By Danielle Kutchel
A volunteer-led youth counselling organisation is looking to make the move into Cranbourne as demand for mental health services soars – but it needs funding support to get there.
Left and Right Counselling, currently based in Frankston, has taken a unique approach to youth mental health.
The organisation offers a free counselling service for people aged 12-25, with no cap on sessions, flexible session times of 30-120 minutes and no mental health plan required.
It opened in January this year and has already supported more than 200 young people from across the Mornington Peninsula and the south east, including Cranbourne, Clyde and Botanic Ridge.
Founder Daniel Lennon said the volunteer-led organisation was pushing hard to meet demand.
While staff knew the demand was there, they’ve been surprised by how quickly other organisations in the mental health space have found them and are now making referrals.
So far, Left and Right Counselling has received more than 150 referrals from places like headspace, Anglicare, Baptcare, Monash Health and the Frankston Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Lennon said young people were facing their first “existential crisis”, with the pandemic often exacerbating underlying mental health issues.
In some cases, lockdown has brought about its own mental health challenges too.
He said young people were challenged by the fact they had no access to their usual social forms of support.
With such high levels of demand in the south east, Left and Right is looking to open an office in the Cranbourne region.
Young people in Cranbourne often have to travel further afield for mental health assistance, with no dedicated headspace to turn to.
Mr Lennon said it was surprising that the growing region of Cranbourne-Clyde did not have a dedicated headspace office.
“It is such an area of growth, and there’s a large number of young people that live there,” he said.
He said with new locations, the volunteers at Left and Right would be able to help well over 1000 clients.
Mr Lennon said the organisation wanted to continue offering a secure and supportive space for young people with sessions tailored to their needs.
There is no set timeline yet for the move, and Left and Right Counselling is looking for funding opportunities from local and state governments to support their growth.
Meanwhile, the volunteers at the counselling service were “ready to go”, Mr Lennon said.
“We have big aspirations. There’s some big work to do,” he said.
To make a tax-deductible donation to Left and Right Counselling, visit lrcounselling.com.au/donate
