre would address the needs of the Katherine region, which has more than 4,700 young people, roughly 23 percent of the local population.

“We’re delighted to have collaborated with headspace and Anglicare NT to provide this vital support centre for the local Katherine communities,” said Ms Herriot.

“We also welcome the engagement of Aboriginal community controlled health organisations in the process, and collaborating with local Aboriginal Elders to get the right solution for the large percentage of young Aboriginal people in the Katherine community.”