Student says the youth mental health service has helped her immensely

Carla Fassio is a staunch advocate for the youth mental health organisation headspace Cairns.

The Redlynch resident credits headspace Cairns with helping her cope with mental health issues.

The 18-year-old’s parents divorced when she was young and from age 11 she has been a carer for her mum at Redlynch while also spending time with her dad at Mareeba.

The university student has been a client of headspace Cairns since 2018. Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) is the lead agency supporting headspace Cairns with funding from Northern Queensland Primary Health Network. 

“I have found it very beneficial. There is always someone to talk to about family issues and mental health issues including depression and anxiety,” Ms Fassio said.

She has developed a mental healthcare plan with her GP and regularly has one-hour sessions with a headspace psychologist. She has also joined headspace’s Youth Reference Group for fortnightly sessions, where she discusses with other like-minded young people their problems and offer solutions.

Ms Fassio said she struggled with the changing family dynamics between dad, and mum and her sister, but headspace Cairns gave her the mechanisms to cope.

She also found it hard to readjust at her old school after spending a year with her dad at Mareeba but once again headspace Cairns was there for her.

“I have been mum’s official carer since 11 and I am still her carer. The role has increased, and it has had a huge impact, especially school and on top of other issues,” Ms Fassio said.

“Caring for mum has been a huge factor and that is why I come to headspace. headspace Cairns has helped support me by providing better coping mechanisms when I can’t do things.

“It has helped me achieve my goals, including my studies at university. I’ve always wanted to go to uni from when I was a kid.”

Ms Fassio is enrolled at CQ University five-days a week, studying online, staking part in Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS) before deciding upon either humanities or vet nursing.

She is a great believer in headspace Cairns and has suggested a regular radio program to educate the community about what the organisation offers young people.

“I really hope NQPHN (through Federal Government funding) continues to make headspace accessible for young people. It is incredibly important,” Ms Fassio said.

headspace Cairns celebrated its 10^th anniversary this year with more than 7200 young people in Cairns supported to achieve better mental health outcomes.

headspace Cairns is a free and welcoming safe space for young people aged between 12 and 25 providing access, support and information for a broad range of concerns, including mental health, physical/sexual health, drug and alcohol, employment and education and support for families and carers.

The organisation had delivered more than 50,600 services to 7200 young people in Cairns since its launch in April 2012 with nine staff. The team totals 26 today.

Primary care nurses from throughout north Queensland have been given an understanding of Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) at a conference in Cairns.

More than 200 nurses attended the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) in Cairns on Monday and Tuesday this week. NQPHN persuaded the peak professional body for nurses to bring the event to the tropics for the first time outside of a major city.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robyn Whyte, Executive Director Health System Integration and Innovation Karin Barron, Primary Care Workforce Development Manager Carley Radel and Senior Primary Care Engagement Officer Gilyan Thorn formed a NQPHN panel to make a presentation to nurses.

Ms Whyte took primary care nurses through the function and process of the PHN and how the NQPHN are supporting primary care nurses with educational and training opportunities close to home, the re-establishment of Primary Care Nurses Professional Networks and where there are opportunities for primary care nurses to influence NQPHN commissioning and service design through the newly established NQPHN Primary Care and Commissioning and Design Panels. Expressions of interest for the panels are due out soon.

NQPHN worked with the APNA organising the conference at the Cairns Convention Centre. Health Workforce Queensland helped to arrange travel and accommodation for nurses travelling to the conference outside of Cairns.

More than 200 nurses from as far south as the Isaac region, north to the Torres Strait and west to Croydon and Kowanyama, attended the event to learn the latest clinical guidance, gain new knowledge to grow the scope of their practices, and discover new ways to provide better patient care.

Ms Whyte said it was critical that nurses in regional and remote areas were given access to the same information, advice, and knowledge as those who worked in metropolitan areas.

There were a host of sessions, covering topics such as cardiovascular disease prevention, pneumococcal vaccination in older adults, legal issues in primary healthcare nursing, career pathways, the future of aged care nursing, chronic disease management, Indigenous health updates, diabetes management, palliative care, and treatment of wounds.

APNA President Karen Booth said the aim of the conference was for nurses to connect with their colleagues from various primary healthcare settings, engage with brands that could help them care for patients, and meet experts providing advice.

She said it was “a wonderful way for nurses from general practice, aged care, community health, schools, and a myriad of other care settings to get together, share experiences, and stay up to date with current best practice in a clinical setting”.