MTFJ: Easier access to mental health support for rural young people

News from MTFJ:

Twenty-nine of the country’s rural mayors have teamed up with Clearhead, an online wellbeing platform, to make it easier for young people to access mental health support.

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) launched the partnership at the end of last year in a bid to reduce barriers for young New Zealanders to getting into sustainable employment in our rural communities.

“Access to mental health services has always been a huge challenge in some of our most remote parts of the country. Services are limited and private alternatives are expensive,” says Mayor of Ōtorohunga and MTFJ Chair Max Baxter.

“We needed to do something about that if we are to keep our young people in the workforce for longer. Clearhead works by remotely linking a network of therapists with its users and will offer access to online counselling services to those part of MTFJ’s Rural Community Resilience programme.”

Hurunui District Council has been an early adopter of the service.

Marie Black, Mayor of Hurunui District Council says that young people who fall into this bracket in rural areas run into many challenges, among them the difficulty in remaining anonymous.

“Wait times, travel distance, the lack of choice of councillor, these are all things that affect the chance of whether our young people reach out for help."

She said the stigma around asking for help is still very real in small town communities, so having the option to speak with a specialist from a different region will be empowering for these young people.

“Everyone should have access to mental health care, no matter where they live. It’s a crucial part in making sure that fewer young people fall through the gaps,” said Mayor Black.

Harvard Business Review showed that 81% of Gen Z left their job in 2021 due to mental health reasons. When thinking about providing holistic support that keeps young people in their job, being able to have mental health and wellbeing support is key” said Clearhead founder Dr Angela Lim.

Mayor Black says MTFJ’s Rural Community Resilience Programme, which is run in partnership with Ministry for Social Development (MSD) focuses on providing sustainable employment to young people under 25 years of age and those not already in education, employment, or training.

“In the last financial year, the programme placed over 1800 youths and Covid-displaced workers into sustainable employment across New Zealand,” says Mayor Black.