Cyberbullying

  • The Australian Commuications and Media Authority’s Cybersmart education website has age appropriate resources for students and further resources for staff and parents to address the issue of cyber bullying.
  • This pamphlet from the Cybersmart website provides information about cyberbullying.
  • The Cyber Safety Lady Parent Manual – this resource is the ‘one stop shop’ for up to date Cyber Safety help for families online, and provides advice for parents on apps, social media gaming, and screen time issues.

Self Harm

There are a variety of resources on the internet, however I have drawn together some of the more useful ones written in Australia. Department of Health Self-Harm Treatment Guide Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guideline for the management of deliberate self-harm   Head to Health https://headtohealth.gov.au/mental-health-difficulties/self-harm

Disability Support

NDIS Guide to Self Management Self managing your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding lets you use your funds creatively to better meet your needs. This guide is a helpful resource for NDIS participants, plan nominees, or child representatives who are self-managing NDIS funding.

For support when in a crisis and needing online or telephone based urgent support the following are available

Kids Help Line – 1800 55 1800 https://kidshelpline.com.au   For people 12 to 25 and their carers https://www.eheadspace.org.au

Suicide call back service 1300 659 467   Online support is available from https://www.sane.org

Mental health

beyondblue: the national depression initiative

beyondblue produce and refer people to accurate, up-to-date, easy to read information on depression, anxiety and related disorders. A wide variety of factsheets and booklets can be ordered online or downloaded from this website. The Find A Professional database allows people to search for mental health professionals in their local community.

depressioNet

The depressioNet.org.au website and online community is created and provided by Australians from a variety of backgrounds who have had personal experiences with depression. The site includes information and resources about depression, as well as an online message board and chat rooms.

Eating Disorders Victoria

Eating Disorders Victoria is the primary source of support, information, community education and advocacy for people with eating disorders. Their website has a range of information and resources related to eating disorders.

Healthdirect

healthdirect: trusted health information and advice online and over the phone 1800 022 222, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Funded by the governments of Australia.

Healthline – Bipolar Disorder

Online information and resources about bipolar disorder, including information about treatments, day-to-day management, lifestyle advice, and information for carers.

Healthshare

Healthshare is Australia’s fastest growing interactive health network, designed to provide better access to health expertise and improve the quality of health information online. Healthshare provides a question and answer service for Australians to get answers from qualified local experts across over 360 topic areas. The service operates in a community environment which provides support and encouragement.

Lifeline

Lifeline provides 24 hour telephone counselling 13 11 14 for a range of issues. The Lifeline Information Service webpage provides access to a variety of self-help tool kits with information about issues such as mental illness depression suicide prevention and more.

Mental Health in Multicultural Australia

The MHiMA project is funded by the Australian Government, Department of Health & Ageing to provide a national focus for advice and support to providers and governments on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The website includes an ‘Information for Consumers and Carers’ section with useful resources for the general public.

SANE Australia

SANE Australia provides information about mental illness, suicide prevention and where to get help. The site includes factsheets, an online bookshop, media releases and a helpline. There are also research, advocacy and awareness campaigns.

Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC)

The VMIAC is the peak Victorian non-government organisation for people who have experience with a mental illness or emotional distress. VMIAC engages in a number of activities, which include information provision, advice, mutual support and self-help, individual, group and systemic advocacy, research and evaluation, and education and training.

Western Australian Association for Mental Health

The Western Australian Association for Mental Health is the state’s peak representative body for mental health agencies. The site provides a list of downloadable publications and a links page that provides information on services available in the WA community.

Your Health in Mind

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) resource for expert information about mental illnesses, treatments, the role of psychiatrists, and how to get help. Your Health in Mind also provides patients and their families with the RANZCP’s ‘Find a Psychiatrist’ directory of psychiatrists working in private practice in Australia; more than 35 easy-to-read fact sheets about mental illnesses, treatments and the health system; videos to help explain what it’s like to visit a psychiatrist; answers to frequently asked questions and links to recommended services and support organisations.

Youth

Headspace

headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation. We help young people who are going through a tough time. If you’re 12-25, you can get health advice, support and information from headspace. With centres all around Australia, headspace can help you with general health, mental health and counselling, education, employment and other services, and alcohol and other drug services.

How To Handle Bullying

A useful article published by Open Colleges about How to Handle and Prevent Bullying.

Kids Helpline

The Kids Helpline site is geared towards young people between the ages of 5 and 25 years. Young people can access web-based counselling or email counselling via this site. The Kids Helpline site also provides a searchable service database and number of downloadable factsheets covering a range of issues.

Reach Out

Reach Out is Australia’s leading online youth mental health service that inspires young people to help themselves through tough times, and find ways to boost their own mental health and wellbeing. The site includes a large range of fact sheets, personal stories, videos and a large and active discussion forum.

Tune In Not Out

Tune In Not Out (or as our friends call us – TINO) provides 24hr TV for life’s challenges from mental to sexual health. Tune In Not Out brings videos, factsheets, real stories and blogs from across Australia into one central point for young people to explore.

Youth Focus

Youth Focus is committed to making a difference in the lives of young people who are suffering and those who see no hope on the horizon. As a unique, independent, not for profit organisation they offered a range of free mental health services to support vulnerable young people in Western Australia.

Suicide prevention

Operation Life Online

Department of Veterans Affairs website aimed at veterans, ex-serving personnel and their families. The site will help you understand the warning signs of suicide and provide information and resources to help keep you and others safe from suicide. Help is also available for those bereaved by suicide.

GriefLine

GriefLine is a national free and confidential telephone counselling service for people affected by grief. Available 12 noon to 3am, seven days a week.

Drugs and alcohol information

BetterHealth

BetterHealth have some key information to help you talk to your kids about drugs.