ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
THE community gathered last Friday, May 12 to celebrate the official opening of Lifeline Gippsland’s newest Wellbeing and Support Centre. To be known as the WES, the space aims to provide a safe and supportive hub for anyone dealing with mental health issues. Around 200 people flocked to the WES last Friday on 239 Princes Drive in Morwell with Member for Morwell Martin Cameron and Latrobe City Council Mayor Kellie O’Callaghan in attendance, a coffee cart and cake to celebrate its official launch. The WES is open during unconventional hours because mental health concerns are not nine-to-five. The space provides flexibility to the community and offers a range of support options, including peer support, mental health professionals, coffee, a library nook, social connection, breathing space, activity options and service referrals. The concept of the WES was developed in collaboration with the Latrobe Valley community and by the Latrobe Health Assembly, and is informed by a Lived Experience Advisory Group. CEO of Lifeline Gippsland, Michelle Possingham, is proud to present the WES to the community. “The WES stands for Wellbeing and Emotional Support, and it is a space for people who are experiencing a level of mental health distress or social isolation to come along to feel safe and welcomed and to talk to people with lived experience with mental ill health concerns, they can also use the space simply use the relax and time out,” she said. Ms Possingham said she expects the service will be in high demand and wishes to welcome everyone into the space. “It really is a space for people to come and use in whatever suits them best. The idea was born from the community who told us that through their experience, they couldn’t access mental health services outside the hours from nine to five,” she said. The WES provides community-led and flexible mental health support with operating times outside of regular business hours to be accessible to everyone and reduce demand on emergency services. “We know that especially on the weekends, there are no services, so people often access emergency departments when they don’t need to, but now there is a less intense type of support that is available to people,” she said. “We’re receiving feedback from the community who have accessed the space so far that they would otherwise have gone to the hospital but instead found an open space at the WES.” Anyone over 16 years of age who may be experiencing distress, in crisis or feeling isolated and overwhelmed can simply walk in with no referral. The WES is staffed by a combination of mental health experts and peer support workers who have had their own experience with mental health difficulties, or who have cared for and supported someone who has, allowing you to talk with someone who understands. The WES is free and can even provide free transportation to and from any place in Latrobe City. For six weeks, the WES has piloted their program with excellent feedback from the 40-plus people who have accessed the service so far. Kiersten Davis has loved the support the WES has provided her. Ms Davis’ own psychologist referred her to the WES for further assessment. “My psychologist said that because [The WES] is close to my house, she said it would be really good for crisis counselling when she’s unavailable.” Having just given birth to her daughter Eleanor six weeks ago, Ms Davis said she needed the extra support the WES has provided her. “It’s really cool that we have a place like this in the Latrobe Valley … and it’s like the first of its kind, and I think this would be really good across Latrobe Valley,” she said. The WES prides itself on being a community-led approach to mental health support, focusing on providing care based on personal experiences. Jessie Van Hamond, one of the WES’ mental health peer support workers, uses her lived experience to help others. “It is such a wonderful community place, and somewhere I really could’ve benefited from in the past, and I’m sure other people could’ve too,” Ms Van Hamond said. “A really important part of our job is using our experience with services; accessing mental health services and using our positive experiences and negative experiences and drawing upon that to inform how we interact with our guests and the care that we provide.” The WES is facilitated by the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone program, financed by the Latrobe Health Assembly in collaboration with the Victorian Government. Mayor O’Callaghan welcomed the new mental health support service and noted its community-focused approach. “Mental health and wellbeing reform that’s happening state-wide is very much underpinned by communities informing opportunities to care for others, to provide support and pathways for participation, particularly in initiatives like this that are community focuses and easily accessible,” she said. If you are looking for support or even someone to talk to, the WES is located at 239 Princes Drive, Morwell, and the contact number is 0400 770 494. If you would like to know more about the WES, head to llg.org.au/services/the-wes
