There's been a mass exodus of board members from youth mental health organisation Headspace following a shake-up of the way it is managed.
Funding and control of the organisation's nearly 100 health centres were handed to local health networks on July 1, prompting mass resignations led by the chairwoman of seven years, Wendy McCarthy.
Chris Tanti, chief executive since Headspace's inception in 2006, left in June.
The latest changes were detailed in a statement from the Melbourne-based organisation on Wednesday.
Leading mental health expert and current board member Patrick McGorry played down the exodus on Twitter on Wednesday, saying the organisation was transitioning to a new role and has strong bipartisan support.
The federal government unveiled its long-awaited shake-up of the mental health system in November, based on a major review by the National Mental Health Commission.
That upheaval involved reducing the organisation's board from 11 to seven members and decentralising control of Headspace centres.
Headspace centres bring qualified help for mental health, drug, alcohol and vocations under the one roof.
Critics fear primary health networks, which will now control the centres, will redirect funding to other health services.
Headspace's interim chair Ian Marshman thanked Ms McCarthy for her work.
"She has been a tireless and dedicated advocate of early intervention in youth mental health and along with other directors has done much to help raise public awareness of this critical area of public health," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
