The Youth Plus clinic is a brief intervention service available in the Lithgow area, that offers young people aged 12-25, who are in crisis, a set of specific individual appointments.

During these sessions, a clinician will talk with the young person and provide support, help navigate their way through the crisis, and link them into further services as needed. Youth Plus provides support for young people experiencing:

• Impulsive and self-destructive behaviour
• Changing emotions and strong, overwhelming feelings
• Problems with identity and sense of self
• Thoughts and feelings of suicide and self-harm

This is not an emergency service – if a life is in danger, call Triple Zero (000) immediately. 

How does the Youth Plus clinic work?

Once a referral is received, our team will aim to offer an appointment within one to three working days. The program includes:

• An initial assessment
• Three to four sessions with a focus on identifying and addressing psychological and lifestyle factors that contributed to the crisis
• An additional session for carers, partners and family members
• Referral to other internal and external services

The key aims of Youth Plus are to provide:

• A timely and rapid response to young people seeking treatment in crisis, and to help manage their immediate risk and needs​

• An alternative to hospitalisation or to facilitate early discharge​

• Assistance with meeting criteria for acute services or link with other internal or external services where necessary​

• Brief evidence-based clinical services aimed at helping the client solve and understand their problems​

• Tools and strategies to help the young person prevent and better manage future crises​
• An opportunity to connect with the young person’s family, partner or carer where desirable

Eligibility

To access Youth Plus, young people must:

• Be between 12-25 years of age

• Require more immediate or timely support than what primary mental health care can provide

• Not meet criteria for NSW Community Health or Child and Adolescent/Youth Mental Health Service​

• Be willing to engage in weekly sessions

Exclusion criteria

The Youth Plus Clinic is unable to support

• Urgent referrals
• Acute risk
• Evidence of psychosis or disordered eating

Eligibility

Referrals to the Youth Plus clinic can be made by filling out the referral form and emailing it to headspace Lithgow. 

More information

• Call 02 6352 7600
• Email hs.lithgow@marathonhealth.com.au

This service supported by funding through Wentworth Healthcare, provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network as part of the Australian Government’s PHN program.