Analysis of Headspace Program: Promoting Youth Mental Health Services

This report critically evaluates the Headspace program in Australia, a government initiative aimed at addressing mental health issues among youth aged 12-25. The report begins by providing background information on the program, highlighting its objectives, services, and accessibility. It then delves into a critique of the program's effectiveness in addressing primary care principles, promoting equality, and achieving social justice in health. The analysis covers aspects such as government support, accessibility of services, youth participation, and cultural sensitivity. While acknowledging the program's positive impact on early intervention and integration of youth into society, the report also identifies shortcomings related to reaching culturally and linguistically diverse populations and ensuring equitable access in remote areas. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for continued investment in research and culturally appropriate services to further enhance the program's effectiveness and address the evolving needs of young people.

Running head: HEADSPACE PROGRAM 1
Head Space program
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Background
Headspace Australia is a non-profit organization formed by the Australian government in
2006 with the aim of dealing with mental health issues among the youth in Australia. Headspace
was created after it was established that there was a need for the existing healthcare system to be
effective and accessible for the youth with substance abuse disorders and mental health issues
(Anon 2019). Headspace offers support to the youth aged 12 to 25 years to ensure that there are
reduced cases of stress, anxiety, depression and drug, and alcohol abuse. Headspace also helps
improve on the relationship issues associated with bullying, sexuality, families and sexual health
(Anon 2019).
The youth and their families can receive support online, at a headspace Centre and using
the telephone support service. Headspace program has an estimated more than 100 Centers
across Australia that can be accessed by the youths either for free or at a reduced cost. The
program has many trained staff including psychologists, nurses, counselors, doctors, social
workers counselors and alcohol drug workers and occupational therapists. Headspace program
can help the youth with counseling, drug and alcohol issues, general health, employment services
and education (Rickwood, Van Dyke and Telford 2015, pp.29-37).
Headspace undertakes national campaigns to create awareness for matters concerning
mental health to help improve mental health literacy for the youth, their families and friends. The
campaigns also aim at reducing stigma in society and ensuring that young people do not shy off
from seeking the services. For instance, they have the headspace day where they meet the young
people with mental health issues to offer support and other services (Rickwood, Telford, Parker,
Tanti and McGorry 2014, pp.108-111).

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Headspace program has gained my attention because despite facing many challenges, it
continues to have a strong positive impact on the youths with mental issues and drug and
substance abuse problems. I have considered headspace because it has had a great positive
impact on the youths dealing with mental health issues over the years. The primary context of the
program is health promotion through the use of the online platform, telephones, and face to face
interactions at the headspace Centre where they aim at improving the mental health of the
youths. I relate to this as I have worked with some organizations before who highly regard health
promotion using all the available means to suit the needs of the people.
Critique
Headspace program is keen on ensuring that there is equality, so essential healthcare is
universally accessible and affordable. The Australian government is very supportive of matters
mental health. The government is also committed to ensuring that the youth get counseling and
treatment, health advice and information whenever they need it (Coates and Howe 2014, pp.294-
299). This explains why the Australian government increased its investment to ensure that there
are increased headspace centers, eheadspace, and digital portal. This means that the youth will be
able to access an estimated 14,000 additional services, a high number of well-trained clinical
staff and reduced waiting times. Research indicates that headspace is a very accessible program.
For instance, in 2013/2014 the headspace centers were able to offer 194,968 occasions of service
to an estimated 45,195 youth with mental health problems which translates to 9,000 to 12,000
clients per month (Rickwood et al. 2015, pp.537-542).
The headspace centers are put strategically in regional areas, and thus this helps in
improving access to mental health services for those living in remote areas. The increase in the

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investment is meant to let the young people know that the government is there for them and
supports them. The headspace program offers a friendly primary care approach that ensures that
early intervention is given to promote mental and physical wellbeing (Rickwood et al. 2015,
pp.533-536). It also encourages youth participation in the decision making of the programme and
the dissemination of services (Coates and Howe 2014, pp.294-299).
Of its expenditure, $39 million is channeled towards staff and services while $12.8
million is directed to running the program to ensure that the people can access the services when
they need it. An estimated $95.7 million is channeled to all the 107 headspace centers across
Australia. Headspace program has added the number of services from approximately 259,000 in
2014/2015 to 382,500 in 2017/2018. In 2018, an estimated 33,800 youth were able to access the
headspace services. This aims at ensuring that the services offered are effective in promoting the
mental health of the youth (Jorm 2015). This has greatly impacted on the delivery and
consumption of services. However, more funds should also be channeled to research to improve
on the services offered too. The government funding offered to the program will positively
impact on the services offered for a very long period (McGorry, Bates and Birchwood 2013,
pp.s30-s35).
Head space program aims at achieving social justice in health as a resource and human
right. For instance, the program is always against discrimination, and it helps ensure that there is
equality in the dissemination of services (Cohen, Medlow, Kelk and Hickie 2016, 28(1), p.13).
The program also ensures that the people living in remote areas can receive healthcare. However,
they have not fully achieved these as some people in remote areas are unable to access the
services. The program has strived to include a large number of vulnerable people which include
people living in insecure houses and the homeless. The program also has a large number of

