Youth general mental health

The Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service is a coordinated mental health service for young people aged 12-25, and their families.

Clinical service overview

We provide services for young people experiencing challenges with their mental or physical health, work or study, alcohol and other drugs, as well as young people experiencing psychosis.

Our team includes mental health clinicians (occupational therapists, social workers, nurses, psychologists, speech pathologists) and psychiatrists. You may also be able to access Youth Peer Workers or Family Peer Specialists who have their own experience of mental health challenges or have cared for someone who does.

Common concerns for young people include:

Feeling excessively anxious, worried, unhappy or shy
Changes in thinking, personality or behaviour that impact family, relationships, school or work
Difficulty controlling emotions and impulses
Distress from a traumatic incident or experience of abuse (either recent or in the past)
Trouble concentrating, thinking clearly or remembering things
Loss of enjoyment or motivation
Unusual experiences such as hearing voices, seeing strange things or things seeming different
Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
Where family or friends have expressed concern about personality or behavioural changes
Physical complaints that could be caused by emotional stress

Alfred Health is the lead agency for headspace Bentleigh, Elsternwick and Syndal. It also runs the headspace Early Psychosis program at five headspace centres in southeast Melbourne: Bentleigh, Elsternwick, Frankston, Narre Warren and Dandenong.

Refer your patient

GP, specialist or self-referral

All referrals to the Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service are made using the online referral form, or by calling the Access Team. Referrals can be made by family or friends, as well as healthcare providers or other community services.