Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP has today welcomed the new counselling service for regional and remote South Australians commissioned by Country SA PHN.Regional Access, is a free service, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to anyone over 16, living or working in regional or remote South Australia, feeling the pressures and stresses of everyday life.

Commissioned and funded by Country SA PHN, Regional Access is staffed by professionally trained counsellors who are ready to listen, support and encourage. They will provide individual strategies to best manage situations and provide further support. Regional Access is available to anyone who has a concern, a worry or just want someone to chat with.

Mr Pasin welcomed the Regional Access service as a further adjunct to mental health services the Government is funding in regional Australia.

“Those of us living outside metropolitan cities in rural and regional South Australia are a proud bunch and so we should be. We make a massive contribution to the wealth of this nation, a contribution that often goes unnoticed and unthanked,” said Mr Pasin.

“Our spirit is strong in rural and regional citizens but isolation and lack of services have unfortunately led to a significant disparity in the rates of mental illness in the country.

“This service will provide a welcome boost to local mental health services and demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to ensure mental health support is provided to people who need it now,” Mr Pasin said.

Country SA PHN Chief Executive Kim Hosking said the organisation is thrilled to be able to offer this counselling service for rural South Australians.

“It’s traditionally harder for those living in regional or remote settings to access professional counselling. Regional Access bridges this gap and allows everyone access to counselling when they need it most,” Mr Hosking said.

“For South Australians to have access to professional counsellors 24 hours a day, seven days a week from anywhere in the state will hopefully remove the impediments that put many people off seeking help.”

Regional Access will enable rural South Australians to talk to a professional counsellor who will:

  • Be available 24/7 to support people in their time of need
  • Focus on people’s individual situations
  • Develop strategies to manage the situation
  • Enable people to have up to three 30 minute sessions with the same counsellor
  • If needs increase, refer people to be seen by a local face-to-face psychologist under a priority referral.
  • Regional Access is being delivered by On the Line, a social health business with more than 55 years’ experience delivering counselling support services to the community. On the Line is a national provider of services including MensLine Australia, Suicide Call Back Service and SuicideLine Victoria.

 “We listen and encourage people to feel better: building resistance, fostering healthy relationships and connecting people with community support,” said On the Line, Chief Executive Officer, Ms Kim O’Neill.

“All our counsellors are multi-skilled across telephone, web chat and video counselling modalities and are highly experienced in providing interventions, from crisis support to general counselling and social health support.”

What: New 24/7, free telephone and online counselling service for rural South Australians

When: Live and available from September 18th, 2017

Call: 1300 032 186

Online: saregionalaccess.org.au

 

 

CONTACT: Charlotte Edmunds 8531 2466