Helpers and mentors for mental illness

A personal helpers and mentors service opened at Woy Woy on Tuesday, December 3.

It aims to provide help and support to those living with a mental illness.

With one in five Australians living with a mental illness, most people in the Peninsula community would know a friend, neighbour or loved one who is affected by some form of mental illness.

The personal helpers and mentors service is a program which takes a strength-based, recovery approach to working with people living with a mental illness.

It aims to foster a sense of hope and dignity while developing a capacity for resilience as people move through the stages of recovery.

Aftercare, which was founded in 1907, is the largest provider of personal helpers' and mentors' services in Australia.

Its services are currently located in NSW and Queensland.

The service offers a range of services to assist participants in reclaiming their lives.

It particularly emphasises building independence, confidence, and strengthening family and friendship networks.

It also focusses on enabling participants to access social and recreational activities in the community; gain support in educational and work experiences; and work with the community to promote a better understanding of mental illness and intellectual disability.

Every person supported receives an individual service plan tailored specifically to their goals.

Media release, 27 Nov 2013

Kath Tierney, Aftercare Personal Helpers and Mentors service