Recent studies conducted across the Western world have found that men who receive help to reduce their ideation with self-harming, can reduce issues with depression, anxiety, self-harm, and promote better mental health.
Recovery and healing start from the first step and that first step could be a visit to Bettermentall Health. Trafalgar locals, Jason and Kerry founded Bettermentall in response to their own personally lived experience of dealing with issues of mental health. They were disheartened by the inadequate regional mental health services.
Bettermentall can help with issues such as, managing crisis, desperation, feelings of hopelessness, and affirming obligations to family.
Men cope with psychological suffering differently to women. Often this presents as inappropriate masculine behaviours including drug and alcohol abuse to numb distress, ignoring negative emotions, and engaging in high-risk behaviours. All the behaviours mentioned have the ability to promote and worsen issues of depression and anxiety, which leads to poor mental health in men.
Bettermentall Together Health and Wellbeing service provides a safe environment for starting out on a journey to a new life, by providing a helping hand, to make that new beginning a reality. Often those effected by issues of poor mental health, are left to deal with their situation themselves. This ultimately results in unnecessary family breakdown, hospitalisations, police involvement, and in worse case scenarios, suicide.
Bettermentall staff encourage individuals to get the help they require to start their journey to wellness, and to treat their illness the same as any physical illness that can be addressed and managed to acceptable levels. Bettermentall works tirelessly to breakdown stigma attached to mental illness and empower people to get out of their limiting beliefs and find inner peace and self-worth.
The church hall at 36 Contingent Street Trafalgar, is the home of Bettermentall which runs a Men’s Health support group every Thursday between 10.00am to 12.00pm.
This provides a safe friendly environment for men to sit, have a coffee and chat about all things.
Support includes peer support services, N.D.I.S. support services, material aid, food aid supplied by Baw Baw Food Relief, and referral service to others specialised, services across the region.
Bettermentall is broadening its scope to include youth, through the provision of a Youth program held at the Contingent Street hall on Tuesday afternoons 3.30pm to 4.30 pm through school terms, along with community programs aimed at whole families, which includes one-on-one coaching, Root Course therapy, mediation workshops, breathwork sessions, and assorted group activities, and outings designed to assist people to achieve calm states of wellbeing.
Each year Bettermentall holds their hugely successful Christmas Gifts for families experiencing hardship.
More than one hundred children received gifts from Santa along with generous food hampers from Bettermentall, ensuring no child in the community went without.
bettermentall is dedicated to assisting and supporting anyone who is finding it hard to take that first step on the road to recovery.
Bettermentall is a privately operated community service and depends solely on donations for its survival.
We can be found at bettermentall.com.au or on Facebook and all are welcome.
Note: if you or someone you know needs urgent help, call Beyond Blue on (03) 9810 6100
