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A passionate group of professionals has come together to deliver ‘Better Recovery Pathways’ for young adults (aged 18-27 years) with challenging mental illness, using a community-focused model of psycho-social recovery support involving intensely delivered wrap-around support services. Delivered under the care of dedicated Mental Health Coaches, our programs comprise conveniently co-located services and proven holistic therapies and activities. The MindFx Centre is rich with supportive volunteer mentors, encouraging clients to build connections with existing social enterprises and take an active role in designing their own recovery plan.
Real Life Scenario: I am 19 years old and I am at my lowest point, mentally. I am alone, scared, confused … something is about to give. I ask myself questions like; “How come everyone around me seems ok? Will I ever feel ok again? The future feels terrifying. I need help where people understand me, where do I go? Why can’t I do anything right?” I can’t see my way out. No one is listening to me. I can’t live like this. Help Me Please!
Mental illness usually strikes in adolescence or early adulthood and is very common. Fourteen percent (14%) of Australian children aged 12-17 years have a mental disorder, whereas approximately 25% of young adult Australians (aged 18-27 years) have a diagnosis of mental illness with the incidence being higher in females (30%) compared with males (23%) - sources Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Every day across our community, a young person and their loved ones face the challenges of mental illness. What often ensues is a very long and seemingly never-ending cycle of medication changes, medical appointments, different medical opinions, foreign terminology, expense without progress, and clinical labels. Although orchestrated with the best of intent, in mind, by exceptional clinicians and specialists at world class facilities, the young adult patient consistently reports feelings of hopelessness, frustration, despair, and disconnection. All too often, the person feels a distinct lack of control over their state of being, and this combined with lack of purpose during such a difficult time leads to a loss of identity and self-worth, making it harder to maintain relationships both within the peer group and wider social networks. We as a community need to unite to fight this predicament on behalf of all young adults. Together we can make a difference to the lives of so many!
While there are specialised hospitals in Australia that deal with the acute presentation of mental illness, maintaining wellness after hospital discharge is very challenging. Good support and close management from a multidisciplinary team is one of the keys to a successful recovery within the community. Sadly, the support and management of young adult clients in the community following hospital discharge is a tragedy. Following an acute mental health episode, clients are released into the care of their families or the wider community with limited personal recovery support. Both clients and their families/carers have to find their own way through the maze of unnavigable options.
The system is fragmented and poorly coordinated. There is no formal supported transition back into the peer group in relation to work, study, family, and friendships. It’s inefficient and ineffective. And so, begins the painful cycle between hospital and home, back to hospital, back to home, many times over. The outcome is to effectively stall the recovery process and each time makes it that much harder to become involved in the community. This broken model is very costly in terms of hospital admissions, lost productivity, and in the worst cases lost lives. For those on this painful cycle, there is significant and long-term (often several years) social and financial impacts.
The people, the provider and partner organisations, behind MindFx are a highly committed, passionate, and professional group of individuals, practitioners, and organisations, who have come together to provide Better Recovery Pathways for our young adults with challenging mental illness.
MindFx’s mission is to significantly shorten (and to eventually break) the current hospital-home-hospital-home cycle of despair and to empower young adults with a lived experience of mental illness to live full and productive lives in the community.
Based on decades of practical first-hand experience in caring for the mental health of young people, MindFx advocates a Community Model of Recovery, where intensely-delivered wrap-around support is provided in a welcoming suburban leafy green setting. At a MindFx centre, clients, along with MindFx staff and volunteer members of the community, enjoy a variety of activities and shared experiences which offer everyone the opportunity to learn and grow. Our recovery model provides more than just hope for the future – it has a core offering of supported employment transition. By developing meaningful connections with our established social enterprise partners, along with the opportunity to take on real jobs within a MindFx Centre, our clients gain a tremendous boost to their career prospects and confidence. Watch Video
To begin offering MindFx’s innovative model of care to vulnerable young adults struggling with mental illness, MindFx requires the generous support of the community. Initially, we must demonstrate how this model of care will positively impact the lives of so many young adults who are currently slipping through the cracks. In time, we aim to reach all those impacted, with MindFx Centres available to young adults in communities of need right across Australia.
We are confident in our Model, and in the funding partnerships that will materialise (based on Government funding criteria) once the evidence and outcomes from our first cohort of clients is reported. Until then, we are urgently seeking start-up funding in the form of community donations to the tune of $250,000. This will enable us to secure a commercial lease over the first MindFx Centre, engage a core team of professionals including Mental Health Coaches, Admissions and Support staff who will bring the MindFx vision to life and ensure that every MindFx client has a positive experience with the Centre and enjoys many life-changing outcomes during their recovery program.