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Welcome to the March 2021 edition of the eMHPrac newsletter. Today marks Australia’s National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, a day for Australian school communities to stand together and help create positive change for students, staff, and the school climate. Digital tools are an invaluable part of helping parents, students, and staff address bullying, with trusted information sources including Bullying, No Way! and the eSafety Commissioner.

In this edition

• Launch of eMHPrac’s new podcast: Digital Mental Health Musings
• Mental Health Online reaches 100,000 users
• dMH Resources for Bullying
• New eMHPrac factsheet -dMH for Tertiary Students
• dMH for Indigenous Wellbeing – Free PD (podcast and webinars)
• eMHPrac at upcoming conferences
• The latest research in digital mental health
• This month’s featured service: Mental Health Online

Digital Mental Health Musings is an initiative of the federally funded eMHPrac project, helping health professionals to navigate the growing world of digital mental health resources.

Hosted by senior research fellow Dr Ruth Crowther, the podcast hosts a range of experts in the area, exploring the latest developments and challenges in the digital mental health space, addressing commonly held concerns, and supporting health practitioners in their use of digital mental health resources.

You can access the Digital Mental Health Musing Podcast via the eMHPrac website, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Deezer for new episodes on the first Sunday of every month.

Mental Health Online has just reached the milestone of supporting 100,000 people with their mental health!

Since 2009, Mental Health Online has provided online information, assessment, programs, and therapist support to help people manage their mental health, as well as providing health professionals support to integrate digital resources into their practice.

The free service, run by Swinburne University and funded by the Australian federal government, saw a significant number of people turn their digital mental health services during 2020, with Mental Health Online providing assistance during a time where access to mental health support was more challenging due to COVID-19.

For more information about Mental Health Online visit www.mentalhealthonline.org.au.

The National Day pf Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) is Australia’s key anti-bullying campaign for schools. It supports schools to work with their school communities to find practical and lasting solutions to bullying and violence. The theme for 2021 is ‘Take Action Together.’

Positive outcomes for school participation in the NDA include:

• School bullying prevention messages are well understood by the school community.
• Students, staff, and the school community have more positive relationships.
• School staff are more active in challenging behaviour and supporting students that have been bullied.

Digital Mental Health Tools and Bullying

Looking for digital mental health tools for information, guidance, and support around bullying? Check out some of the following:

• Bullying. No Way!
  • Website supporting school communities with evidence-informed resources and activities for a proactive approach to bullying education and prevention.
• National Centre Against Bullying
  • Research-based bullying advice and resources suitable for young adults, parents and teachers on a variety of topics.
• eSafety Commissioner
  • The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is Australia’s national (and the world’s first) government agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online.
• Dolly’s Dream Parent Hub
  • A hub of the most trusted information from around the internet about online safety and bullying.

Digital Mental Health for Tertiary Students

The transition to tertiary education can bring with it a range of challenges, including stress about assessment and study, financial strain, social worries, and the pressure of having to juggle study with home and personal life. Mental health issues are common amongst tertiary students however, help is available.

This brand new factsheet provides brief information about how digital mental health resources can help tertiary students and suggests a range of Australian evidence0based, free, and low-cost digital mental health resources suitable for tertiary students to use.

Feel free to share and distribute widely!

Supporting Indigenous Wellbeing Through Digital Resources – recording now available!

The WellMob team collaborated with the Black Dog Institute to deliver two webinars in late 2020. The webinars were to promote the new Indigenous wellbeing website and give practitioners and community workers some tips around using online resources with their Indigenous clients.

One webinar was developed for non-Indigenous clinicians and the other for frontline Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce.

• The webinar for non-Indigenous clinicians has just been uploaded to the Black Dog Institute’s Soundcloud. Listen to the podcast here. 
• For an on-demand webinar version of the presentation (worth 2 CPD points), visit the Medcast Course below. Watch the webinar here.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference

12-14 April 2021, JW Marriot Gold Coast Resort & Spa

‘Improve mental health for future generations

The child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference is designed to provide practical, relevant information and strategies for professionals to apply directly to their work supporting the mental health of children and adolescents from 3-19 years of age.

Heidi Sturk, eMHprac’s Director, will present on ‘Digital Mental Health Tools in Pandemic Times’ – a session exploring use of dMH services during the pandemic, as well as changes in health practitioner attitude as a consequence of the pandemic.

