For the first time, local not-for-profit organisation, Youturn, will be offering a free eight week youth mental wellbeing program at The J in Noosa for teenagers and young adults (12 – 25 years).
Supported by Noosa Council, the YouMatter program offers a relaxed non-clinical environment, free of judgement for young people to talk and connect. Delivered by the accredited counseller Leon Stensholm from Body and Mind by Leon, the program will provide them with tools and strategies to deal with life challenges and stressful situations and cover topics that teens typically struggle with such as motivation, goal setting, bullying, resilience building, dealing with anxiety, exercise and nutrition, self care, mindfulness and gratitude journaling.
“The increased demand for mental health support, in particular youth mental health, is a large area of ongoing concern both locally and nationwide. There can be many barriers to accessing mental health services, including long wait times, financial capacity, geographical area, stigma, and apprehension surrounding accessing clinical services,” Youturn CEO Dr Tanya Bell said.
“Most young people reach out to us in times of intense crisis or emotional distress, seeking our understanding and compassion. Through our own resources, as well as in partnership with government, private and community sectors, Youturn looks to deliver positive, life-changing programs addressing issues such as declining Mental Health amongst young people, through the development and delivery of new programs, such as YouMatter.
“The YouMatter program will offer a safe and relaxed social space for young people experiencing similar difficulties to meet and connect, while also receiving ongoing psychoeducation, developing coping skills, receiving mentoring and counselling support in a non-clinical environment. We received some great feedback from our last program run at Kawana late last year and we believe that this program has the potential to make a positive difference in the lives of young people in the Noosa Shire.”
The YouMatter program kicked off on Tuesday 14 February and will run weekly each Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on age and accommodate 8-12 participants. Keeping the groups small will allow maximum involvement and better relationships between participants and facilitators.
There is still time to register – so for more information or if you know someone who will benefit from this program or, please contact Leon at leon@bodybyleon.com.au.
Youturn is a not-for-profit charity based at Tewantin that was started over 30 years ago to help address youth homelessness in the Noosa region. Since then, the organisation has grown substantially working with young people and those that support them, expanding their focus to include child safety, mental health, suicide prevention and homelessness.
