headspace Camperdown

Life changing support I had with Dr Catherine Choi and the social workers.
Highly recommend. First doctor out of 15 doctors I’ve seen in Sydney to actually help and validate my experience. Can’t thank them enough.

(2019) After being with the service for a matter of years, I was discharged without being told after missing an appointment. Upon talking to my psychiatrist (Dr Lee) on the phone, they advised I was unable to use the service for a number of reasons - but ultimately because I wasn't in their catchment area. My address had not changed since my last engagement with them. An official complaint then caused them to tell me my time as a client had expired. On obtained records, it's listed that missing an appointment was the actual reason.

I've been served by a number of community mental health services, but none have shown the level of client disregard as the doctors here. I would strongly advise against attending Headspace Camperdown, having been left feeling hopeless and with no support during an already frightening time - without referral or even an honest explanation. If your engagement is not 100% every day, maybe avoid Headspace and explore other options where doctors are more accountable or outcome-focused.

My real thanks to the amazingly strong-willed nurses, psychologists and admin staff here who are always on the front line of mistreated patients' grievances - and still treat people with patience, humility and mutual respect.

Involved staff:
Vicki Lee (consultant psychiatrist)
Charles Passmore (trainee reg.psychiatrist)
Management Team

I’ve been going to headspace for coming up on a year now, and it’s been really helpful. Most of that time i was seeing a psychologist [Shriya] who was so lovely and gave me very valuable guidance while i was doing pretty badly. It takes a long time to find good therapists so i’m really glad i was placed with her. Headspace is a great place to start if you’re looking to get some mental health support. Good luck out there <3

I wish the waiting list was more efficient.i was told i had to wait 3 months for my appointment, but ive been waiting 5 months now and i have been told i have to wait 2 more months, even though my mental health is so much worse now thenw hen i first went there

So bad! They make you wear a mask (not required in Sydney anymore) but none of the staff have to wear one! They treat you like children. The GP wasn't helpful.

The staff I was paired with have been helpful so far. Not sure if I was lucky or if this is reflective of the entire service. I would recommend headspace to others based on my experience with them.

I’m lucky enough to have met some very helpful staff and great support from the system. There were some unfriendly staff that I experienced but they have left. I’ve been attending headspace camperdown for at least a year and they have helped me a lot

It is hard to fathom how incompetent and inefficient a service for at risk youth with mental health issues can be. Waited 4mths to just get a referral elsewhere and still waiting... Only reinforces the stigma that people don't care about mental health. Please don't waste you time, seek a professional service elsewhere.

I wish public mental health services were better in this country but they are not they really are not. In October/November of last year I was denied access to a psychologist because I was already seeing a councillor which I knew was super unhelpful, she didn't change my problem thinking patterns which upon reflection is what I needed- I needed a therapist trained in CBT. The woman who did my assessment was honestly just rude she got mad when I said no to her offer of joining the study club! I could barely leave my house LOL a study club would have been so much heLp! Oh and yes a study club would have been super helpful for my PTSD which was diagnosed in one of the wards I stayed in:)

This lead to two serious suicide attempts which I am very lucky to be alive from today. I'm glad when I moved back to Brisbane my parents could afford to pay for a well trained clinical psychologist who did what I needed. Not everyone can afford that though, I am in a place of privilege and I can't even begin to imagine the quantities of young people who are being let down by this system. I have a dear friend up in here in Brisbane who lost someone very close to her. She too was rejected by headspace and passed away.

I know there are probably some amazing psychologist here but I'm going to let it be known headspace has some major systemic issues which needs to be sorted. If this is a young person's ONLY option you'd hope it be a good one!

After being with the service for a matter of years, I was discharged without being told after missing an appointment. Upon talking to my case worker and psychiatrist on the phone, they advised me that I was unable to use the service for a number of reasons apparently, but ultimately because I wasn't in their catchment area. My address had not changed since my last engagement with them.

I have used a number of public mental health services, but none have committed malpractice such as this. I would strongly advise against attending this service, as I have been left feeling hopeless and with no support during a very difficult time, for no apparent logical reason.

UPDATE: After an official complaint was made, the service used the time I had been using the service as an indicator for discharge. This was contrary to the reasons provided over the phone.

I went to them seeking help for fairly involved childhood trauma issues that I didn’t understand and the psychologist gave me rudimentary ACT. They also recommended I give my data to a project they were working on with no follow-up about how it would be useful to me. That suggests to me that Headspace isn’t a place where mental health professionals invest their energy long-term but an is rather interim while they’re working on other projects.

I think the more informed thing for the intake worker to have done would be to recommend me a trauma-informed therapist, even if it meant going elsewhere. Not to undermine their expertise, but they did admit that they they didn’t really know what action to recommend I take.

The receptionists were friendly and easy to work with, though.

Wish I could say was helpful, the headspace psychologist seemed nice and looked professional, but know nothing of experience of being constantly compared to my sibling, as a young person who is cursed with the perfect brother and a very narcissistic mother who compares me in everyway to my sibling who is perfect in sporting abilities, appearance and musical achievement, how can I survive mentally? This is such a horrible mental abuse but Headspace is not yet equipped to even understand, or know any strategies to help such a cursed child. Headspace is sadly not yet equipped to support the youth mental health or well-being of young people being raised by a narcissist mother.

Saw a psychiatrist to talk about my potential ADD. He gave me a weird look and said "Well you seemed focused in this session. You aren't fidgety now, " and proceeded to mansplain to me what ADHD is without further exploring my personal experiences.

When I brought up this up he said he just wanted to "clarify" things for me

Thank you so much! ! !:)! ! I'm now cured aha x xx

Referred to Headspace after a second or third hospital visit due to a breakdown. Got assessed by a very nice lady, got told I was going to be taken care of, then about a week later I was told I couldn’t be helped, due to an administrative error, or I had used up my 10 sessions for the year already. Not nice to be told (yet again) that you’re going to be helped, and then it doesn’t happen. A waste of time, and unprofessional. This was in 2016.

I used to have down syndrome, but after I went to headspace I still had it. It's down syndrome you can't fix this stuff.