Youth Enhanced Service - Gippsland

• Mental Health Navigators: Experienced healthcare professionals who are trained in mental health. 

• A First Nations Mental Health Navigator to support First Nations and other young people in our service. 

• Lived Experience Peer Workers: Young people on our team who have experience of mental health challenges and understand what you’re going through. 

• A Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs Worker who provides support when young people are experiencing challenges with their substance use. 

• Eating Disorders Victoria who provide telehealth appointments for young people with an eating disorder. 

A group of healthcare experts guides the staff who support you. This includes a senior consultant psychiatrist, a general practitioner (GP) and an occupational therapist who has experience working with neurodivergent young people. 'Neurodivergent' describes people whose brains work differently to others, such as Autistic people and people with ADHD or dyslexia. 

We also work with a range of services in Gippsland and across Victoria so that we can connect you with other support you may need. 

Everything we do in the YES program is based on real (lived) experience. Most importantly, if you decide to come and check us out, you’ll receive support which is relevant to your lived experience.  

You’ll be the one making the decisions about the support you receive and who you want involved. This might include our team and your family, friends and others that are important in your life. 

When developing the YES program, we asked young people in Gippsland about the support young people need and how they want to be treated in their mental health journey. These answers have informed how we deliver the program. We’ll continue to listen to you and adjust our service based on what you tell us. 

We’ll also ask for feedback from a range of people including our: 

• Lived Experience Peer Workers 

• youth reference group which is made up of local young people who understand mental health challenges.

• family/friends reference group which is made up of people who have experience supporting young people with mental health challenges. 

You don’t need a referral to contact us or access the YES program. If you would like your practitioner, such as your doctor or psychologist, to contact us and introduce you, we welcome this. 

Family members and friends can also contact us on your behalf, if you’re comfortable with that and tell them it’s okay.

Relationships Australia Victoria, also known as RAV, is leading the YES program across Gippsland. We are a not-for-profit organisation that supports people with their relationships, family and wellbeing. We work across Victoria and have been providing support in Gippsland for over 60 years. Our services include support for young people and we run 3 headspace sites in Bairnsdale, Sale and Wonthaggi.  

The YES program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Administration of funding is carried out by Gippsland Primary Health Network. 

We work with several other organisations in the Gippsland area to provide our services. Our partners are: 

• Youth Advocacy and Support Service  

• Eating Disorders Victoria  

• Dr Leeanne Fisher, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist   

• Jo Rouse, Senior Occupational Therapist, The Social Confidence Collective 

• Dr Erin Dolan, Clinical Psychologist, Erin Dolan and Associates 

• Dr Anna Howsen, General Practitioner, Wonthaggi Medical Group