young people who visit headspace report feeling listened to and hopeful for future

Young people seeking support at headspace report positive help-seeking experiences, according to a new study.

The Young People’s Experience at headspace Survey study looked at the experiences of 53,000 young people coming to headspace to understand whether they felt listened to and understood, involved in guiding their treatment and more hopeful for the future.

The study found that young people attending headspace:

• Reported an overall positive service experience (an average score of 7.6 out of 10)
• Felt listened to and understood (8.4 out of 10)
• Were willing to be there, rather than feeling forced to attend (7.9 out of 10)
• Spent time working on things important to them (7.6 out of 10)
• Felt an increased sense of hopefulness for the future (7.3 out of 10)

The study found these positive experiences were shared by young people across Australia,  regardless of their cultural and linguistic background, gender identity or where they lived.

headspace CEO Jason Trethowan said this is further proof of the great work being done by headspace services in communities.

“We know young people trust headspace as a safe and youth-friendly place to seek support for their mental health,” Mr Trethowan said.

“I would like to thank the staff at all 150 headspace locations for the work they do to welcome and support young people in tough times.

“With almost 40 per cent of young people experiencing a mental health condition, we know demand for youth mental health services continues to grow, and we are always looking at ways we can grow our services to meet that demand.

“I am hopeful that we will be able to provide more and more young Australians the support they need to live happy, healthy lives - when and where they need it most.”

Young people, as well as their families and friends, who need extra support can visit a headspace centre, or reach out to phone and online counselling service eheadspace.

Read the full report.