These tips are provided by young people who have been through
treatment or have had interactions with health care professional in
a clinical setting.
- Being accessible
- Recognising our achievements
- Feeling comfortable
- Flexible and unique approaches
- Being non-judgemental
- Knowing what to expect
- Confidentiality
- Openly communicating - engage and listen!
- Feeling connected and valued
- Using technology
1. Being accessible
Issues such as geographical location, access to transport, family
or peer support, age, gender, disability or socio-economic status
can all have a negative effect on our help seeking experience. For
some, it gets easier and easier to sweep problems under the mat and
never return. Please help us by making it easier to come back to
you!
Our recommendation
We would ask you to ensure that your service fits as much as
possible with our needs. We would appreciate knowing we have your
support even outside sessions. By directing us to services like
ReachOut.com we can access information and support anytime,
anywhere. It might also be good to think about counseling via the
phone or web as an option, or arranging to meet at a location which
is more convenient or comfortable to us (e.g. a room booked in a
local library). Don't forget to be clear about when you are
available and how you can stay in contact (e.g. email or sms).
2. Recognising our
achievements
When we are feeling down, it's almost too easy to convince
ourselves that getting treatment will not be worth it or that we
are just incapable of achieving our goals. The last thing we need
reinforced in our minds is a sense of failure or stagnancy. By
letting us know that we are moving forward and helping us recognise
our achievements, we will feel confident and better able to make
the changes needed in our lives.
Our recommendation
Please help us by setting simple and feasible goals so that we do
not feel overwhelmed. We would also ask our health care
professionals to take the time to notice our efforts and praise us
for it. At times, we may need to be reminded of how far we've come
and how much more we can do. Consider setting aside time before the
end of each session to write about our accomplishments and reflect
on our progress. A little confidence boost will go a long way for
any young person going through a hard time!
3. Feeling comfortable
Each young person is different and will need to face their issues
on their own time. Some of us prefer to sit in silence to process
the information you provide, while others have long been waiting to
be heard and will communicate very readily. Accounting for these
differences and adapting your approach accordingly is vital to
winning our co-operation and involvement in our sessions with
you.
Our recommendation
We would ask health care professionals to set aside time to make
themselves more aware of what makes the young person feel
comfortable. You could discuss these with us or outline
"boundaries" during the first session and use them as a guide in
future. Please be aware of the fine line between pushing us beyond
our comfort zone and encouraging our involvement. Whatever happens,
keep trying to reach out to us, because we are doing our best to
reach out to you too!
4. Flexible and Unique
Approaches
Young people sometimes build walls around them for others to break
down. The walls we build are unique and they vary in their
resilience - some walls are so dense we can no longer hear you
calling out to us on the other side. Even as it gets to this point,
please don't give up on us. Using different strategies and
approaches to overcome our barriers will help us be more involved
in our sessions with you.
Our recommendation
We would ask you to be flexible in your approach when working with
young people. Please be open to using a different approach when
certain techniques don't work for us. Try to engage us in different
ways or use an approach that highlights the young person's
strengths. We don't always feel comfortable telling you that
something isn't working for us, but inviting our feedback on our
treatment plans will make us more co-operative with you.
5. Being non-judgmental
Admitting our innermost problems to a complete stranger can be
embarrassing - and there are so many stigmas out there in society
around mental health, it's no wonder we feel that way! It would be
really nice to know we won't encounter the same judgmental attitude
with our health care professional.
Our recommendation
Please take the time to build rapport and trust with us. Let us
know you understand what we're going through and that we're not
alone. It will make us more open to talk about things that bother
us, and also more willing to co-operate with you. Giving us a good
first experience will mean that we are far more likely to
return.
6. Knowing what to expect
Most of us feel like we've we're searching in the dark for what is
affecting our lives. Being unaware of actual solutions to our
problems is very scary. Also, for many of us it would be our first
experience of seeking help and therefore we don't know what to
expect from our health care professionals.
Our recommendation
Please take the time to explain your role as a health care
professional and what you can do to help us. Making us more
familiar with the issues we are facing will lessen our fears. You
can do this by showing us resources from Reach Out.com. Linking us
to information that explains what we're going through in a way that
is easy to understand will make us feel less intimidated and more
able to get the best out of our experience with you.
7. Confidentiality
Many of us are unaware of what we are entitled to through
confidentiality. Though we know it's an important issue, we might
not ask because we either know where to start or we fear the
consequences of asking. While there are situations where a breach
of contract might be necessary, it may still incite feelings of
betrayal and distrust if the "reasons why" are not explained
clearly. We would appreciate it if our health care professionals
can provide us with this information instead of us having to seek
answers from other sources that are not so reliable.
Our recommendation
Please explain what the boundaries of confidentiality are, and why
they exist. Help us to recognise that there are situations in which
boundaries must be breached - but help us to realise that these
actions are for our best interests. Approaching us with sincerity
and true concern instead of explaining our entitlements verbatim
from protocol may make all the difference in our openness with you.
Understanding that you may disclose our details because you care,
or because it is of benefit to our situation will help us trust and
co-operate with you in future.
8. Openly communicate - Engage
and Listen!
Sometimes opening up to others about our problems is hard because
previous experiences of talking to our peers, parents or
professionals have proven so. Two way communication is important!
It would mean a lot if you could not only instruct us in our next
steps, but also listen carefully - sometimes that's all we
need.
Our recommendation
We would ask you to emphasise positive aspects too! Be aware of
your body language and use open ended questions to get to know what
keeps us going (e.g. plans for the weekend). Keeping us optimistic
does a lot for relieving the kind of pressure we put on ourselves
to get better. Paraphrasing complex statements and summarising at
the end of every session is also helpful to make sure there are no
misunderstandings.
9. Feeling connected and
valued
Experiencing a life changing even or the development of a mental
illness is not only hard to acknowledge but also takes away the
sense of control we have over our lives. We can't help but feel
alone - because we are different and that differences is difficult
to mask. Our experiences with our health care professionals should
emancipate us from these feelings.
Our recommendation
Please allow us enough scope to make choices. Providing help on
our terms makes us feel more empowered and better able to
contribute to achieving the goals we set together. Please also
value our inputs and efforts, no matter how small. Some of us have
to fight an inner battle just to be present in the next session
with you. By keeping in contact with us, you're also letting us
know that we're not alone.
10. Using technology
We have been exposed to technology all our lives that it's no
wonder we view it almost as an extension of who we are. It connects
us in a way we enjoy, feel safe and familiar with. It also provides
us sense of control and security. At times, feeling as though we
don't relate with our health care professionals compromises how
co-operative and enthusiastic we can be about our experience with
you. Using technology in your work might be a way of engaging us
more personally and in a way we understand.
Our recommendation
We would please ask you to be open to the technologies young
people use today. By being familiar with such a vital aspect to our
lives, you have instantly become "cool" and much more comfortable
to be around. Technology can be used in so many different ways to
make supporting young people easier. Consider online diaries,
computer games like Reach Out Central or mobile text messages that
deliver tips on coping with difficult situations. By using
technology to connect with our health care professionals, we will
feel engaged, involved and empowered to make positive changes in
our lives.
Learn more from young people
Visit the Interviews with
young people section of the website to read interviews with
mental health service users about their help-seeking experiences,
and to read their advice!
Resources for healthcare
professionals
CAAH GP Resource Kit, 2nd Edition, Chapter 10,
"Adolescent Mental Health."
Provides information and facts on Mental Health issues affecting
young people in Australia. In this document Adolescent and Young
people are used interchangeably to represent the 14-25 age
group.