Every day there are 690,000 adult Australians living with a complex mental health issue. And for each of these people, there will be at least five family members, friends, or loved ones in their lives, who are also directly affected or involved in their care.
Care-givers such as Peer Ambassador Jo:
“I started caring in the late 1970s for my sister, a gifted artist who developed schizophrenia. Later, my son developed depression and bipolar disorder and I have been his carer on and off ever since."
"You experience burnout but you have to keep going. This is why it’s so important for care-givers and families to be able to reach out for guidance, information and support when we need to."
Our SANE Help Centre Counsellors are here to provide free, specialist professional support, Monday to Friday 10am-10pm AEST.
Our Counsellors not only care deeply about the work they do, but also have the professional expertise and wisdom to guide and support people on their journey with complex mental health issues.
Many of the people contacting us have become quite isolated.
Family relationships have broken down, friendships have become strained, people have dropped out of the workforce and they can find themselves profoundly alone – and with the high cost of accessing psychological care, there are so many people in need of specialised support.
But they need someone to talk to who can help them continue the journey to wellness.
Whether it’s a phone call counselling session, chat via email or webchat, or connecting with peers in the online forums, we help them find hope – and that’s profound. Giving someone hope can be a big step in their recovery.
Over the last five years, our generous supporters have helped us grow the service to support more than 15,000 Australians per year.
People who contact us tell us they feel less isolated, more empowered and hopeful, and experience an increased sense of wellbeing after our calls.
And with your support, we’re on a journey to grow our support to at least 40,000 Australians per year by 2022, by enhancing access to a more integrated service.
Your donation before 30 June will help the Help Centre continue to provide specialist, professional support for people living with complex mental health issues and those who love and support them.
$25
supports the production of a high quality fact sheet or guide on sane.org
$50
supports a person receiving a live webchat counselling session
$75
supports after hours professional moderation of the SANE Forums for one hour
$100
supports a call with one of our specialist professional Help Centre Counsellors