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Aboriginal and Torres Island people who research indicates that they have higher rates of mental
issues (McGorry et al. 2016, pp.S68-S70).
Although the numbers of the Aboriginal and Torres Island people vary in different
centers, the workers strive to ensure that the services offered to them are culturally appropriate.
The program is mostly accessed by females (62.8%) as opposed to (37.2%) males. This
inequality is attributed to the fact that females are more vulnerable to mental illnesses as
compared to males. It is also attributed to the fact that women consume more health care services
compared to men who have poor health-seeking behavior. However, the program should create
initiatives to ensure that more males enroll. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people
are often underrepresented in the program (McGorry et al. 2013, pp.s30-s35). There is a need to
target the CALD youths in the mental health promotion activities and connect more with local
CALD services to facilitate integrated service provision for this group of people.
Although headspace is keen on reorienting health systems towards raising the health
status of individuals, families, and community. In the program, the responsibility of mental
health promotion is shared among different professionals such as psychologists, nurses, doctors
and counselors where each understands their role in promoting the health of the youth. The
program has also ensured that the healthcare personnel is well trained to ensure effective service
delivery (Jorm 2015). The services offered are all-inclusive, diversity sensitive and responds to
the cultural and linguistic needs of the people (Bassilios 2017). However, there is also a need to
address the cultural appropriateness of some of the mental health services offered in some
centers as there is a concern regarding the same. The program is also keen on conducting a lot of
research concerning mental health to improve mental health. However, more resources should be
channeled in research to ensure that the staff offers quality services that are in line with the needs

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of the community. There is also a need to reorient the service system to make health more youth-
friendly and accessible.
Headspace program strives to ensure that people lead socially and economically
productive lives. Headspace helps in early intervention of mental health illness. This then helps
the people to be able to live normal lives and hence interacting properly in society. It also helps
people to be well integrated into the community to ensure that they are not discriminated against
by the community members. The program also empowers the youths to ensure that they do well
financially. As a result, they will be able to get access to their essential needs and hence making
them live productive lives (McGorry, Goldstone, Parker, Rickwood and Hickie 2014, pp.559-
568).
Headspace can be implemented in the global context through putting into place enough
resources and workforce. Putting into place favorable laws and policies that can also help in the
implementation of headspace in the global context. The global implementation of the headspace
program can help in ensuring that there are reduced cases of depression and mental illnesses and
hence promoting the overall health of the people. Globally, there is an increased prevalence of
mental illnesses. Currently, there exists no programs similar to headspace in other parts of the
world. The millennium development goal that can be linked to the program includes eradicating
poverty which headspace program tries to address through empowering people. . The program
has significantly reduced youth morbidity and mortality in Australia by almost half and hence
positively influencing people’s lives.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, Headspace was invented after it was established that there was a need to
ensure that youths can be able to access mental health service. The Australian government has
invested a lot of resources to ensure that the mental health of the youths is improved. Headspace
has achieved a lot in offering to counsel to the youth, dealing with drug and alcohol issues and
general health. Headspace has strived to ensure that the services offered are accessible and of
high quality. The program has been quite effective in addressing primary care principles in the
global context. However, much can be done to ensure that more people, especially the culturally
and linguistically diverse can access the program. The program should also invest more
resources in research to ensure that the services offered to address the need of the youth. The
program should also ensure that the youths do not become too dependent. Instead, they should
encourage them to work harder to become more productive.

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References
Anon, headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Headspace National Youth Mental
Health Foundation. Available at: https://headspace.org.au/ [Accessed March 26, 2019].
Bassilios, G., 2017. Complementary primary mental health programs for young people in
Australia: Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) and
headspace. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 11(1).
Coates, D. and Howe, D., 2014. The importance and benefits of youth participation in mental
health settings from the perspective of the headspace Gosford Youth Alliance in
Australia. Children and Youth Services Review, 46, pp.294-299.
Cohen, A., Medlow, S., Kelk, N. and Hickie, I., 2016. Young people's experiences of mental
health care: Implications for the headspace National Youth Mental Health
Foundation. Youth Studies Australia, 28(1), p.13.
Jorm, A.F., 2015. How effective are" headspace'youth mental health services?.
McGorry, P., Bates, T. and Birchwood, M., 2013. Designing youth mental health services for the
21st century: examples from Australia, Ireland and the UK. The British Journal of
Psychiatry, 202(s54), pp.s30-s35.
McGorry, P.D., Goldstone, S.D., Parker, A.G., Rickwood, D.J. and Hickie, I.B., 2014. Cultures
for mental health care of young people: an Australian blueprint for reform. The Lancet
Psychiatry, 1(7), pp.559-568.

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McGorry, P.D., Tanti, C., Stokes, R., Hickie, I.B., Carnell, K., Littlefield, L.K. and Moran, J.,
2016. headspace: Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation—where young
minds come first. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(S7), pp.S68-S70
Rickwood, D., Van Dyke, N. and Telford, N., 2015. Innovation in youth mental health services
in A ustralia: common characteristics across the first headspace centres. Early
intervention in psychiatry, 9(1), pp.29-37.
Rickwood, D.J., Mazzer, K.R., Telford, N.R., Parker, A.G., Tanti, C.J. and McGorry, P.D., 2015.
Changes in psychological distress and psychosocial functioning in young people visiting
headspace centres for mental health problems. Medical journal of Australia, 202(10),
pp.537-542.
Rickwood, D.J., Telford, N.R., Mazzer, K.R., Parker, A.G., Tanti, C.J. and McGorry, P.D., 2015.
The services provided to young people through the headspace centres across
Australia. Medical journal of Australia, 202(10), pp.533-536.
Rickwood, D.J., Telford, N.R., Parker, A.G., Tanti, C.J. and McGorry, P.D., 2014. headspace—
Australia's innovation in youth mental health: who are the clients and why are they
presenting?. Medical Journal of Australia, 200(2), pp.108-111.

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