Help is At Hand

SUPPORT services for trauma, grief and mental illness in the Upper Hunter area have been described as very busy prompting local experts to organise an information session.

Caroline Hayes, rural support worker for the department of primary industries said people in the community are requesting practical advice on how to access support services they need.

“There are many things going on in our community, there was the awful equestrian accident at Gundy and a lot of people have been quite traumatised by that and also here was another horrible equestrian accident in Merriwa at the end of last year and there seems to be so much going on with suicide after suicide and there was an increasing need for support in our community,” said Ms Hayes.

“People are telling us they want practical information such as how to have the conversation with someone you are worried about, what might you say if you are concerned someone might be at risk of suicide, what are some things you can do to look after yourself, where would you go to get support, where is that help available, what would you do?

“We had run an event in Murrurundi with a guest speaker from Beyond Blue which was well attended by more than 60 people and they said it was interesting to hear someone else’s story but it didn’t really give them any tools or where to go so they felt there needed to able a follow up which would be answering some questions that people have and some resources to help that,” Caroline Hayes said.

The information session to be held in Scone on Thursday, April 9 will bring together a range of resources, local experts, short presentations and the opportunity for individuals to ask their specific questions about services they are trying to access.

Ms Hayes said the free session was designed to help everyone in the community increase their skills and knowledge for managing trauma, grief and mental illness.

“There are few people who are not touched themselves or someone close to them and we all need to know how to access the resources we need,” said Ms Hayes.

“It is a normal part of life, we all have mental health and sometimes it is better than others,” Caroline Hayes said.

If you need urgent support for depression or crisis support please phone LifeLine: 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

Information session details:

• When: 6:30pm, Thursday, April 7, 2016.
• Where: Scone Council Chambers, 135 Liverpool Street.
• Contact: Caroline Hayes, hayes@dpi.nsw.gov.au, T: 0407 971 675