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SANE Support Services

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    Free Mental Health Support

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    Digital & Telehealth Access

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    Choose the supports that work for you

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    A community of people who understand

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    National Safety & Quality Digital Mental Health Standards Accreditation (NSQDMH)

SANE Support Services

SANE offers a range of free digital and telehealth support services for people over 18 years of age with complex mental health needs, and their family, friends and carers. We also provide mental health support to people with intellectual disability, autism or acquired brain injury.

SANE services are accredited against the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards (NSQDMH).

Different types and levels of support

We offer different types and levels of support. Choose from counselling, peer support, online groups and events, 24/7 community forums, and online information and resources.  SANE services are not designed for acute mental health crises. If you or someone you know is at immediate risk, call 000 or visit your nearest hospital. For support with suicidal thoughts, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

We’re people like you

Lived experience runs through every level of our organisation, and our safe and inclusive services have been designed and informed by people living with complex mental health needs - people like you. You can feel comfortable reaching out to SANE for support.


Ways we can support you

Choose from a range of support services, including counselling, peer support, online groups and events, 24/7 community forums, and online information and resources.

To better meet the needs of our callers, we have made an adjustment to our support line hours from Monday 19 June. This change has been informed by caller demand and will enable us to deliver quality support when it is needed the most. If you would like to provide feedback about this change, you can do so here.

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Online Forums Community

Available 24/7. SANE’s online community forums provide a safe, non-judgmental space to share your experiences, seek advice and surround yourself with support.

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Talk to a Mental Health Professional

Available Monday to Friday, 10am - 8pm (AEST/AEDT). SANE’s team of trained staff and volunteers provide free support, information, and resources. Call 1800 187 263. Free Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) available on 131 450.

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Ongoing guidance and support

Available Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm (AEST/AEDT). Work with a dedicated support team to identify your goals and tailor a support plan that's right for you. Choose from a range of supports, incl.  multi-session counselling and peer support.

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Weekly Online Discussion Groups

Every Thursday at 7pm (AEST/AEDT). Weekly online discussions, guided by SANE peer support workers and supported by counsellors. New topics each week.

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Monthly Live Educational Events

Last Tuesday of every month, at 5:30pm (AEST/AEDT). Topic Tuesday is a live Q&A discussion. Each month a different topic is facilitated by a subject matter expert, a community manager or moderator, and supported by a peer support worker.

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Information and Resources

Available 24/7. Access information you can trust on complex mental health issues. SANE factsheets and guides are easy to read and can help you understand what’s happening and what strategies can be helpful.

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Guidance for supporting someone at risk of suicide

Available 24/7. A resource that provides information and advice about supporting someone who has attempted, or is at risk of attempting, suicide.

Get Creative with SANE

The arts have the power to move, to heal and to help us understand ourselves and each other. SANE Create programs provide an outlet to engage with creative activities.

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Peer Guide training and mentoring

Receive guidance and support to develop the skills to use your personal mental health experiences as a peer support worker, building confidence and readiness for employment or further education.

Have questions? Click here to read our FAQs or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


Latest discussions on the forum

If you sometimes struggle to say it out loud, or tell someone in person – try reaching out for support here: it’s anonymous, safe and supportive.

Latest discussions on the forums

Lived Experience

For anyone living with a complex mental health issue

Connect with others

Latest Discussions

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    Carers

    For anyone who cares about or for someone living with a mental health issue

    Connect with others

    Latest Discussions

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      Stories from the community

      SANE community members share their experiences of living with complex mental health issues.
      You’re not alone.

      • Charlotte

        'I’d originally been diagnosed and treated for depression ten years before, so I knew what was happening, but that didn’t make it any easier to cope with. I knew I needed help, but I didn’t have an...
      • Joshua: challenging stereotypes of masculinity

        As a SANE Peer Ambassador, I’m so proud to be part of a national network of nearly 100 people who all share a common goal of reducing stigma and discrimination for those living with complex mental ...
      • Cameron: fame, change and isolation

        If there’s a central theme to the last five years for Cameron, it’s change. He’s changed perspectives: there was a time when a diagnosis of schizophrenia eighteen years ago meant that his brain wa...
      • Ali

        Growing up, I played a lot of sport and had a very big and loving family. But I began feeling overwhelmed by the world and where I’d fit in. When you’re in your own mind as a kid, you think that e...
      • Declan

        When I first started talking to people about having borderline personality disorder, it was hard to open up. I was trying to ‘be a man’ about it, and not show my emotions. It was usually at a party...
      • Mahlie

        I’ve always had a strong sense of identity and am quite strong willed. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 27, because I was so resistant to seeking help. I eventually found a psychologist because thing...
      • Tim

        A few years ago I attended an OCD support group where people would discuss their symptoms and talk about how they were going. One regular often had trouble explaining himself to the group. He would...
      • Tilly: my mental health toolbox

        I am not bipolar. I have bipolar disorder. My diagnosis and my identity are linked only in so far as experiencing mental illness has contributed to my personal growth. My perspectives have broaden...
      • Kaitlin: finding my voice

        The most effective tool I have is my voice. Speaking out when things are troubling should never be ignored or disrespected. All of our experiences are valid and hold powerful emotions that need to ...
      • Finn: being my genuine self

        Although being transgender isn’t a mental illness, many within our community do experience it. I am a trans man, meaning I was assigned female at birth but my gender is male. I’ve lived with severa...
      • Kat: defeating the ‘tortured artist’ stereotype

        Suffering is not a sign of creativity, it’s a sign of illness, and no one should have to be ill to be counted an artist. When I was 15, my friend told me I would become depressed later in life bec...
      • Tim: owning my identities

        Throughout our lives, we will identify with many different groups. We apply many labels to ourselves to help understand who we are and what we do. For example, only recently did I start identifyin...
      • Hannah

        When I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at 18, I thought that I’d be sitting in a room for the rest of my life. I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to do anything I wanted to do. I felt so hop...
      • Mark

        1983 sticks out to me. I did a really bad pre-season. I was down, I couldn’t train properly. I felt like I had a really bad flu. That was the start of my mental health problems, but it was decades ...
      • Nicole

        There’s no information about mental illness in Papua New Guinea. I’ve never heard of a counsellor or psychologist there. If you ask people what it is they describe what they see in the movies — ext...
      • Dov

        As a doctor living with bipolar disorder, I’m often dismayed at how people with mental illnesses are treated, even within the medical establishment. The problem with mental illness is that the symp...
      • Matt

        I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 19 years ago when I was at TAFE. It came as a bit of a shock as I could not fathom how this could happen to me. I didn’t know much about mental illness or bipo...
      • Jo

        TW: This article mentions suicide.  A lot of people think carers are saints, they don’t think of them as human beings. But they are real people who absolutely do suffer from isolation, stress...
      • Denielle

        From the outside, my life looks pretty idyllic. I live in a beautiful part of country Victoria with my three wonderful children. But, as with many people, I’ve faced my share of demons. Mental illn...
      • Stephanie

        I love my life and have been quite privileged. I have also struggled with different mental illnesses for almost a decade. I was diagnosed with bulimia at 18 and had my first suicide attempt just be...

      Other Support Services


      SANE services are not designed for crisis support. If you require immediate support, please contact one of the service providers below.

      If you need immediate support and can’t reach us, contact the services below. In an emergency contact 000. 

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