4 August 2009

Taking care of young people with anxiety

South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health (SESIH) mental health staff will join local education and community service experts at a two-day training program at Sydney Children’s Hospital (13 and 14 August).

The NSW School-Link Training Program, developed by the Institute of Psychiatry in 2000, aims to improve mental health outcomes for children and adolescents.

Phase 5 of the Program: The assessment and management of anxiety disorders in children and young people is a key component of the state-wide NSW School-Link initiative.

School-Link Coordinator Jordan Thomas, said the School-Link Training is an initiative in NSW which aims to train mental health and education counselling personnel together.

“This initiative is an ongoing partnership between NSW Health and the NSW Department of Education and Training and is aimed at improving mental health outcomes for children, adolescents and their families,” Ms Thomas said.

“We previously addressed adolescent depression, self-harm, cultural and sexuality issues in adolescents’ mental health and problematic substance use.

"However, in Phase 5 of the training the focus has shifted slightly to include children and adolescents as anxiety is often first experienced in earlier years,” she said.

Ms Thomas said more than half of those children who experience anxiety will develop an anxiety disorder or depression in their adolescence if not treated.

“Anxiety is a mental disorder that can be treated successfully if action begins early in the course of the illness. The condition includes excessive fears and worries, and can have significant impact on the development of children.

“Treatment may involve psychological therapy and often includes supportive roles for the family and school,” she said.

Those attending the program will join over 2,000 professionals including mental health education workers, school and TAFE counsellors, Juvenile Justice counsellors and Community Service staff who have already completed the training across the state.


Media enquiries: Jessica Jaramillo, 9382 3571 or 0404 001 722