To register for the conference or view the program, click the link below.

International Mental Health Conference

26-28 July 2021, RACV Pines Resort, Gold Coast

‘Unite with a Community Changing the Face of Mental Health’

The International Mental Health Conference is designed for professionals, workers and volunteers to learn best practise, grow meaningful connections and implement real solutions to mental health care.

Special Offer!

As a proud member of the IMHC Committee, the eMHPrac Team are pleased to offer a discount of 10% on conference registrations. 

For every registration secured with this code, $100 will be donated to the IMHC ‘Lived Experience Fund’, which will offer scholarships for those with a lived experience background who wish to attend the conference. 

Visit the conference website and use the code IMHCOMMITTEE when registering.

Technology-Enabled Reform in a Nontraditional Mental Health Service for Eating Disorders: Participatory Design Study

Milton AC, Hambleton A, Dowling M, Roberts AE, Davenport T, Hickie I. Technology-Enabled Reform in a Nontraditional Mental Health Service for Eating Disorders: Participatory Design Study. J Med Internet Res 2021;23(2):e19532. URL: https://www.jmir.org/2021/2/e19532. DOI: 10.2196/19532

“Participants highlighted that there is a critical need to address some of the barriers to care, particularly in regional and rural areas. The workshops highlighted seven overarching qualitative themes: identified barriers to care within the current system; need for people to be able to access the right care anywhere, anytime; recommendations for the technological solution (ie, InnoWell Platform features and functionality); need for communication, coordination, and integration of a technological solution embedded in Butterfly’s National Helpline; need to consider engagement and tone within the technological solution; identified challenges and areas to consider when implementing a technological solution in the Helpline; and potential outcomes of the technological solution embedded in the Helpline relating to system and service reform. Ultimately, this technology solution should ensure that the right care is provided to individuals the first time.”

An Online Platform to Provide Work and Study Support for Young People With Mental Health Challenges: Observational and Survey Study

Rickwood D, Kennedy V, Miyazaki K, Telford N, Carbone S, Hewitt E, Watts C. An Online Platform to Provide Work and Study Support for Young People With Mental Health Challenges: Observational and Survey Study. JMIR Ment Health 2021;8(2):e21872. URL: https://mental.jmir.org/2021/2/e21872. DOI: 10.2196/21872

“The headspace Work and Study (hWS) service is an innovative online platform implemented in Australia to support young people aged 15-25 years with mental health problems to achieve work and study goals…..The service was accessed by its defined target group, young people aged 15-25 years with mental health and work and study difficulties. Young people found the online platform to be acceptable, and the assistance provided and clinical integration useful; many young people achieved positive work and study outcomes, particularly those who engaged more times with the service. More assistance was sought for work than study goals, suggesting that the transition to work may be particularly challenging for young people. One-third (298/881, 33.8%) of the sample for the service impact analyses achieved at least 1 primary work or study outcome, and this increased to 44.5% (225/506) for those who engaged with 5 or more sessions, demonstrating that greater engagement with the service produced better outcomes.”

Mental Health Online

Free online information, assessment, referral, and treatment for mental health problems. 

About Mental Health Online

Mental Health Online provides comprehensive and effective online mental health services and programs free of charge. If you’re experiencing mental distress, their services can help you understand and address your needs through self-assessment (through their ‘e-PASS’ Assessment system), self-help (through their online programs) and, if you choose, online professional support.

• e-PASS
  • e-PASS is a free and comprehensive online psychological self-assessment that takes between 10 and 60 minutes to complete. It asks questions about mental health and lifestyle factors that can help you determine the type and severity of mental health concerns that you are experiencing and will recommend some next steps to take. This could be a program on Mental Health Online or a referral to another service. You don’t have to choose the program that e-PASS suggests. You are free to pick whichever program you would like to work on.
• Online Programs
  • The current programs available include help for Depression, General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as ‘Made 4 Me’, a tailored program specific to your needs.

Who is Mental Health Online for?

Mental Health Online has been designed for any adults 18+ who are looking for mental health support. The programs are not suitable for children.

Is there a cost to use Mental Health Online?

All programs are free of charge, whether you choose self-guided or therapist-assisted.

How to access Mental Health Online