Walking through the door can be difficult, that is why Mount Gambier Medicare Mental Health Centre tries its best to help you and acknowledge your effort.
At the centre, that first step might begin with something as simple as a cup of tea, a comfortable chair and someone willing to listen.
For Peer Support Worker Steve Van Den Hoogen, trying to create a welcoming environment where people feel safe, respected and heard is at the heart of his work.
Having been with the centre since it opened just over three years ago, Steve has seen firsthand the difference that compassionate, accessible mental health support can make.
His role is built around lived experience – using his own understanding of mental health recovery to connect with people who may be struggling.
When someone arrives at the centre, Steve said the priority is helping them feel comfortable.
That might mean offering a coffee, inviting them to sit down or simply taking the time to explain how the service works.
From the outset, visitors are reassured that the service is voluntary, confidential within its professional obligations and centred around their individual needs.
Steve said it was important that people understood they remained in control of their own decisions, including who they felt comfortable speaking with.
And while some people may associate mental health support with a particular diagnosis or crisis, Steve said the reasons people walked through the door were incredibly diverse.
Relationship difficulties, financial pressures, substance use, employment challenges and the emotional demands of supporting someone else were just some of the circumstances that could bring people to the centre.
“It could be that you’re supporting somebody else,” he said.
“Having an opportunity to be able to talk about how difficult that is, maybe supporting somebody else that’s got some problems, but they’re not ready to reach out and get support for themselves.”
For others, the decision to seek help comes after recognising that something in their life simply isn’t working as they would like.
“I think what’s really a catalyst for people coming in is that they’ve identified their lifestyle as a whole as being impacted in some way” Steve said.
“Our motivation for change generally is when we look at our life and that it’s not looking quite the way we want it to.”
He said people often tried to manage difficult circumstances themselves before eventually reaching a point where they were ready to seek support.
“We tend to use a bit of grit in the beginning,” he said.
“And that works for a little while.
“And then when that stops working, then we want to do something different.”
Sometimes the challenges are recent. Other times, experiences from years earlier can begin affecting a person’s wellbeing.
Whatever the circumstances, Steve said there was no expectation that visitors needed to arrive with the right words or a clear understanding of what they needed.
Even the simple act of sitting down and talking could be valuable.
“Sometimes even working through the paperwork can be quite grounding,” he said.
“And then just having that possibility to have an open conversation where they’re just
listening.”
One particularly encouraging development for Steve has been seeing more men accessing the service.
He said creating an environment where men felt comfortable seeking support had been an important goal of his when the centre first opened.
Traditionally, many boys and young men had grown up hearing messages that encouraged them to suppress their emotions rather than express them.
“When we’re young, young boys are told to toughen up, young boys are told to man up,” he said.
“We’re learning really young just to try and shut down those emotions, and as we know, we can only bottle things up for so long.”
But Steve believes attitudes are beginning to change.
“I think that it’s good to see that it is slowly changing, that men are using services like this, but also talking amongst themselves as well,” he said.
“It’s quite interesting when you get a male talking to another male and shows a bit of vulnerability, it’s surprising the positive response that they will get these days.
“Other guys are genuinely a lot more helpful and caring in that space.”
The Mount Gambier Medicare Mental Health Centre provides free walk-in support, with no referral, appointment, Medicare card or payment required.
People under 18 can also approach the centre and will be assisted with a referral to a more appropriate service.
The Mount Gamber Medicare Mental Health Centre is provided by FocusOne Health and funded by Country SA PHN through the Australian Government’s PHN program.
