The highly anticipated addition to Katherine's youth services, Headspace, says it is one step closer to opening its doors with a full team now on board.
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Young people in Katherine will finally be able to access vital mental health services in the coming months, following a drawn out process which started in 2017.
Katherine has been identified as an area with high rates of reported psychological distress among young people and significantly higher youth suicide rates across the Northern Territory.
"We aim to be the go-to early intervention mental health and wellbeing service for young people in the region, strengthening the next generation of our community by helping young people get the support they need," Anglicare NT executive manager of mental health, Jade Gooding said.
"An extensive recruitment process has resulted in the appointment of a fantastic team for the upcoming Headspace Katherine mental health service, which will open at the Randazzo Centre on Main Street in the coming months."
Ms Gooding said it was exciting to have the positions filled and the centre taking shape.
"The structural design and fit out was developed in consultation with young people, Elders and a range of community members from the Katherine region," she said.
"They provided direction on the design, themes and names for each of the spaces."
The highly anticipated support service has had a rocky start with a couple of delayed opening dates.
Members of the team recently participated in the first ever Katherine Headspace consortium meeting, a collective forum where priority areas are outlined and advice is provided on the strategic direction of the service.
"The consortium creates a network to discuss youth mental health issues in the greater Katherine region with key stakeholders like Wurli-Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service and other service providers, Elders, as well as local young people," Ms Gooding said.
"The group will meet four times per year to identify gaps in service provision, provide leadership, share knowledge and discuss ideas on how the centre can best meet young people's needs."
The Federal Government has invested more than $1.3 million to establish the new service in Katherine.
The positions filled include a centre manager, clinical manager, senior clinician, youth mental health clinician, Indigenous wellbeing worker, community engagement worker and a receptionist.
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