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When a young person walks through my door, I have just ten minutes.
Young people struggle to ask for help. If no-one responds within those first moments, they will walk out and we won’t see them again. We have to respond quickly.
Young people are much less likely to seek help if previous attempts have been ignored or they don’t think their needs have been met.
That’s why I hate waiting lists.
But unfortunately, waitlists are a reality where I work in South Burnett. We are only two hours from Brisbane but our resources are stretched.
I have been a youth worker in this region for more than 20 years. This year alone, it seems to me as though there has not only an increase in deaths by suicide but also in youth mental health issues and attempted suicides.
Youth workers can often be first responders, because our job is to build relationships. Vulnerable young people look for support to those who they have relationships with; they will rarely look for help from a web page or on the phone.
Kingaroy, in South Burnett, is grappling with youth mental health. Source: Supplied
Services in this area are struggling to get mental health help for young people who come to them. Their referrals are rejected, waitlists are too long and some services are simply not accessible.
South Burnett has no full time paediatrician and wait times are often 12 months long. Psychologists and counsellors are at capacity and it is very difficult to get a new client onto their books. Most residents, let alone young people, struggle to even get a timely appointment at the GP.
Support services in our region are worried. We feel as though we need to be an expert on everything. I - like many other youth workers - am not a trained mental health professional. But we all try our best to help everyone coming through those doors.
But when we do lose someone young to suicide, I worry about my staff, who ask themselves ‘what could I have done to prevent this?’
The grief is immense, for us, their family and the entire community.
But we have hope. As a community, we have been campaigning for support, and we hope some new services - including a headspace - will be available in the region soon.
I have had people visit me a decade after I helped them as a young person, thanking me and introducing me to their family.
It’s those moments that keep me going. I just hope we can save more people in our community.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (up to age 25).
