New hub to promote local community mental health and wellbeing

Cooktown and Tablelands communities now have a local hub dedicated to improving mental health and wellbeing.

Funded by the Queensland Mental Health Commission and operated by Centacare FNQ, the Cooktown and Tablelands Regional Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub’s role is to raise awareness of good mental health, and foster activities and programs that improve the mental health and wellbeing of local communities.

Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic said the commission’s support of regional hubs was recognition of the central role communities play in supporting and protecting good mental health and wellbeing.

“Hubs work with individuals, community members and groups, networks, industry and government across their regions to enhance understanding, capacity and coordination of mental health and wellbeing activity in the region,” he said

“One of the key roles of the Cooktown and Tablelands hubs will be to raise awareness among local services, key groups and the broader community about what they can do to support their own and others mental health and wellbeing.”

Centacare FNQ Executive Director Anita Veivers said the organisation intended to work closely with community members and key stakeholders to ensure they identified and responded to the diverse local needs across the regions.

“We want to help local people become champions of mental health and wellbeing, who can provide long-term ongoing support and education that benefits the towns and communities in which they live and work,” Ms Veivers said.

One of the first activities being led by the Cooktown and Tablelands hub will be a five-day intensive training session in the Wheel of Wellbeing (WoW), a program for understanding and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing.

Developed in the United Kingdom by Maudsley International, WoW teaches simple techniques for promoting people’s wellbeing by focusing on six areas — body, mind, spirit, people, place and planet.

Following the training in March, participants will have the opportunity to be verified as WoW practitioners, able to incorporate WoW into their work and community programs, and deliver wellbeing workshops to communities across the region.

For more information on the Cooktown and Tablelands Regional Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub contact Hub Coordinator Peta O’Neill on 4044 0130.

ENDS

Contact: Robyn Oberg, 3405 9774 or 0434 987 212