Family mental health at heart of IMPACT support worker team

Seeking help for your mental health is no easy feat, but it’s an incredibly powerful step to take.

Having someone to listen and support you can be invaluable.

It can go a long way in the face of hardship and mental health struggles, and it is what IMPACT Community Services’ Family Mental Health Support Services is dedicated to.

FMHSS support workers provide non-clinical support for children between 0 and 18 years-old who are at risk of developing, or have developed a mental health condition, and their families.

Whether you can identify you and your family’s needs or not, the FMHSS team is a brilliant starting point.

Our team can help with matters regarding anxiety, depression, social anxiety, suicidal ideation, sexuality, and gender identity.

If your needs fall outside of FMHSS expertise, the support workers will refer you to another organisation who can help.

Supporting families in the region to get the appropriate assistance is paramount for our team.

Within the FMHSS is a team of dedicated support workers who can help you identify potential barriers and help overcome challenges.

Each with their own varied specialities, family needs are tailored to within the program and the support worker themselves.

One of the newest FMHSS support workers is Leonard, who joined earlier this year.

No stranger to helping others, Leonard spent years aiding families in the Cherbourg community and is now looking to support families in Bundaberg.

For Leonard, trust and communication are critical, and it all starts with listening.

A lot of people have “shields up” and he said if you don’t listen and let them tell their story in their time, you can’t establish trust and how best to support them.

Leonard said everyone was different, some of which don’t know where the support available to them is.

Thus, listening and creating a judgement-free space was crucial to ensuring their actual needs are identified and met.

He said throughout his experience in this field, culture and family were close to him and his work.

Leonard said being part of a dedicated team and getting out in the community had been great since joining IMPACT. 

With regards to mental health, Leonard said support workers aim to give clients the tools to achieve their goals.

Building independence and guiding people to unpack their challenges and achieve their goals by themselves was vital.

He said it was great to have an organisation with various support services available in the community.

“I think it would be great to have something like this everywhere,” he said.

“When you have a company that has a range of services in one place, it’s really great.”

He said anyone looking to access FMHSS can reach out as a self-referral.

People who access the FMHSS can have an initial six free weekly sessions and further long-term support is available for those who are eligible.

Support can include after school support which incorporates team-building activities, evidence-based programs, social inclusion, and anxiety busting activities.

The FMHSS can help re-engage school students and provide in-school support.

For parents, education and mental health awareness is offered to help break any mental health stigma and promote a healthy environment for everyone to grow.

FMHSS Team Leader Samantha said the positive influence of a support worker can have on someone’s life was priceless.

Whether it’s a trip to the beach, borrowing a book from the library, or having an honest conversation about identity, a support worker’s job is varied and invaluable.

For more information about FMHSS visit here, or phone 4153 4233.