headspace ACT is now open at the University of Canberra. For further details visit the headspace ACT website.

The Centre for Applied Psychology at the University of Canberra has been awarded $945,000 to set up a youth mental health service headspace in the ACT.  The grant to headspace ACT was one of 20 headspace grants totalling nearly $20 million, announced by the Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon.

Mental health is the number one health issue affecting young Australians today, headspace National CEO Chris Tanti said. One in four young people aged 12 to 25 will experience a mental health problem in any 12-month period and mental health issues are in the top three areas of concern as identified by young people themselves (Mission Australia Youth Survey 2007). 

The Head of Psychology at the University of Canberra, Professor Debra Rickwood, welcomed the commitment of Australian Government funding to establish headspace ACT. Professor Rickwood agreed that youth mental health was an area of significant need in the ACT. headspace ACT would provide a one-stop service where GPs, parents, schools, and other service providers could refer young people, knowing they would receive best-practice mental health care in a youth-friendly environment.

The new service would be set up adjacent to the University of Canberras Health Sciences Clinic. Local partners in headspace ACT include Mental Health ACT, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation of the ACT (ADFACT), ACT Division of General Practice, Ted Noffs Foundation, and the Youth Coalition of the ACT.

Locating headspace ACT at the University yields a number of unique benefits:

• It provides a completely non-stigmatised location to attend for mental health services as it is based at a University which is full of young people coming and going, and co-located with the general health and wellbeing clinic.
• headspace ACT clinicians will benefit by adjunct status at the University and access to its facilities.
• Students in the clinical psychology courses would benefit by receiving training in best practice in youth mental health.
• Research and teaching opportunities will benefit staff, students, and also clients who will receive the most current evidence-based treatments.

The new headspace service promises to be a breakthrough for young people and their families in the ACT who find themselves dealing with depression, anxiety, substance use, or other mental health problems. The University of Canberra - and the Centre for Applied Psychology in particular - are very pleased to be involved in this world-first initiative, Professor Rickwood said.

With its focus on providing low cost services to young people for mental health issues now in 30 different locations across Australia, headspace is a world-first model where the community benefits. headspace CEO, Mr Chris Tanti contends that early, effective intervention, targeting young people aged 1225 years is a National priority and headspace is helping to make this happen.