People with Purpose: Mind over matter

How did you become involved in the mental health sector?

I was always both curious and passionate about mental health and more specifically how our mindset influences our behaviour, our successes and how we deal with challenges.

This set me on a pathway to study psychology.

From there, I entered the rehabilitation industry working with individuals who had sustained a physical or mental health injury – assisting them to return to work through a range of approaches including case coordination of suitable treatment and applying a range of techniques including motivational interviewing, mindfulness and conducting suitable assessments and profiling to ensure realistic recommendations.

My company Activ8 MIND started as a rehabilitation business and has over time evolved into now offering a suite of mental health therapy services including psychology, counselling, social work, behaviour therapy and assessments.

Does society have a better understanding of mental health now than in the past?

I think that society’s understanding, or rather our collective overall awareness of mental health has improved. It is far less stigmatised than it was decades ago.

One of the biggest shifts is that generally people appreciate that you can be experiencing a mental health challenge and sometimes even have a diagnosed condition, but this doesn’t mean that you are unable to function, or that you are dangerous, or that you can’t move past the challenge with effective treatment and support.

Government, particularly in South Australia, has started some great initiatives such as the Social Media Summit that I attended about a month ago, where we met to discuss the impact of social media on our health with a youth focus as well as generate solutions.

We also have Australian businesses recognising mental health through their policies, training, team building initiatives, and even through the provision of employee assistance programs (EAPs), which help to build increased awareness and overall understanding.

Our team at Activ8 MIND are talking to many small to large businesses about our new EAP offering, which is easy to implement and operates as a “pay as your employees use" model which is proving very popular and effective in supporting the mental health of employees.

What difference has the establishment of the NDIS made in relation to addressing mental health issues?

For individuals with a recognised psychosocial disability, the NDIS has enabled them to receive appropriate evidence-based treatment to support skills building and functional improvements, while their other daily care needs are also met.

Similarly, individuals with neurological disability are also able to access therapy supports such as psychology, counselling and positive behaviour support which serves to reduce behaviours of concern, increase independence and increase clients' ability to maintain social connections.

Tell us about Activ8 MIND?

Activ8 MIND is a leading mental health, behaviour therapy and human services provider headquartered in Adelaide.

The business provides psychology, counselling, behaviour therapy and occupational therapy to individual clients across the frameworks of NDIS, Medicare, workers compensation, motor vehicle accidents and employee assistance programs.

In 2024 Activ8 MIND expanded to Victoria, providing Melbourne’s north and west and the Ballarat and Geelong regions with positive behaviour support services. Activ8 Mind has also commenced employee assistance program services in Adelaide.

What impact does social media have on young Australians' mental health?

As a mother of two, I can relate to the breakfast time battles to get kids ready for school and the day ahead. Unfortunately, I don’t have the best news for parents and guardians dealing with the minefield that is social media and screen time addiction.

As psychologists, behaviour therapists and mental health practitioners, one significant impact which we are seeing is the relationship between screen usage - particularly social media - and increased anxiety and depression.

The constant comparison to others is creating feelings of inadequacy, loneliness and anxiety.

The flow-on behaviours from here can include withdrawal from positive social activities, reduced physical activity, increases in risky behaviour, bullying and sharing of harmful and inappropriate content.

We welcome moves [for safer use] by governments and community organisations, such as the South Australian government which is leading the charge with a public-school phone ban and a strategy to lessen the harms of social media for youth.

These social initiatives encourage safer, more regulated usage and are increasingly providing the practical strategies of how to adequately create effective boundaries and how to deal with the fall out and resistance from the child or young person when these are being imposed.

To help youth manage life online and offline, in early 2025, Activ8 Mind is launching an innovative new group therapy and practical skills program tackling these very issues.

Our group therapy and education programs will comprise six sessions where both parents and young people are involved.

The group program provides education around digital screen usage, setting healthy boundaries, identifying safe replacement behaviours, strengthening family connections and relationships, digital detox, overcoming challenges and managing relapse.