“WayAhead’s adventures in Orange!”
We recently held a Let’s Talk Anxiety Orange community forum and delivered Small Steps Childhood Anxiety seminars to school communities.
More than 50 people attended the Let’s Talk Anxiety Orange forum. Following a thought provoking welcome to country from Uncle Neil ingram who talked about Wiradjuri country and the people of the three rivers, the Mayor of Orange launched the forum. He spoke of his personal experience of anxiety.
Our keynote speaker, Monique Shipp, Clinical Psychologist Registrar talked about anxiety disorders and her clinical specialty, Selective Mutism. WayAhead’s Paul Leonard spoke about his personal experience of anxiety, and we heard the perspective of a parent and her journey as a carer of children with anxiety. The opportunity to hear these individual stories went along way to meeting our goal of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health conditions in the community.
We were joined by local mental health services in Orange who explained how to access their programs: headspace; Marathon Health-New Access/Strong Minds; Stride-Like Mind and Carer’s Gateway-Live Better.
Our local and newly trained volunteer anxiety support group co- facilitators met with WayAhead staff. We thank Neami National and Gabby Pawley, Orange Service Manager for provision of a space for the new Orange Anxiety support group to meet.
Monique Brunello, School and Community Education Lead, delivered three Small Steps Childhood Anxiety seminars- for School Learning Support Officers at Glenroi Heights Public School and for teachers, parents and carers at Cudal Public School where local teachers were joined by colleagues from Eugowra.
Providing community forums and Small Steps seminars allows WayAhead to take a whole of community approach where we can all work towards reducing the impact of anxiety in our families and communities throughout NSW.
