Given high suicide rates and a limited access to mental health treatment options in rural, remote and regional Australia, White Cloud Foundation has developed a novel tele-mental health solution called STRATUS which will be rolling out to these communities in late July.
This service will be unique in that it will provide both clinical and practical help to clients, and the clinical support will be from a multidisciplinary team of Allied Health professionals not just a counsellor or psychologist. Our team will address the external stressors behind a person’s depression and/or anxiety and will treat each client from multiple angles ensuring they are physically, mentally and emotionally able to recover from their condition and build resilience for the future.
Most importantly, clients will be able to access this service for free and they will not need to have a Mental Health Plan from their GP. Being a tele-health service, clients can also receive the treatment from the comfort of their own home or wherever else they choose.
Our team of accredited clinicians are volunteering their time to work in this tele-mental health service as they see the real need for it, particularly in those regional, rural and remote communities. A number of Dietitians, Exercise Physiologists, Diploma-qualified Counsellors, Psychologists and Social Workers have already signed up to donate their time and expertise, but more are needed. Particularly Psychologists and Social Workers. We are also in need of admin staff to assist with answering the phones and other duties. You can be based anywhere in Australia to volunteer, and if you or someone you know may be interested, please click here.
White Cloud Foundation is truly grateful to our volunteers. We are also incredibly grateful to the James Frizelle Charitable Trust, Motorama Charity Foundation, and CM & JA Whitehouse Foundation, for providing the financial support needed to launch this vital service.
Other businesses and individuals have jumped on board to provide office space, computers, office furniture and IT support. For these, we would like to thank Vantage Point Roofing, Dell, Connected Platforms, Motorama Group and Matthew Moy of MBI Sydney.
Of course, the volunteer-model will not be sustainable into the future, so funds are needed to keep this important service running. If you’d like to donate please click here.
