How a Team of Students Is Assisting Young People Scared of Seeking Help

"Young people want to talk to other young people."

This post is presented in partnership with Chatime.

This article contains discussion about mental health. If you or someone you know is having a difficult time, visit headspace.org.au to get resources or to access support.

Young people today face a myriad of challenges. Whether it is stress from school, navigating tough family dynamics, or feeling isolated from peers, it is easy to become overwhelmed. When these feelings become too much to handle, mental health professionals can help us develop healthy coping strategies.

But for some young people, all they really want is a friend to talk to; someone their own age to lean on for support, who might be experiencing the same feelings as they are.

Psychology Honours graduate Grace Miller realised this while working as a Peer Support Intern at headspace. As the 23-year-old tells Student Edge, she conducted thorough academic research to see how the organisation could implement a peer support service.

"The research showed that young people want to talk to other young people," Grace explains.

"The beauty of peer support is that it is a real, authentic conversation about mental health, rather than it being through a clinical lens."

Grace highlights that peer support fills the gap between not seeking support and seeking clinical help.

"We talk a lot about the fact that there are people who might not need one on one support, but they still need some sort of support," she adds.

"Peer support is that missing link."

After completing her internship, Grace was hired as the eheadspace’s Peer Support Advisor to continue the project she had helped develop. Launching in mid-September this year, 18 young people will operate as Peer Support Moderators in a group chat on headspace’s new community Spaces platform.

Pictured: Grace Miller (supplied).

Here’s how it works: A user who’s maybe not ready to speak to a clinician can log into eheadspace and jump onto a peer support chat in community Spaces. Peer Support Moderators will moderate the chat from Monday to Thursday between 6pm – 10pm AEST.

Grace believes the diversity of the Peer Support Moderators will enable them to connect with people from a range of different backgrounds.

"The word 'peer' is about having a shared lived experience of mental health. We wanted to capture the age ranges that would access headspace, and all the different identities in Australia." Grace tells us.

Considering more than 75 per cent of mental health issues develop before a person turns 25, Grace hopes that the Peer Support Moderators can lead the way in terms of young people supporting one another.

"We’ve got such an opportunity to change the way that future generations will view mental health. It’s also an exciting time for psychology [right now] because we are making great discoveries. We can contribute to a better future for other people," she says.

Although Grace reminds us that conversations have been started, she highlights the importance of encouraging people to share their own experiences.

"The bottom line is, we need to start normalising talking about mental health. We are already talking about it; you see it in memes online," she says

"It might not be in the most constructive way, but it should be acknowledged that we are starting to talk about it.

"We’ve got a long way to go in terms of research but being brave and telling your story in a safe way is the best way to normalise mental health."

If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or visit headspace to find your nearest centre or to get support online.

Chatime is a proud supporter of headspace. Remember, Student Edge members get 2 for $9 regular fruity/milky iced teas at Chatime.

Header Image: iStock.com/martin-dm