Kempsey resident Shelby Mitchell says there were limited counselling services for young people when she was growing up in town.
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"I found that really interesting," she said.
Now, at the age of 16, Shelby has found a brand new facility to go to, with headspace Kempsey officially opening its doors on Monday (October 31) to provide a vital new service for young people in the area.
"Now that headspace is here, it's like I have an actual connection with a service in the community, where I know I have somewhere to go when I need to," she said.
"The importance of this centre is that regional communities, like Kempsey, can finally have the proper support that every young person should be able to get in their life."
"Having a headspace facility here will make that access to support services so much easier for us."
The new centre offers free support to young people aged 12 to 25 who are experiencing, or at risk of, mental ill-health. It also offers support services for general health, alcohol and other drugs, and employment and social support.
The service is being funded through the North Coast Primary Health Network and operated by the Samaritans. It's one of 153 headspaces operating nationally, with 83 located in regional Australia.
Headspace Kempsey centre manager Annette Toomey has lived in Kempsey for the last 15 years, working with disadvantaged youth in various roles.
Mrs Toomey said a key area she always noticed lacking in Kempsey was individual counselling and support services for young people.
"What I have seen from working with young people, is that they often feel very alone in what they are experiencing, whether it's when they're experiencing anxiety, bullying or struggling at school or home.
"I think Kempsey is very unique in the issues that we face, there's quite a lot of disadvantages in Kempsey, so we want to reach out to young people to say that we are here now to help.
"Ultimately, what we want people taking away from our service is for them to see that they are not alone and that it's okay to ask for help. I think this service will save lives here in Kempsey."
The opening ceremony of the new centre, which is located at 65 Smith Street, Kempsey, on the traditional homelands of the Dunghutti nation, commenced with a smoking ceremony by Uncle Fred and John Kelly.
Key supporters and officials who advocated for the needs of the Kempsey community on a state and federal level, joined the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride MP to officially open the centre.
Ms McBride said half of all adult mental health challenges emerge before the age of 14,
"It's vital for young people to get the best start in life," she said. "For a young person growing up outside of the big city, it's sometimes much harder to get the help that you need that is close to home and affordable, so that's what headspace is really trying to achieve."
"I was so pleased to see that since headspace Kempsey opened earlier in March... 177 young people have already walked through the doors, and there's been over 675 services that those young people have been able to use."
Headspace CEO, Jason Trethowan hopes that the new facility will help tear down the stigma of mental health and instead build greater awareness and understanding of the importance of looking after mental health and wellbeing.
"There is high demand for youth mental health services across Australia and Kempsey is no exception," Mr Trethowan said. "With this local service, we hope to meet the growing demand for young people, their families and friends.
"It is exciting that this headspace service is opening in Kempsey, giving the young people in the community a place where they can get the support they need to get back on their feet and fulfil their potential."
On top of being an advocate for young people in regional areas, Shelby Mitchell is also the first representative of Kempsey to be appointed to the newly established NSW Youth Advisory Council, designed to advise the NSW Government on matters impacting children and young people.
After Shelby's term finishes, she will be involved in headspace Kempsey's youth reference group.
"It's really important that everyone has the opportunity to access the services that they need, so that young people in regional areas can be given a fair go and be provided with the same services that people in the city get," she said.
"It's good to see that we finally have something like this now that's here just for us."
Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or headspace on 1800 650 890, or visit headspace.org.au
