MindSpot Clinic, is Australia's first free national online mental health clinic which launched in December 2012.
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History
The MindSpot Clinic project was developed by a team of mental health professionals, led by researchers from Macquarie University, in partnership with the Australian Federal Government. It is a free telephone and online service for Australians with stress, worry, anxiety and depression. Its clinical team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, Indigenous mental health workers and counsellors.
Many of the MindSpot Clinic's clients live in rural and remote areas where there are no face-to-face mental health services. According to the study published in Psychiatry Online in October 2015, the treatment outcomes are "comparable to results from published clinical trials of iCBT" (Internet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and this model represents a method of providing accessible mental health services to many people who currently are not receiving care. In October 2016 the Clinic achieved a milestone of 50,000 Australians registering to use their mental health service.
Services
The MindSpot Clinic offers two services - Screening Assessments and Treatment Courses - to learn manage stress, anxiety, low mood, Obsessive-compulsive disorder and Post traumatic stress disorder. The clinic balances its outreach between city and rural areas with half of its patients (such as farmers and small rural businesses) coming from rural and regional areas, where there are no face-to-face mental health services. The materials on the MindSpot courses are intended for a broad age range (from 18 years old to people aged 80 plus). While the services are currently limited to those living in Australia, they may be available to overseas clients in the future.
Awards
In October 2015 the Clinic was awarded a Mental Health Matters Award ( in the Excellence in Service Delivery category) for assisting more than 40,000 Australians dealing with symptoms of anxiety and depression.